You Should Know What Size Pex For Baseboard Heat before Installation
If you compare PEX to copper or CPVC piping, they prove to be most durable and cost-effective – as low as 7 dollars per foot. That’s because the material of the baseboard isn’t pretty expensive. So, are you wondering what size pex for baseboard heat you need for your home? A ½ inch pex is considered the ideal size, but this depends on several factors.
Then this article can solve all your queries. Besides, we are going to cover some crucial FAQs to help you figure it out.
What Size Pex For Baseboard Heat?
The way a baseboard works is very simple. Hot water enters through the pipe, and it heats up the aluminum plates. That heat disperses out of the pipe and flows up through the mechanism of convection heat.
Here are a few pro tips to help you decide on pex for baseboard heating:
- Most copper lines that come with baseboards are 3/4 inch or 1/2 inch. When you go to purchase a baseboard, you will be purchasing in sections of 2 feet all the way up to 10 feet. So the average output for a baseboard is 600 BTUs per foot.
- Suppose, you have an input temperature of 180℉, which is actually the average. If it is a one-foot of baseboard, it has a 600 BTU output. If you have two feet, that’s 1200 and if you have 800, then it’s 4800BTUs of output.
- It often confuses people when they see the technical specifications. They observe that 8 feet of baseboard have a larger BTU output. But that’s only because there’s more baseboard. So you just have to know that these have the same BTU output per foot, which is 600.
- If you are looking to purchase the correct amount of baseboard for your home, it’s vital to understand the heat loss in your home per foot. Heat loss is a measure of the total transfer of heat through the fabric of building from inside to outside. This measurement is either from conduction convection or radiation. Or a combination of any of these.
- Calculating heat loss in your home is a pretty complex thing to do. Again, an accurate heat loss calculation leads to perfect pex baseboard heating. In that case, you can hire an experienced technician who’d be able to estimate the heat loss in your house based on its size. Besides, they will also compare it to other homes in your neighborhood or city. They will conduct this comparison to know what sort of system you need to install in order to heat your home properly. This also includes calculations based on the heat loss that they think you have.
How To Install Pex Tubing For Baseboard Heat
If you install the perfect amount of baseboard, then your boiler wood will be working optimally. If you have too little or too much baseboard, your boiler has to work too hard. If you have an optimal amount of baseboard, your boiler will work perfectly for the entire system.
Installing Pex tubes for baseboard heat is simple! You have to purchase the left and right cap separately as well as corners and spacers.
When you have your baseboard and layout ready, take out the heating element out of the casing. Run this along the wall and just nail it in.
Now you can put the heating elements back into your baseboard and then just solder them together. Drop the piping under the floors and when you reach the end, put the end cap onto the baseboard.
A Helpful Tutorial You May Need!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
We will cover a few frequently asked questions regarding your baseboard pex size. These questions will hopefully solve all your queries.
Can Pex Be Used For Baseboard Heating?
Why not?! You can use pex for baseboard heating. All you need to do is keep an appropriate temperature of the tube that you would be using. Because the pex tends to expand from its room temperature to 180℉, so it gets all sneaky and gets outside your baseboard while being hot.
To fix this issue, you can use PEX_AL_PEX. I have also tried nylon zip ties, and we were successful in strapping them to the fin tube. Worked perfectly!
What size pipe is used for baseboard heat?
A general rule of thumb is using ½’ pipe for 15K BTU. However, using a fin-tube baseboard indicates to use 550BTU per foot at a water temperature of 180°.
What is the difference between PEX-A and PEX B?
The main difference is actually the manufacturing process. PEX-A uses the Peroxide method while PEX-B is Silane or moisture cure method. Other differences include- PEX-A being more flexible and with a greater resistance power. In contrast, PEX-B is not expandable and has the least resistance power.
Conclusion
Determining what size pex for baseboard heat is really easy! But if you face a problem or confusion regarding the fin tube and expansion, consider contacting a technician. They will come forward and help you instantly.
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