Adding bedrooms where Radiant ceiling is

leewalter

Hello everyone I’m in the start of remodeling our basement in a 1972 home that has radiant ceiling heat I. The basement and on the main floor, my wife and kids love it compared to our old house that had central HVAC because there was no moving air just heat. I was wanting to add 2 bedrooms downstairs but one of the walls will cross a heating panel that’s in the ceiling 4in wide and 5ft long, will that cause trouble with the panel because of heat/fire possibilities

PC7060

Potentially. What type of radiant heating do you have, electric or water?   Do you have a drawing which shows the routing of the lines?

leewalter

It’s electric 220, the top of the drywall says National Gypsum Company and the grid is built into the drywall with nail markes and the areas to not screw into printed onto the drywall. 

PC7060

Key thing is to avoid nailing into a line. Other that that worst case is reduces or uneven heat between room. Can you post a picture / diagram of the heating areas and planned wall layout? 

leewalter

PC7060

Shots from further back would be helpful. Along with a room layout. 

leewalter

leewalter

I’ve got an inferred camera and can see the heating grids in the drywall plus the drywall after the popcorn is scrapped off shows the factory nail prints on it there are two panels that cross where I would like to add a wall,black are the panels and red is where I would like to add a wall. 

leewalter

The wall layout is dependent on if we can put a wall across the radiant panels, there is supports on both sides even if we could not tie into the floor joist and “float” that section across the panels but I was wondering about heat buildup and or transfer to the wall structure that crosses the panels 

JUGHNE

Just a crazy idea....even off the wall you might say...get it?

Perhaps build your wall with double top plates.

Just leave the upper top plate out where the panels are.

You SR your wall up to the ceiling and mud tape as usual.

The missing top plate would not cover any panel and prevent potential overheating and nail penetrations.

leewalter

That was a thought but I was wondering about creating a heat pocket inside that area

JUGHNE

You would have a 1 1/2" air gap and the wall SR would transfer the heat????

Just IMO.

leewalter

Thank you

PC7060

I’d install large nail protection plates under the sections where the wall intersects the heating elements.