New shop build, beginning stages with questions

[truckdiagnostics]

It's critical to determine lift location before the PEX is laid. The bolt spacing on the legs makes it a necessity that there be a blank area. Can't simply drill between loops.

That was kinda a given. I actually made a gig or form that I set in place that gave me that spacing for the lift footer, then you know where to keep the pex away from. What I am talking about is when your all done, you have to drill those holes it sure is nice to know 100% you are not going to hit that pex. When they pour you have no way of knowing if they hit or moved something! I had the fire department come down and do it.

 

[truckdiagnostics]

Your Pex layout is a BTU calculation. Who supplies your Pex should do it for you, 80-90 degree water temp. For your application you should see a sea of orange pex. Close together and a lot. You need to be able to put a lot of BTU's in that floor without having to have to high a water temp. If you do not get enough Pex in the floor now you end up with having to have to high a water temp going to your floor. Over time concrete does not like those high water temps. In a shop application, with over head doors opening and closing you need to be able to put a lot of BTUs into that floor.

 

[ovrszd]

That was kinda a given. I actually made a gig or form that I set in place that gave me that spacing for the lift footer, then you know where to keep the pex away from. What I am talking about is when your all done, you have to drill those holes it sure is nice to know 100% you are not going to hit that pex. When they pour you have no way of knowing if they hit or moved something! I had the fire department come down and do it.

Yep. Sonotube. No worries. Unless you decide to move the lift.

 

[truckdiagnostics]

Yep. Sonotube. No worries. Unless you decide to move the lift.

It is not like the lift moves it is when they trip over the rebar and break off one of the clips that screws or stapled into the insulation holding down the pex and it moves over your sonotube. Or they hook one when they drag the vibrator over the top. You do a lot of twisting and bending to get that pex where you want it. You will only hit one once then a thermal imaging camera looks real cheap.

 

[ovrszd]

It is not like the lift moves it is when they trip over the rebar and break off one of the clips that screws or stapled into the insulation holding down the pex and it moves over your sonotube. Or they hook one when they drag the vibrator over the top. You do a lot of twisting and bending to get that pex where you want it. You will only hit one once then a thermal imaging camera looks real cheap.

I've only been involved in six pours over PEX. None with problems as you describe. One of those pours had the PEX fastened to the rebar. The rest had the PEX stapled to the insulation board.

The sonotube extends above the PEX. That's the whole idea of it. You can't get the PEX on top of the sonotube.

If the PEX gets yanked around and moved as you describe the thermal image isn't going to help much. There will be no suitable void to drill 8-10 holes.

 

[not2old]

I've only been involved in six pours over PEX. None with problems as you describe. One of those pours had the PEX fastened to the rebar. The rest had the PEX stapled to the insulation board.

The sonotube extends above the PEX. That's the whole idea of it. You can't get the PEX on top of the sonotube.

If the PEX gets yanked around and moved as you describe the thermal image isn't going to help much. There will be no suitable void to drill 8-10 holes.

If the sonotube sits higher than the pex, you will lose some of strength that ties the post footing to the floor.

 

[truckdiagnostics]

I've only been involved in six pours over PEX. None with problems as you describe. One of those pours had the PEX fastened to the rebar. The rest had the PEX stapled to the insulation board.

The sonotube extends above the PEX. That's the whole idea of it. You can't get the PEX on top of the sonotube.

If the PEX gets yanked around and moved as you describe the thermal image isn't going to help much. There will be no suitable void to drill 8-10 holes.

The lift bolts flush on the finished floor i would think the top of the sono tube would be flush with the top of the insulation. All he needs is the concrete under where the lift post go to be thicker? mine has 8 bolts and you could always fudge it one way or the other.

Unless that is not the style lift he is using. I didn't read that part i assumed.

 

[ovrszd]

If the sonotube sits higher than the pex, you will lose some of strength that ties the post footing to the floor.

With the PEX stapled to the pinkboard and the sonotube at the top of the PEX no strength is lost. Ultimately strength is gained because the tube extends below the pinkboard and can extend below the gravel if you like.

 

[ovrszd]

The lift bolts flush on the finished floor i would think the top of the sono tube would be flush with the top of the insulation. All he needs is the concrete under where the lift post go to be thicker? mine has 8 bolts and you could always fudge it one way or the other.

Unless that is not the style lift he is using. I didn't read that part i assumed.

Sorry, I should have read down before answering not2old. The top of the sonotube could be at the top of the pinkboard. Or actually, if you think you'll not make a mistake, there doesn't even need to be any sonotube. Just leave a round hole in the pinkboard and when laying PEX, don't cross it. When I've saw it used they stopped an inch above the pinkboard. It's simply insurance that the PEX doesn't intrude into the "drill" area.

 

[truckdiagnostics]

How I did it and it worked well. I put all the foam rebar pex everything down. I had pretty good idea where the lift was going. So i moved the pex to the side. Slammed some 2 x 10 together into a 3 x 3 box. Came back cut the foam rebar in that spot set the box in and dug around inside of the box pushing it down. Then the square i cut out of the foam went into the bottom. Added some rebar and away we went. Then I had ruffly 12-13 inches of concrete in that area.
Then because i want to move the lift to one side and i wanted to crowd one side of my 3 x 3 box..... That is when i came back with the IR camera. That is when I noticed some of the pipes moved.

Then when i was talking to the kid who has installed a lot of pex, says he has one on his truck and uses them all the time doesn't trust any of it and say they move all the time. So i had one i could play around with, The pex moves maybe not a lot but it moves or moved and or my measurements were off and I am real glad I checked with the camera.

Now if I would have put the lift where I originally wanted I would have been fine i had a 3 x 3 spot. However when i moved it and got closer I might have been in trouble.

Vibrating your concrete adds strength too question to ask who is pouring your if he is using vibrator screed.