Frequently Asked Questions
You’ve got questions and we’ve got answers. Whether it’s potable water supply, infloor heating or hydronic equipment,
our tech team has curated this guide to keep your project moving
How do I know what fittings I can use with the pex tubing?
This is a super common question but a surprisingly easy one to answer. If you look on the print stream for the tubing you will see the ASTM fitting standard codes that are approved printed right on the pipe. Common ones would be F1807 (crimp style which is often just called “Pex”) or F1960 (expansion style which is often called “Wirsbo”)
Is VesiPex tubing Wirsbo?
Yes and no! Often the term “Wirsbo” is used as a way to describe PEX tubing that made using the Pex-a method and can be expanded (is certified to ASTM F1960 fittings). Both of those things are true for VesiFlow and VesiHeat tubing by VesiPex , so our tubing can be used any time someone is looking for “Wirsbo”. Very accurately Wirsbo is just a specific brand name of Pex-a tubing, owned by Uponor, so in that sense, no VesiPex is not Wirsbo because we are our own company.
How much Pex do I need for my infloor heating job?
The amount of tubing that goes into your floor depends on the spacing. At 6″ on center you would have 2ft of tubing per sqft, at 8″ spacing it would be 1.5ft per sqft, at 9″ spacing it would be 1.33ft per sqft and at 12″ spacing it would be 1.1ft per sqft. This satisfies the geometry, but to ensure you will get enough heat output from the tubing an experienced hydronic designer should be consulted.
What is a hydraulic separator used for?
A hydraulic separator is used to decouple the flow through the heat source from the flow through your floor heat zones. This allows the boiler or heat pump to operate at the flow rate which will give its best performance, while infloor zone pumps can turn on or off as needed without short cycling the boiler. This purpose can be served with a buffer tank or closely spaced tees as well, but VesiSep hydraulic separator also is capable of bleeding air from the top vent and cleaning dirt from the bottom drain port
Does in-floor heating work because heat rises?
This is a common misconception. While it is true that hot air rises, this is a type of heat transfer called convection. A radiant floor relies on radiant heat transfer, where the heat from a warm object will transfer through infrared to all cooler objects in line of sight. What this means is that when your floor is warm, it will warm every surface and every item in the room, from windows to walls to furniture.
Can I have in-floor heating with Engineered Hardwood?
Yes! In-floor heating and hardwood go great together. The keys to making this flooring configuration successful are:
- Furring strips must be installed in between PEX lines, to the height of the bottom of the hardwood boards, so there is somewhere to nail down your boards
- Your hardwood floor boards must be installed perpendicular to the PEX tubing lines
- To avoid any potential warping of the flooring, it is critical to install a true radiant thermostat, with a slab temperature sensor to control upper floor temperature limits
- An optional item to consider is to use a low mass aluminum channel system for installing the PEX tubing which will allow for even lower water temperatures to be run in the floor while still maintaining a comfortable room temperature