Brock
Advanced Member
Posts:599
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| 31 Mar 2009 07:57 PM |
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We are having issues with our garage floor not draining in one stall. They cut more groves, but there is still standing water in one area. They suggested drilling a 2 inch hole down to the crushed rock under it and let it drain out to drain tile and eventually to the French drain.
My problem is letting them drill without hitting the 1/2 inch pex in the cement. I do have pictures of the floor before it was poured, but not in enough detail to be certain to not hit a tube.
So is there a way to more accurately locate the tubes? I know when they did our energy survey he showed us a bunch of places with a thermal camera and he even commented on the radiant tubing in the floor in the basement and showed it to me and that seemed pretty obvious. I called them and asked about renting the unit, but that wasn't an option and having them stop out again just to do this would be $350.
I thought about sprinkling snow over the floor and see if it would melt more quickly where the tubes were? My wife suggested just wetting the floor and turning them on and look for dry trace lines? A regular digital camera somehow modified to detect thermal?
Any other thoughts? |
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| Green Bay, WI. - 4 ton horizontal goethermal, 16k gallon indoor pool, 3kw solar PV setup, 2 ton air to air HP, 3400 sq ft |
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Road Block
New Member
Posts:67
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| 01 Apr 2009 07:46 AM |
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I'm not sure if this would work but there are IR filters for digital and IR filters and film for traditional cameras that might help. I used to play with the IR film years ago but never thought of trying to identify a heat source. The filters and film are cheap so if it doesn't work you're not out much.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infrared_photography
IR filter $3.00 halfway down the page http://www.yeticam.com/HomeBrew_Parts.htm
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GuyB
New Member
Posts:52
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| 01 Apr 2009 10:17 AM |
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If you have a friend with a Sony camcorder from 2000-2005. They had a night program which uses a primitive version of infrared imaging (picture military night vision goggles). It will contrast very well on a cold slab.
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Brock
Advanced Member
Posts:599
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| 01 Apr 2009 10:38 AM |
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Thanks, my brother had one of those camera and I shot him an email.
I don't think a regular digital camera will work becasue it is really in the thermal range not IR and I am pretty sure they blocked even IR on most cameras, aparently on those Sony camera without the IR filters you could sort of make clothes dissappear by turning the IR on during the day.
I did look on eBay, and WOW, the cheapest used true thermal ones are $1500 |
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| Green Bay, WI. - 4 ton horizontal goethermal, 16k gallon indoor pool, 3kw solar PV setup, 2 ton air to air HP, 3400 sq ft |
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jimmy48
New Member
Posts:50
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| 01 Apr 2009 11:27 AM |
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The way i see it you have 2 choices 1 spend the 350 and see exactly where those lines are 2 find your floor layout and measure the distances between the loops and drill Maybe youll get lucky and not hit the line Maybe you will hit the line then spend a $ 1000.00 to smash the concrete up , repair the line then pour new concrete If it were me the 350 sounds easier and cheaper |
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gregj
Basic Member
Posts:326
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Brock
Advanced Member
Posts:599
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| 01 Apr 2009 11:40 AM |
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Jimmy I will do that if I can't figure out another way of locating them. I was just hoping someone here would say, "Oh all you have to do is..."
My brother is dropping off the camera tonight so I will let everyone know if that works, maybe even post a video clip if it does work. |
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| Green Bay, WI. - 4 ton horizontal goethermal, 16k gallon indoor pool, 3kw solar PV setup, 2 ton air to air HP, 3400 sq ft |
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Brock
Advanced Member
Posts:599
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| 01 Apr 2009 11:46 AM |
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Greg, I actually have a ir temperature gun and thought about sweeping back and forth to find the hot line and mark it in chalk as I went, using it sort of like a stud sensor. Maybe I should do that first then try the camera to see how close it matches up. |
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| Green Bay, WI. - 4 ton horizontal goethermal, 16k gallon indoor pool, 3kw solar PV setup, 2 ton air to air HP, 3400 sq ft |
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Road Block
New Member
Posts:67
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| 01 Apr 2009 12:13 PM |
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would a stud finder work? Seems to me they work off of changing densities, question is are they strong enough to go 2 inches in concrete. |
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bartman99
New Member
Posts:57
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| 01 Apr 2009 12:34 PM |
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From the RPA forum: finding tubingWet down the floor and see where it dries first. Never tired it so, can't vouch fir the technique. BM |
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Brock
Advanced Member
Posts:599
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| 01 Apr 2009 03:35 PM |
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That was my wifes idea (see first post) I am going to try them all and see it all agrees and look for a nice space to let them drill in.
Thanks! |
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| Green Bay, WI. - 4 ton horizontal goethermal, 16k gallon indoor pool, 3kw solar PV setup, 2 ton air to air HP, 3400 sq ft |
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Brock
Advanced Member
Posts:599
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| 01 Apr 2009 07:33 PM |
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Well the camera didn't work at all. We tried it in the basement on the water heater and couldn't see anything at all, the IR works fine, but thermal doesn’t show up at all.
The floor is heating up now and I marked where the two pools of standing water are. Tomorrow morning I will mist or mop it and see it the lines show up.
I did try the IR handheld thermometer and in the basement living space I could sort of tell where it was warmer, but only varying by about 1 degree, so it was hard to be sure where the tubes were. I was easier to tell where the tubes weren’t which is what I really want to know anyway. |
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| Green Bay, WI. - 4 ton horizontal goethermal, 16k gallon indoor pool, 3kw solar PV setup, 2 ton air to air HP, 3400 sq ft |
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BadgerBoilerMN
Veteran Member
Posts:2010
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| 02 Apr 2009 06:28 AM |
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Open a window or door cooling the room off to 40 or 50F and try your IR after an hour or so depending on the thickness of the slab. |
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| MA<br>www.badgerboilerservice.com |
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Brock
Advanced Member
Posts:599
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| 02 Apr 2009 11:08 AM |
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I did open the garage doors last night; all the windows were full of condensation. It was about 25F last night and I left the doors open for about an hour and dried the space out. This morning I first tried locating the tubes with the IR thermometer. It worked pretty well and by looking at pictures of the tubes before the slab was poured helped a lot. I marked them in chalk.
Then I used a damp mop, just enough to evenly wet the cement and low and behold the dry parts lined up with my chalk lines (that almost disappeared with the moping) from the IR test. Most importantly I located a spot in both areas that was the coldest and the wet spot stayed in the longest before drying off. I marked that spot with a sharpie for them to drill the drain hole through. It looks like it all worked.
Thanks! |
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| Green Bay, WI. - 4 ton horizontal goethermal, 16k gallon indoor pool, 3kw solar PV setup, 2 ton air to air HP, 3400 sq ft |
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