Moving Boiler Lines

[michels287]

Our house was built in '73 and had electric baseboards.

We had a two car garage evidently then.

When they added hot water baseboards and an oil burner in our garage, they divided the garage down the middle with a partition wall to close off the room with the tanks and burner.

The plumber ran the pipes very low below the ceiling - they are always bumped. Sometimes I hit my head off of them also!

I removed the partition wall and want to build a laundry room downstairs finally, so I would like to move the pipes into the ceiling.

We have two zones in our home.

There are 4 total lines that I'd need to move. One is a 3/4 in copper feed line, two are 3/4 in copper return lines back to the burner.

The fourth is a 1 inch copper feed line that makes me wonder a few things.

First of all, the 1 inch feed line runs about 20 feet across my garage ceiling (as all the other pipes do), and then it tee's off into two 3/4 inch lines.

I was going to cut all the lines and use an oxygen barrier pex - then meet them back up with the copper on the other end of the garage.

Why is there a 1 inch copper line? Can I reduce the 1 inch line to 3/4 right away and just tee off for the other 3/4 feed?

I'm assuming they did the 1 inch for a reason: to fill both 3/4 lines that are tee'd. But is it necessary?

One reason I was wondering if I can just use 3/4 pex is because I cannot find a 25 ft roll of 1 inch oxygen pex anywhere!

Thanks for any feedback. I'm new to these forums and find them great!

 

[frodo]

it is 1" be cause it needs the volume to give you heat.

 

[Matt30]

1" oxygen barrier pex I have only used by the 20' length. The I haven't ever saw a coil.

 

[michels287]

Thanks for the feedback.

I'll have to find a 20' length of it.

Are push fit connections ok to use to go from copper to pex? And then from pex back to copper?

 

[Matt30]

I would not use push fit anywhere in a heating system, if you absolutely have to, do your homework first before you by a product, as not all are created equal. Some rubbers used cannot withstand the heat required to run baseboard heating (usually around 180F). If your system has glycol, will it compromise the fitting? Who knows? It's not something I would want to risk blowing off while I'm not at home.

 

[michels287]

Thanks. I'm assuming then that all push fittings are not the same? My Home Depot carries sharkbite push fittings. It does say on their website that they are okay to use on hydronic heating systems. Any thoughts on using those?

I am comfortable sweating on adapters for most of my connections, but some make me nervous to use a flame.

 

[frodo]

If it were me, I would insulate the pipe that is their, add a bunch of hangers/strapping where needed
and leave it alone

 

[Matt30]

The real Shark Bite brand is the best choice. There's A LOT of imitators out there now.

If you can solder, that's your safest bet

 

[CT18]

Get yourself some 3/4" copper and fittings and practice, if you clean and flux correctly its not that hard. You say you have soldered in the past, i would go that route over shark bites.