Radiant from Ceiling

SPB

Bought a house built in 1940. Cute house, plaste walls and ceilings. wiring and plumbing replaced as was the heat. They installed to scorched air furnaces. One in the basement with ceiling registers and one floor return, The other in the mostly uninsulated attic, again with ceiling registers, only this time a ceiling return. Both areas have warm ceilings and cold floors,(go figure) My head is hot and my toes are cold. This was at the end of April. Don't want to wait until winter to see how cold my toes can get. The basement will be easier to fix, (I've had good lucj with Roth preinsulated warm floor floor panels. Work great in new houses to if you can plan for the elivation changes). I don't want to pull my basement ceiling down if I can help it. My attic is large and as I said poorly insulated. I worked on houses in the 70s that had radiant tubes embeded in the ceiling. A whole lot of 3/8 copper tube ran at 180 deg. seemed to work well. Any ideas on how to add above the plaster. Heat emision plates seems like the best idea. My other question will I get enough radiant not to have cold toes. I have seen it mentioned in numerous places but no real facts. Is this a pipe dream?

Unknown

ceiling works great. adding it to an existing ceiling without redoing it is pretty hard, and 180 is way too hot for most applications.

DaveL_2

Ceiling

How about quick trac or similar anyone out there tried this? Or know where I can get more info Thanks DaveoX

SPB

Ceiling heat

In this house it will be easy. Easy access, like I said almost no insulation. I just mentioned I worked on systems installed in the 60's using high temp. I would use a much lower temp.,maybe higher than a floor though. I can add reflective insulation above when I insulate. I toying with the idea of using the attic as a room,it has an 8 foot peak.

Unknown

those systems are operating improperly. high temp is not needed and should not be used.

access isn't the issue. the issue is, how are you going to get good conductive path from tubing to the plaster, without destroying the plaster? conduction requires firm contact. That's the trick.

Dave B_3

Heat emmision plates...

Heat emission plates will work just fine. Make sure they a making good contact to the plaster ceiling, but try not to brace them from behind as they will make expansion noise and may als damage the plaster. Also a very important key is to use plenty of insulation above your heat emitters to direct the heat down throught the ceiling.

Unknown

sure, plates will work just fine. but how do you ensure they are contacting the plaster firmly, without destroying the plaster itself?

expansion noise is a non issue if you use appropriate water temps and PEX-AL-PEX.