is there a replacement for copper pipe in hot water heating loop?

[danny burstein]

We've got baseboard hot water heating fed by a boiler.

There are a half dozen zones which have copper pipes going to and from Slantfin, umm, I guess call them radiators.

One copper loop goes from the basement through two PVC pipes (to and from...) over to the garage where there's a small bathroom. These run under about five feet of concrete slab to the bathroom, then come up and connect to the Slantfins.

"somewhere" in that segment we just got a leak which poured back through the PVC pipe into the basement. We caught it before it was too bad andshut off that zone.

Now... replacing the copper there would be a Big Pain since it's under the cement slab.

Is there a flezible plastic alternative that we (well, the plumber...) could legitimately replace it with? Running plastic through that PVC and attaching it to the garage bathroom Slantfins would be much, much, easier than trying to rerun copper and somehow resolder it at all the turns.

Thanks muchly.

[Bob]

Your plumber is very fortunate to have a customer that can help engineer a repair.

[Meanie]

PEX pipe.

[trader_4]

PEX

[Ed Pawlowski]

PEX tubing and Sharkbite fittings to connect the plastic to the copper.

Copper should never be buried in concrete. Takes years, but it will leak.

[Dove Tail]

PEX tubing is what you are looking for.

You are still going to have to deal with extracting the copper pipe from the PVC. If you can easily remove the copper, then the PEX might solve your problem.

[Dove Tail]

Another thought, ask the plumber if he can just use the PVC sleeve in which the copper is encased.