Ducting within an ICF block: anybody tried it?

[ToughButterCup]

We are building with Durisol.

Why?         A balance of price, simplicity, build time and thermal performance.

This is how they go together....

And concrete gets poured inside the holes.

A weeks ago, I bumped into this video and fell to thinking (I really wouldn't mind a few days off that obsession)

 

What if I were to embed my electricity ducting in plastic conduit within the concrete? And so I spent hours digging around. Got nowhere. The videos on YooChube  don't allow comments or questions.

 Rang up the company, spoke to one of the Directors (Tim Bevan) who talked about the sites where he had seen it done. So it can be done.

 

Do you hear the 'BUT' yet?

Well I've been trying to think of one, or a few, or some, and got nowhere, except

•  thermal breaks: use plastic tubing
• once it's in, that's it: not very flexible
• need to be damn sure the placing is exact : plan properly
• concrete etches, and eventually destroys the conduit: really?
• BCO might not like it : ask

 

What might the benefits be?

• No wall chasing
• First fit easier
• Save space in the planned services 'slot' (hardly worth thinking about)

 

I'd dearly luuuuurve to stick my MVHR ducting in it. Now that: that would be brilliant.

What do you think?

 

Ian

[Ferdinand]

My "But" is that horizontal ducting looks easier than vertical in that setup because the concrete is built up in layers like a tiramisu, and therefore would need more effort for something going up through 6ft say than along for 6 feet.

 

You would perhaps also need to drill all the new holes in the walls before the next layer, as I think they only build the wall a little ahead of the concrete (do they ?).

 

And don't they have to do extensive poking around after the pour to make sure it has all settled? Ducting everywhere would make that difficult.

 

Ferdinand

Edited January 18, 2017 by Ferdinand

[ProDave]

Are you not having an internal battened service void for cables? if not, why not?
 

[ToughButterCup]

@ProDave, yes we are.

But our architect left it to us to decide what build system to use. We came up with Durisol and the SE confirmed that it was suitable

 

@Ferdinand; you are right: easier to traverse than climb. But hey - imagine being able to sink the vertical sections of my MVHR in the voids and then back-fill with concrete.

I feel a quick chat with our SE (Tanners) coming on.

[Stones]

All of our services came up through our slab. No pipes or ducts embedded in the ICF block at all.  We do now have the flow and return pipes to the ASHP, and two electric cables (cable to heat pump, cable for outside light) going through the wall but these were cored through long after the pour. We didn't for example actually decide which heat pump and therefore know pipe centres etc until a couple of months after the pour.

 

The biggest challenge with ICF is getting the concrete to flow properly without it being too wet. The use of a vibrating poker greatly assists in this process but if the space which the concrete has to flow is restricted or partially blocked, you may well find you end up with pockets of air in your wall. 

[ToughButterCup]

@Stones. That'll do for me. I have been warned.