New piping solution for radiant floor heating

Warm floors are welcomed this time of year in cold climates, and Zurn Pex Inc. introduced its new hy-PE-RTube, one of the first radiant floor heating solutions in North America utilizing Dow Chemical’s polyethylene raised temperature-resistance (PE-RT) technology. The hy-PE-RTube was introduced at the International Builder’s Show held recently in Las Vegas, and is the first product resulting from the strategic collaboration of Dow and Zurn Pex focused on delivering next-generation piping solutions for hot and cold pipe applications.

Zurn Pex’s hy-PE-RTube is produced using Dowlex 2344 resin from Dow, with takes advantage of the traditional benefits of polyethylene. One of the critical properties that builders look for when installing radiant heat floors is ease of installation. But another property critical to the product is that the pipe lay flat and resist recoiling when installed. Brian Ammons, North America market manager for Pipe & Irrigation at Dow, told PlasticsToday that because the resin is not crosslinked it has no coil memory and thus lays flat.
   
Additionally, hy-PE-RTube consists of five layers—a central ethylene vinyl alcohol polymer (EVOH) layer between a layer of adhesive  and Dowlex 2344 each on both sides —helping reduce noise when in use. The outer layer of Dowlex 2344 offers enhanced protection against oxidation due to piping permeation, further safeguarding the radiant heating system.
   
“We made this product as user-friendly as possible,” said Todd Anglin, national sales manager for Zurn Pex. “We did a soft launch of this product in November, and did our first job in December in Montana. We received nothing but accolades about the way the product laid out so easily.”
   
Dow’s Ammons added that Europe has been using PE-RT pipe solutions for about 25 years, and that “we’re excited to see PE-RT adoption in North America with Zurn Pex’s hy-PE-RTube.”
   
Zurn Pex’s hy-PE-RTube can be reground and remolded into other durable products, making the product “green.” It also requires less energy during production than other pipe manufacturing processes and is applicable for LEED credits, making is a more sustainable option.
   
“We’re excited about the radiant floor market as a growing application for hy-PE-RTube,” noted Trevor Johnson, VP of Zurn Pex. “Radiant in general covers a broad number of applications including radiant heating and radiant cooling. There’s a huge market out there for radiant applications, and radiant in general helps drive those applications. Half of the inquires we received at the IBS were about radiant applications.”
   
Anglin added that the hy-PE-RTube is going to be driven by contractor demand for new home builds, as it is difficult to retrofit into older homes. “hy-PE-RTube takes what contractors love about plastic pipe and makes it better: durability, sustainability and ease of installation.”
   
Zurn Pex is also looking at a number of commercial applications for the hy-PE-RTube in radiant applications such as for snow-melt in sidewalks. “There are a wide number of commercial applications for hy-PE-RTube,” said Anglin. “We have tremendous momentum in the market already and are expecting big things as we experience widespread adoption of this product in North America.”

Zurn Pex Inc. makes a wide range of plumbing products and systems, and is one of several business units owned and operated by Zurn Industries LLC, founded in 1900 in Erie, PA. The company operates two manufacturing plants in Northwest Pennsylvania where it has extrusion operations.