Underfloor heating pipe with oxygen barrier PE-RT 16×2 SPY

The SPY PE-RT 16×2 pipe is a raised-temperature polyethylene pipe for underfloor heating circuits. Outer diameter 16 mm, wall thickness 2 mm, 600-metre coil. The pipe has an oxygen barrier: it stops oxygen from passing through the wall into the heat carrier and so protects the steel and cast-iron parts of the system — boiler, pump, manifold fittings — from corrosion. Made in the European Union.

Technical specifications

Where it is used

The pipe is laid in the screed in a serpentine or spiral pattern with a 100–200 mm spacing and forms a closed circuit between the supply and return manifold. PE-RT (Polyethylene Raised Temperature resistance) is polyethylene with a modified molecular structure: it withstands the raised temperature of the heat carrier without cross-linking, stays flexible during installation and does not spring back. It connects to the manifold through a 16×2.0 eurocone.

Why the oxygen barrier is mandatory

Polyethylene without a protective layer lets airborne oxygen through the pipe wall. In a closed circuit that oxygen oxidises metal: the boiler heat exchanger, the pump body and steel fittings rust, and the corrosion products settle as sludge in pipes and valves. The barrier layer stops the diffusion, which is why in a system with steel components an oxygen-barrier pipe is a requirement rather than an option.