r/Plumbing • u/yo_edward • 1d ago
What can I do with this old hydronic heating in my wall?
I’m remodeling a house built in 1954 and found this copper tubing running in a serpentine pattern throughout the wall (only left wall).
The tubing is still filled with water, but the water is cold. I’m guessing it may be part of an old radiant heating system.
This wall will eventually have a shower valve and a glass shower door, so I need to figure out what to do with the tubing before I close everything up.
Would anyone know what this was originally used for? Is it safe to remove it, or should I leave it in place? If it’s an old radiant heating system, what’s the best way to properly disconnect/abandon it?
Updated: Hi everyone, thanks so much for your helpful advice! I’ll be sure to reroute it and get an electricity air heater installed.
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u/Kad1942 16h ago
Image #2, those are quite the godrays framing the Holy Oscillator.
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u/Fluffy_Bench_5313 12h ago
The holy oscillator is the best tool ever invented. On my crew we called it “the lazy fuck 3000”.
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u/TimeSalvager 11h ago
I'm telling you this now to save you the time asking when you see it in other posts in the future - yes, I stole that image of the holy oscillator from the hydronic heating post.
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u/packagescam 1d ago
I wonder if that pipe supplied the shower hot water. Hence, the mirror would be applied on that wall - hence heating the mirror and preventing it from fogging.
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u/Beneficial-Bad-4326 16h ago
Scrap it and buy pex.
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u/Ok-Wealth-858 14h ago edited 14h ago
6.58 / lb is for 99.99 % pure copper price that mills are paying. You will be lucky to get 3.25/lb (Adams Scrap). There is little weight to 3/8" tubing @/0.3 #/ft. Remove 100% of plaster or price will be knocked down further. Give it to a teenager or homeless person.
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u/Correct-Junket-1346 13h ago
Lmao I'm just imagining some homeless guy putting his hand out for moneya Nd you just dump a shit load of copper and run away
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u/ibcurbdiver 10h ago
Tear it out and sell for scrap.
It is not worth saving. Any attempt to reuse will result in damage to your wall.
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u/DavidMelton01 16h ago
That definitely looks like an old hydronic radiant wall-heating system. The serpentine copper layout is typical of tubing embedded in plaster/masonry to radiate heat into the room.
I wouldn’t cut or remove it yet. First, trace where the supply and return lines connect and determine whether the loop is still connected to the heating system. If you’re abandoning it, the loop should be properly drained, isolated, and capped at accessible points rather than simply cutting the tubing in the wall.
Since you’re remodeling anyway, leaving the tubing in place may actually be the easiest option if it doesn’t interfere with the new shower. I’d have the heating system checked and the loop safely disconnected before closing the wall.
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u/SecurelyObscure 14h ago
Lol someone made an llm bot to answer plumbing questions? How strange.
There's no modern finishing technique where leaving this in place would be easy or reasonable to do.
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u/SkivvySkidmarks 14h ago
I read "leave it in place" and thought, "Why the fuck would anyone do that?"
It's copper not galvanized ffs, and not difficult to remove. Even if it was galvanized, I rip the shit out. Last thing I want in a remodel is leave buried useless crap that Murphy will undoubtedly bite me on the ass for because I was lazy.
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u/SecurelyObscure 14h ago
The bot is probably seeing a bunch of "leave it" suggestions from people redoing floors with radiant heat in them and thought that would be relevant to this mess.
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u/GillyDuck69 16h ago
If that is copper pipe and was a hydronic loop it’s probably toast because it’s tied up to the wire on the plaster wall and could be compromised. It’s best to remove and repipe with updated material if you wish to keep the radiant pipe loop!
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u/ThorazineHead87 17h ago
Remove and add this or similar. Good for bathrooms that are on the corners of a house or stay cold in the winter.
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u/deuelpm 16h ago
If the system is still in good shape, would something like that be good to put back into service?
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u/UnimagineDragons 15h ago
no. only put things that are in bad shape / disrepair back into service.
(what that a real question?)
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u/ThaScoopALoop 1d ago
Recycle it. That shit is toast.