You can make penetrations but there are certain precautions you should consider to avoid damaging the hydronic tubing:
- Shallow penetrations should not be a problem; to hang a picture a 1-inch penetration in concrete will support most decorative items. When constructing, one of the items of inspection should be to ensure the hydronic tubing is installed near the middle of the single-sided insulated concrete form or concrete block wall and not next to the surface.
- If you have to make a deep penetration try to identify where the hydronic tubing is located in the wall or floor. One method is to let the wall or floor cool down and then allow it to heat up fairly quickly; using an infrared scope you can visually identify where the hydronic tubing is located. On new construction it is very easy to install penetrations in the concrete floors or walls. You may also want to add a few extra penetrations in select locations in case they are needed in the future.