Background:
Hydronic radiant heating systems are become increasingly popular in concrete, and with good reason. They are highly efficient for maintaining ambient temperature, concrete’s thermal properties are ideal for heat retention, and the cost of installing tubing at time of construction can be reasonably offset. PEX tubing is a popular choice for these hydronic systems, due to its flexibility and durability. That same flexibility carries some drawbacks however. Radiant tubing loops are designed to allow specific levels of heating to different zones within a building. These loops are specified fairly precisely and may give tube location to within an inch. Unfortunately, field installation is rarely so precise. This means that when you need to add an unplanned penetration to your slab, you need to know that you can drill without compromising this tube system. For this reason, GPR Data LLC was hired for the PEX tube locating.
Experience:
GPR Data LLC is trained and experienced with PEX tube locating. We can provide real-time field results or a full report with referenced datapoints, such that you can drill any location at any future time with full confidence.
For our most recent project with PEX tubes, we collected data in roughly 20′ x 20′ sections. Each section was processed with a full 3D analysis, creating a top-down plan view of all tube positions. The tubes are located in a rebar reinforced topper slab over precast beams – had the client desired, our final deliverable could have included rebar layout and structural elements within the precast beams (cables and air chambers). The end result: our client had their design plans and highly accurate as-builts of where things truly were.