Red or Blue copper pipe


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Old 02-13-07, 05:11 AM
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Red or Blue copper pipe

I'm thinking of installing BB hot water and is there a difference between them.Which one should I use.In a 2 story house.
 
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Old 02-13-07, 02:06 PM
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I believe the following is correct. Possibly local codes may vary as well.

Type K: domestic water below grade (green)
Type L: domestic water above grade (blue)
Type M: hydronic heat (red)
Type DWV: wastewater (yellow)

So, use red. Hard temper (i.e., not soft coil).
 
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Old 02-13-07, 02:37 PM
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Use Type L ...

Xiph said type M is for hydronic heat, and that is correct, the baseboard elements use type M internally, inside the unit itself. BUT: don't use type M to connect them, use type L.

You might want to check with your local building code officer though before you start.
 
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Old 02-13-07, 06:39 PM
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Fintube is probably half the wall thickness of M. It's thin stuff.

How many FPS is your flow? That's what you need to think about. The faster the thicker.
 
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Old 02-13-07, 06:49 PM
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Copper Pipe

Type M (red print) is more than heavy enough for any residential, closed loop hydronic heating system. As Who said, the copper in the fin tube is, at best, half the thickness of type M. Type L (blue print) is for domestic where there is a constant replacement of corrosive materials & it will withstand higher pressure. The use of L is not only gross over kill on a hot water heating system but a lot more costly & it will actually reduce the flow rate (although you would never know it without some sensitive instrumentation).
 
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Old 02-13-07, 08:30 PM
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A-ha! I stand corrected, thanks Grady!

I guess though if there were an area of piping that might be subject to physical abuse, you could certainly elect to use a heavier pipe if you chose...
 
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Old 02-13-07, 10:16 PM
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I'd use Type 'L' if I thought that the flow would exceed 4 feet per second by any amount, otherwise M.
 
 

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