The ducts being buried under the sanctuary floor were delivered and spread out in the trenches. Not surprisingly, the product name is The Blue Duct. This is an amazing product. It is impervious to moisture, mold, mildew, air leaks and radon. It will not rust, rot, ravel, run or fray at the edges. It has an insulation value of R-10 so it keeps the warm air warm and the cool air cool as it flows silently beneath our feet in the sanctuary. The product can be direct buried and does not require a bed of pea rock nor does it require drain tile under the ducting. And it will not crush, corrode, leak or turn sour in hot weather.
According to the company website, "The BlueDuct is the only proven, direct-burial underground duct system made from ultra-durable, advanced HDPE (high-density polyethylene)."
In other words, plastic foam. So now we have foam walls, foam sealant around the windows, foam sheets underlying the concrete floor, foam ducts under the floor and foam coffee cups. Little could I have realized as a boy slurping the foam from the top of my root beer float, the glorious future awaiting those flavorful bubbles.
Vishall, the factory technical rep, was on site Thursday to try to teach our guys the proper installation process. I think he largely succeeded.
Brandon and Mark team up to connect two tubes.
Line up the two pieces and apply the proprietary tape with a squirt of proprietary sealant applied to the lap seam.
Next comes the proprietary pipe clamp
which is secured with the proprietary stainless steel screws.
When the urge strikes to add a floor register, just cut the pipe, and using the proper adapter piece, apply gobs of sealant and secure it to the main duct with the stainless steel screws.
When the registers are a bit off of the main line you need to do a bit more fitting using still other adapters and duct pieces.
After watching this process for a while I became convinced that with this product you can put underground air anywhere you can imagine and have it pop out any place you might want it.
The Big Bang -
I did not happen to be on site when the incident occurred, but I have it on good authority, that when the wheel barrow tire blew out one evening earlier in the week everyone in the building took notice.
The tire blew with sufficient force to cause the tire rim itself to deform, as shown here. It was reported that the explosion volume was so loud that Sam had a seven second delay interjected between syllables when the blast came while he was speaking.
In Floor Heat -
Friday afternoon I saw this item for the first time. It is the manifold that will distribute and control the flow of water from the boilers to the tubing that runs under the concrete floor.
Saturday I was not able to be on site so Ken and Adrian shared photos from the workday. In floor tubing installation was the primary task of the day.
Kevin pulls the tubing from the spool.
Brian positions the tubing and Adrian follows applying staples to secure the tube to the foam panels. Pete supervises.
Next comes the proprietary pipe clamp
When the urge strikes to add a floor register, just cut the pipe, and using the proper adapter piece, apply gobs of sealant and secure it to the main duct with the stainless steel screws.
When the registers are a bit off of the main line you need to do a bit more fitting using still other adapters and duct pieces. 
The Big Bang -
I did not happen to be on site when the incident occurred, but I have it on good authority, that when the wheel barrow tire blew out one evening earlier in the week everyone in the building took notice.The tire blew with sufficient force to cause the tire rim itself to deform, as shown here. It was reported that the explosion volume was so loud that Sam had a seven second delay interjected between syllables when the blast came while he was speaking.
In Floor Heat -
Friday afternoon I saw this item for the first time. It is the manifold that will distribute and control the flow of water from the boilers to the tubing that runs under the concrete floor.
Saturday I was not able to be on site so Ken and Adrian shared photos from the workday. In floor tubing installation was the primary task of the day.
Kevin pulls the tubing from the spool.
Brian positions the tubing and Adrian follows applying staples to secure the tube to the foam panels. Pete supervises. |
| Up close and personal with the tubing |
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| Kitchen, dining area and narthex tubed.
Adrian Inquires -
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| Did the anaconda multiply after it was buried? |
Awesome job with pipe clamps!
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