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Wirsbo Joist Trak, 1/2" Heat Transfer Panel
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MANUALS (3)
Product Highlights
Description
To find out the parts and quantities you will need for your application, use our easy, quick and convenient Joist Trak Calculator.
Please note: These panels require the use of #8 screws which are not included
Use Uponor Wirsbo Joist Trak, extruded aluminum heat transfer panels, with Uponor Wirsbo 3/8" or 1/2" AQUAPEX or hePEX plus in floor joist applications. Each panel is 4 feet long by 3.5 inches wide. It provides easy installation, increased heat transfer and superior comfort.
Specs
| Width (Inches): | 3-1/2" |
|---|---|
| Material: | Aluminum |
| Application: | 1/2" PEX |
| Tubing Compatibility: | PEX-a PEX-b |
| Length (Inches): | 48" |
| Height: | .675" |
| Diameter: | 0.640" (Internal Channel) |
| Wall Thickness: | .050" |
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Product Reviews
Most Liked Positive Review
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Good basic product, easily improved
Most Liked Negative Review
Nope nope noooooooope!
I would buy this again
I would buy these again.
Perfect for underfloor heating zone retrofits.
Good product with excellent customer service
I would buy this product again .
Perfect solution for radiant heat
Made a big difference in heat transfer.
Fast free delivery, product as described
Nice solid product!
I plan to buy this product again.
Product Q&A
52 QuestionsQ: Do the plates ping or make other noises when heating up?
Asked by dozerjoe 8 years ago
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Verified Reply- SupplyHouse StaffWhen installed properly the plates will not make noise, however different brands of tubing may make noise as they expand and contract in the tracks. Uponor, Mr. Pex, and Viega brands should not have that issue.
Q: How much does each panel weigh?
Asked by Redbeard 10 years ago
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Each 1/2" Joist Trak panel weighs 1lb-1oz (i.e 17 ounces).
Q: Can i sprayfoam directly over the pex and joist trak?
Asked by keith 11 years ago
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Usually, it is recommended for a 2 or 3 inch airspace between the insulation and the pex. The idea is to create a warm space to even out the heat more. If you spray-foamed directly over the pex, it would probably exaggerate the difference between hot spots directly over the traks, and cold spots over the bare plywood in between. Also, if you do not use the aluminum walled pex, the pipes will expand and contract quite a lot, which might also cause problems if encased in foam. -Dave
Q: I have an old house (built in 1874) and would like to install the track system in my basement to heat the 1st floor above. My joist are @ 2' centers which leaves me with approx. 21" to 23" in the cavity. The floor above is 1" eastern hemlock planks used as sub-floor with 3/4" hard wood (maple) finished floor. My question is what size trak system do I use (1/2" or 3/8"), how many run per cavity and at what spacing?
Asked by cabby 11 years ago
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I built a log home in the Laramie valley in Wyoming and my floor is rough cut 2X12 joist with ¾" plywood over I" OSB with an engineered hard wood finish board. I put in ½" pex barrier tubing equally spaced between each joist and placed them in 4" aluminum diffusers. This has provided good heat diffusion and seems to have been adequate for normal temps withy one caveat, when the temperature got below -250 F last month and the wind was steady at 30mph gusting to ? (a lot more) we needed to keep the wood stove stoked to keep the house warm. Just an aside the aluminum diffusers are much more efficient than the formed tin or aluminum that I used in the bedrooms but we keep the heat very low in the bedrooms anyway. Charlie
I would use 3/8" trak system with three runs in each cavity. I would not recommend 1/2", as the spacing is to close together. Hope this helps!
The 1" of sub-floor plus the flooring will get heated but it will be a slow process. All retro fits face similar issues. Many floors (maybe most) have a 5/8" sub-floor with a 3/4" finish floor plus carpet and underlayment in places. The 1/2" should be OK as long as you insulate underneath- Tek-Foil double bubble works great. Just don't expect the floor to warm up quickly. Possibly 3-5 hours. I use radiant PLUS conventional heating hot water baseboard. The floor is warm but not uncomfortable. Too many people try to heat the room with floor heat alone and it can be very uncomfortable. The floor temp should not exceed 100° F. I prefer 90° myself. If you have other questions email me- Good luck!
