Crano's piping

PEX-AL-PEX pipes for an outdoor wood furnace

PEX-AL-PEX pipes have many uses. They can be used as normal plumbing pipes, in radiant heating, in refrigeration, air-conditioning, distribution of hot & cold water etc. One of the lesser known uses of aluminum PEX pipes is in wooden furnaces. When it comes to wooden furnaces, both standard PEX pipes as well as the aluminum versions can be used. Other options for wooden furnaces include copper pipes & CPVC. Copper pipes are expensive & CPVC is pretty hard to install. So the more realistic options are either PEX pipes or PEX-AL-PEX pipes.

It is always better to use PEX-AL-PEX pipes for wooden furnaces instead of regular PEX pipes. One of the reasons why PEX-AL-PEX pipes should be used in wooden furnaces is its flexibility. Use of aluminum makes the pipes really strong & when one bends it in a shape, the pipes maintain that shape. The curves that gets created by bending the pipes eliminates the need for elbows & thus, reduces the friction that gushing water creates. This friction can be harmful for the durability of a pipe. Since no elbows are needed in the aluminum pipes, it works for a longer time.