Polybutelene and non oxygen barrier pipe

Canadian radiant can Fix your system equipped with non oxygen barrier pipe. For repairs and  Maintenance Nanaimo  and Vancouver Island, hydronic radiant systems.

Some older systems  were installed with polybutelene or non oxygen barrier pipe in the radiant panels. Some newer systems are mistakenly using non oxygen barrier pipe combined with ferrous steel or iron components. Polybutelene systems were commonly installed in the 1990's and many owners have had to replace expensive boilers or components, sometimes quite frequently. I reccomend providing a permant cure, not just a bandaid solution.

In these systems oxygen enters through the walls of the pipe and the oxygen causes the steel or iron components to rust.

The rate of corrosion can vary from system to system, but I have seen circulators virtually blocked off with rust. Rust can also reduce the efficiency of a boiler by forming an insulation layer.

Treating the symptoms by replacing components is temporary only. For a Cure you must either

-  replace all rustable components with either stainless steel or copper including the boiler.

- install a heat exchanger that seperates the boiler and steel components from the oxygen rich water.

This system was installed in the early 1990's with pb pipe in the radiant panels. It was also poorly supported, crooked, sloppy and was using 1 temperature where 2 were required. Resulting in an uncomfortable house from overshooting temperatures.

This is a picture of the polybutelene pipe from the above system. The inside of the pipe is coated with a layer of material that has the consistency of firm mud. This material is  formed from the rusting boiler and steel and iron components.

The above mechanical room has been replaced with a high efficency condensing boiler combined with domestic hot water system  assembled  with high quality components for temperature control and adjustability. Variable speed state of the art stainless circulators are used for energy savings.

The residents have a very comfortable home with greatly increased efficiency and reliability. The existing polybutelene pipe remains in the floor, oxygene can still enter the pipe, but will not affect any components in the system because all the components are now stainless copper or brass.