I think you would do best with 1/2". 2 tracks per bay should be adequate, space evenly based upon joist width. Be sure the water temp is not too high so as to not affect/excessively shrink the floor and subfloor.
Q: I would like to install these panels with a collated screw gun. I have a 3/4" subfloor and 3/4" hardwood flooring above. Anyone have luck finding a screw gun that will feed the #8 screws recommended? I would like to keep the screw length under 3/4" to avoid screwing into my hardwood flooring.
Asked by bob 12 years ago
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I used #8 panhead style screws 1/2" in length. If you are using a collated screw gun I think these would be wood screws and they might not be the best for this job. Attaching the joist trak goes quickly and a screw gun with collated screws probably won't save you much time anyway. Good luck.
I put in 4000 ft in my house .I used cradles dewalt screws gun 18 volt it did a nice job i used sheet metal screws 6x3/4 . to hold the pex i used old dry wall bucket screwed to 2' x2' plywood.5 thick with rope drilled threw the middle with swivel on it .i did by my self .
Q: Can I use PEX AL PEX with the Wirsbo Joist Trak?
Asked by Phranck 12 years ago
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Verified Reply- PexSupply StaffThe manufacturer does not recommend using pex-al-pex with Joist Trak as it differs in size.
I installed 1/2" Rifeng Pex-Al-Pex in the Wirsbo 1/2" Joist Trak in my own home last fall. This winter (exceedingly cold) was a good test for the new system. I kept my cast iron rads in place but didn't need to turn them on. I am pleased with the pex-al-pex and joist trak set-up.
I have been using this product with PEX-AL-PEX with this product for years. It is a snug fit and requires a little extra pressure to install, but produces a very nice result.
Q: Would it be possible to use copper pipe inplace of Pex?
Asked by Chuck 12 years ago
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Verified Reply- PexSupply StaffUponor does not recommend it. It may damage or not fit in the track, and noise issues due to thermal expansion may occur.
I don't think so.....Pex pipe can be worked easily into the Wirsbo Joist Trak.....I don't think copper pipe will work easily into the Joist Trak. More importantly, when you get to the end of each joist run and are turning to come back in the opposite direction along the adjacent joist you will have significant cutting and soldering with copper. The Pex is handy because you just make the turn and head back in the opposite direction with no measuring, cutting and soldering. Once the Joist Trak is in place and the holes for the pipe are drilled in the joists, it takes no time to run the Pex pipe. There are less pipe joints to be concerned with also.....stick with Pex pipe!
Yes that's what I did it snaps in place and works fine .
YES! I did it, and it was actually pretty easy as long as you are comfortable with soldering. I just slid the copper into the track and then soldered it before hanging it up. I'm also using straight 180 deg boiler water and I have no noise issues at all (two bathrooms with a floor sensors on "micro-zones"... I don't know why the company recommends against this, it works great. This would get very expensive though if you were to do a large area (copper isn't cheap).
This is not recommended because of the galvanic corrosion that will occur when the dissimilar metals, copper and aluminium, contact each other.
Q: What is the heat transfer benefit of using the joist trak vs the clip system within the joist space ? Is there an efficiency gain for each foot of tubing or does this just improve the speed at which the floor heats up ? Once the floor is up to temp is there an advantage ?
Asked by Renovating Guy 12 years ago
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The purpose of the extruded aluminum heat plates is lateral heat transfer. The thin plates or just hanging the tubing with no plates will cause hot spots in the floor as the heat rises and creates a hot spot directly above it. Wood does not radiate the heat across the surface; it only passes it through. The extruded aluminum creates a wide area that radiates heat more evenly over the surface of the floor.
