tin ceilings

Joe Furfaro

Can anyone give me some feedback installing radiant heat under a traditional tin ceiling. I am planning to install such a ceiling and thought that it may be an opportunity to get some real radiant heat in my home( I have rads in the rest of the house). The ceiling is the roof of the house so I know the insulation factor may be a problem. By the way, I am assuming that everyone knows what I mean by a tin ceiling. They were ceilings made of tin panels that were stamped with a decorative design and used quite extensively at the turn of the century in many commercial spaces. They have a fire resistant property and usually came in 2foot square panels. They were usually painted and looked great.I would appreciate any comments or suggestions. Thanks

Mike T., Swampeast MO

Won't say impossible

but difficult. Don't even think of using bare tube! You will have little conduction, the under side of the tin will act as a radiant barrier and any convection will tend to go "up"!

Sounds like a good application for those new Rehau aluminum panels but remember that they MUST be back-insulated VERY WELL!

The key will be getting CONDUCTION into the tin ceiling, and blocking convection AND radiation to the space above.

hot_rod

Tin stuff

I have had the same idea. I recently visited a factory here in Missouri that stamps the panels. Cool factory dating back to the 1800's.

I am going to use some of their panels on a small wall radiant system. The panels will be a wainscoat on the bottom 30" of the wall. I plan on using heat transfer slots or panels behind the panels, however, for better transfer. I am also using some copper panels for a small kitchen backsplash. I'll post some pics when I get further along.

www.wfnorman.con in Nevada, Missouri is the company I visited. They will gladly give you a tour if you are in the area..

hot rod

John@WattsRadiant

Shinty metal radiates POORLY

If you use any tin ceilings, they will radiate energy VERY POORLY (low emissivity). Make sure they are painted or you may have real problems "giving off" any heat.
John

Mike T., Swampeast MO

Impact

Wouldn't they be rather prone to impact damage and scratching of the finish when used low on a wall?

You might want to check out either Anaglypta (paper) or Lincrusta (linoleum-type linseed oil based). Both are products used traditionally for that very purpose and both accept some really cool finishes.

p.s. Are the ceilings still real tin or are they just commonly called "tin" like cans and roofing?

[Photo shows anaglypta painted with flat latex (diluted with about 25% latex paint base) and rubbed LIGHTLY with old dress socks. Work with small areas and turn sock FREQUENTLY and change often.]

hot_rod

Tin plated

steel is the most common. They say to paint only with oil based or they will rust, especially with latex paint! I also saw panels stamped with copper, brass, and stainless.

I may build some radiant gargoyle pieces also!

hot rod