can PEX be used for baseboard heating? Yes, PEX is a good choice for the baseboard heater. the pex pipe is specifically designed for supplying both hot and cold water, it is one of the good alternatives for copper and cpvc piping, and they are made for closed loop heating systems like baseboards, radiant floor heating, and ice melting, Before using PEX for your baseboard, take a look at below points:
- When installing PEX pipelines, avoid the areas that contain more moisture or places that are easily susceptible to cold, since PEX has the low capacity to expand to the cold temperature, it is better to avoid such areas.
- Make sure the boiler system provides enough heat, to circulate from boiler are 180 degrees and flow through the pipe and reaches back the boiler at approximately 160 degree celsius,
- Is best to maintain one loop throughout your house to distribute the heat evenly, please avoid multiple connections together.
Advantages of using pex over copper or others
- PEX has some similar properties of copper like, it does not corrode, grow mold or get rust, they can be installed behind the cabinets, its flexibility makes it a great choice to use in places that are hard to access areas in the old homes.
- PEX is very much lower in cost than copper,
- PEX is much easier to work with than copper, as we saw above pex can easily access hard to access areas.
- Copper requires some expensive tools like solder to fit, but PEX does not require costly tools to install,
- Pex has very few fittings than the copper.
Disadvantages of using pex for baseboard heating
- PEX does not have enough tensile strength, so that if it is bent in any direction, it will stay in that direction itself.
- PEX can get damaged to the UV rays, so it should not be installed where the place is exposure to UV rays.
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