Barndominium/Shop or "real" House?

[ETD66SS]

What is the advantage of running the conduit without any wire in it? Why not install the wire now, even if it's not connected to anything.

For the main coax coming into the building and all the way to the low voltage panel where the cable modem will be located, I'm not allowed to install that wire. Spectrum requires the installer to do that with the coax they supply.

The rest of the conduit is for CAT6 cable, but I am not ready to pull yet, still have to figure out where I want all the network ports in the various rooms.

The plan is to get the larger conduit run to areas of the attic, then use 1" or 3/4" conduit down the walls from the top plate to the boxes. his way in the future if I ever want to replace the CAT6 cable I am not using a coat hangar and trying to fish the wire down between studs etc.

I needed to get all this larger conduit run before the HVAC guys show up to run ductwork for the AC.

I always install conduit without wire in it. I then use a shop vac to get the pull string in the conduit then pull the wiring when I'm ready to wire everything up.

 

[WinterDeere]

What is the advantage of running the conduit without any wire in it? Why not install the wire now, even if it's not connected to anything.

Does make tracing its path easier later.

The prior owner of my house ran 7 conduits sized 1-1/4" up to 2-1/2" from the basement utility room, under two patios and out to our back yard, when he put an addition onto this house in 1994/95. You have no idea how many times I've silently thanked that man for having the foresight to do that, as I later used them for power, propane, and speaker wiring.

As of today, only one remains unused. When we installed our swimming pool, I took the chance to re-route that one from its former termination point to where we have been debating installing an outdoor shower, such that I can pull PEX thru it should we proceed with that job.

Lesson learned: If I ever build again, I'm going to look at how many conduits I need from basement to attic, or basement to outdoors, and then install at least 3x that many.

 

[MH8675309]

Ours was built in 2014 by the Amish that lived there. We bought it in 2018 and remodeled it in 2021 - 2023. I did the contracting and saved a ton of money but Ive got a building background and that does help.

 

[ETD66SS]

I started the sub-floor radiant tube installation this weekend.

I am really struggling with the staples. I have a Milwaukee cordless T50 staple gun, that has no problem driving a T50 3/8" crown x 9/16" leg staple through the aluminum transfer plates and into the sub-floor plywood. The issue is the staples are made out of such garbage (import) metal, that ~50% of the time I end up with a staple that is folded over on itself and I have to pull out with pliers, and try again, sometimes try many times to get that staple to go in.

I don't know why, but any stalpes over 3/8" leg length do not have a beveled edge, they are cut square.

The 3/8" leg length staples with the bevels do go in better, but I wanted longer staples with more holding power to ensure these plates do not fall down over the next ~100 years etc.

I did order some stainless steel marine grade T50 x 9/16" leg staples off Amazon in the hopes that they are stronger and will not fold over when driving through the transfer plates. However, country of origin on those is also not USA.

I'm so annoyed with these import building materials. I'm building a house in the USA, I want USA made stuff. Look at that package "Designed and assembled in the USA". How to the heck are staples assembled in the USA? Put in the box in the USA? So sick of this BS.

Anyone know where I can buy USA MADE T50 staples?

 

[WinterDeere]

Ever considered a pneumatic stapler or passload with 1/4" crown staples? I believe they're roughly 18 guage, many times heavier than T50's, and with substantially better penetrating power.

 

[gsganzer]

Part of the issue might be the OSB subfloor. That stuff has such a varying density. When driving pneumatic nails, you'll have some sit flush and others that embed. I imagine it would be worse with staples.

Routing and looping that PEX must be a nightmare, like wrestling a snake. You must have a trick to it.

 

[WinterDeere]

When driving pneumatic nails, you'll have some sit flush and others that embed. I imagine it would be worse with staples.

Maybe with some of the antique pneumatic nailers that tried (failed) using pressure to set drive depth. But any good nailer made in the last 20+ years uses a mechanical depth stop and many times more drive power than is required to achieve that depth. The result is consistent sets, despite varying substrate density.

 

[Carl_NH]

Nice and clean installation! When I saw all the staples 30 per section, thats a lot of work! Is there a spec like a staple or fastener every 4" ? Then are you doing a fiberglass batt insulation?

 

[ETD66SS]

Ever considered a pneumatic stapler or passload with 1/4" crown staples? I believe they're roughly 18 guage, many times heavier than T50's, and with substantially better penetrating power.

Yes, but my HVAC installer who does radiant floor heating told me to use T50 staples, as the pneumatic staplers can blast the staples right through the transfer plates. They are very thin aluminum. I assume however the air pressure can be adjusted.

These are the plates I am using: Pex Universe

They didn't come with any installation instructions, and all I can find online it to use "staples".

I watched this video as a "guide" for my installation:

I am probably putting in too many staples. Not sure if this will make the creeking worse during heat cycles, but I don't want them falling down over the years as they will all be inaccessible once the insulation and drywall are installed.

 

[ETD66SS]

Nice and clean installation! When I saw all the staples 30 per section, thats a lot of work! Is there a spec like a staple or fastener every 4" ? Then are you doing a fiberglass batt insulation?

I have not been able to find documantation that states the staple count and/or pitch.

The plates need to have as much conductive contact to the subfloor as possible to transfer the heat. I noticed when I used less staples the plates dipped away from the subfloor between the staples. All the failed staple installations don't help either as they deform the metal and the contact between the plate and plywood is not ideal.

This is not the most efficient way to do radiant heat for a subfloor. When I helped my brother do his house, we installed 1" foam on top of 2x2 stringers that we nailed to the sides of the joists, plastic stapled the pex to the foam, then filled between each of the joist spacings with ~1.5" of motar, then installed the subfloor plywood over that. Heck of a lot of work, but a much better thermal solution. However, I have long spans with these open web joists, and all that mortar would not have worked, the floor loading would have been way too high.