Heat transfer is expressed as thermal conductivity or how easily energy can move from hot to cold. Air has very low conductivity; think about a down duvet. While aluminum has very high conductivity; think about a flag pole in the winter. So surround a hot plastic pipe with air and not much heat will move from the water to the surrounding materials (e.g. wood subfloor). In theory, aluminum heat spreaders will lower the overall energy requirements to heat a room to a set temperature. And yes, this should speed up the time to heat the room. Also, with the increased mass, you have a "heat sink" which will retain the heat longer, maintaining more consistent temperatures. So there is a benefit when the system is off too. In practice, the floor will have less cold spots where airflow below the subfloor and joist runs reduce the heat transfer. Most importantly, do not skip joist cavities - one narrow run is better than none. And keep the end cavities well insulated and air tight (especially around vents). Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone.
Fellow shopper: The joist track holds a 2 foot length of pipe, increasing heat transfer through contact. The aluminum plate. Then spreads that heat over a greater surface area. That, plus ease of installation definitely make this product worthwhile as opposed to just tacking it up. Hope that helps. Gary Urban Design & Construction Ltd. (mobile office)
Q: I have 3 layers of flooring 1 layer of 1 * 4" . 1 layer of 3/4" osb and 1 layer of hardwood flooring will the heat till transfer.
Asked by Mj 12 years ago
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The floor will become warm. It may take more time to bring the room up to initial temp in the morning if you turn it down at night. But heat rises so it will heat up.
I have 1”x4”, 2 layers of ¾” cabinet grade ply and then ceramic tile (kitchen). I am running my floor hot 80-90C, which I am told may dry out the wood. I don’t know if they mean the underlayment or hardwood floors. It is difficult to separate the two systems one running baseboard and the other radiant with using a heat exchanger. Using radiant, the flow should be running most of the time at a lower temp. Mine is hot because it’s running along with the rest of the baseboards. To answer your question, yes the heat gets through. Now the wife wants radiant in the bathrooms as well! Bob
Yes I have 3/4 pine boards with 3/4" maple tongue and groove over that and have no problems. Just make sure you put enough insulation below it! Sent from my iPad
Heat will still transfer but the thicker the floor the longer your response time will be, and you probably have to increase your water temperature to get the heating performance you need. Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T
Wood is a excellent heat transfer material the only thing is it will take longer to get 2 temp but it will stay warm longer due to heat transfer properties John
Eventually. Forget about setbacks for off-peak and forget about low temp water. You'll lose most of the advantages of the radiant floor setup. But some of the heat will transfer, though most will go to where the insulation values are lowest, which could be down in this case.. i.e. heat flows to cold, not just up. Your efficiencies are approaching radiant ceilings and you may want to consider that instead.
Q: Should these panels be used under a tile floor? I though I read somewhere that when installing pex in the floor joists not to use heat transfer panels under a tile floor such as in bathrooms or kitchens. So are these needed, never used, or will help? Thanks
Asked by Ed 12 years ago
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Verified Reply- PexSupply StaffJoist Trak panels are great for under-subfloor installations because they distribute heat evenly across the floor surface, which is not possible when tubing is stapled directly to the subfloor without any heat transfer plates. There is no problem with using Joist Trak panels below finished tile flooring, although you may have the option to embed the tubing directly in the mud in such installations.
I used these in under my bathroom floor, and they worked well. My floor is 3/4 plywood on floor joists, then cement board, and then ceramic tile. I thought I'd insulate after installing the tube, but the plates seem to push the heat into the floor just fine without insulation. There are a few spots where I just have the PEX without the plates, and the heat difference is obvious. I will use these plates if I install more floor heat. Sent from my iPhone
The only place I've ever heard of not putting radiant floor heat is under heavy carpeting. The carpet acts as an insulator and blocks the heat. I use these under a granite tile floor in one bathroom and under a porcelain tile floor in the other bathroom. Both are tile over ½ cement board over tongue and groove subfloor. I have no problems with either location. The heat is even and the tile floor is nice and warm in the winter.
I have used this item under my tiled bathroom for 5 years with no problem. My wife loves the warm floors so we run the system all year long.
While I think it would be best to install a subfloor with the tracks built into the base just below the tile, I did use these in my kitchen that was already finished with a tile floor. I just put them between the joists in the basement.
I have installed these panels under all of my flooring, tile and wood. The heat is constant and has caused me no problems at all.