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Radiant ceiling

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Jimmy Gillies
Jimmy Gillies Member Posts: 250
in THE MAIN WALL
Anyone got a good design detail for radiant ceiling systems with 3/8''(10mm) copper tube above Gyproc. Do you require a thermal mass with these systems or can you install a 'dry' system.
What are the Pros & Cons ?
Thanks for your input.
Regards.
Jimmy Gillies

Comments

  • Gordy
    Gordy Member Posts: 9,546
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    As a homeowner of a radiant ceiling system built in 1952.I can say my experiance has been excellent.Its highly responsive,does not limit the floor coverings.My system is 50's technology.It is 3/8" copper tubing 6" on center on the whole ceiling in each room.The ceilings are 1/2" rocklathe then the tubing is layed out and fastened to the rocklathe ceiling joists, then the 1 1/8" plaster is put over it.The controls are simple,the whole house is one zone (one t-stat) and the circulator,boiler,mixing valve. The beauty of the plaster is that it is a medium mass so you can open up the house in the winter for a while and when you close it back up the system has enough mass that it does not take as much energy to get back up to temp.There are different ways to produce the same system in todays technology.Pex with heat tansfer plates and drywall sleepers,then the finish drywall. The same as a floor sleeper system only on the ceiling and with different materials.
  • Ed_16
    Ed_16 Member Posts: 3
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    Radiant Ceiling

    Jim, I have the exact same system as the previous post, 50's ranch with copper imbeded in plaster. I just did an addition and used Thermofin plates and plywood sleepers attached directly to the ceiling joists. PEX tubing in the Thermofin. Screw the drywall directly to the sleepers. -Ed
  • Larry Weingarten
    Larry Weingarten Member Posts: 3,323
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    book from 1947

    Hello: Find yourself a copy of Radiant Heating by Napier Adlam (try addall.com). It has oodles of info!
  • JimGPE_3
    JimGPE_3 Member Posts: 240
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    A VERY old system

    The Alcoa Building here in Pittsburgh has a ceiling radiant system. As you might guess, it is all aluminum tubing and radiant panels in a lay-in teebar system.

    Kicker is they heat AND cool with them, "April all year 'round" was the tag line in the 50's that they used to sell this building to tenants.

    The entire building is aluminum - aluminum exit stairs, welded aluminum roof, the cooling tower is aluminum, even aluminum bus bars up through the building for power distribution.

    All the doors, door frames, baseboard, window frames, and elevator car finishes are aluminum. Pretty neat if you happen to like dull gray finishes!

    Not that any of this helps the guy who wrote the initial post, but its a pretty cool building with (here's the tie-in) a radiant ceiling.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
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    radiant ceiling

    love it.

    pick up a copy of ASHREA hating guide or an old IBR manual. Great drawings.

    wheels
  • hydronicsmike
    hydronicsmike Member Posts: 855
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    Jimmy!

    Are you going to be at the Interbuild Trade Show in Birmingham this April?
  • Dave_8
    Dave_8 Member Posts: 49
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    Radiant ceilings

    ALL radiant ceilings work extremely well, given proper installation, I even have one in my camper! Nobody can figure out where the heat comes from and THAT ceiling is only 7" above your head.
  • Jimmy Gillies
    Jimmy Gillies Member Posts: 250
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    Birmingham

    Hi Hydronicsmike.
    Sorry, I will not be in Birmingham in April. I have never been to that one - but I'm sure it will be a good show.
    Birmingham is not a city I know, only been there a couple of times.
    I hope you have a good time if you're going & please contact me if there is any products you see that takes your fancy, or anything I can help with.
    Cheers
    Jimmy
  • Jimmy Gillies
    Jimmy Gillies Member Posts: 250
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    Aluminum

    Thanks for your post it was a good read.
    Regards.
    Jimmy
  • Jimmy Gillies
    Jimmy Gillies Member Posts: 250
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    Ceiling heat.

    Thanks very much to all who posted about this, it was most informative. Does anyone have any drawings ?. The copper associations here have no details of these systems & you would think they would be jumping into that to fight the Pex guys - just a thought that crossed my wee brain.
    Just another thought, I see my posts are timed as if I'm up all night, I'm not. I like to have my 8Hrs tucked up in bed with my lovely partner(when she is not doing a night shift).
    No, I like to visit here with all my Plumbing/Heating pals at the start of my working day.
    Thanks again.
    Jimmy.
  • Kal Row
    Kal Row Member Posts: 1,520
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    if there is not going to be any direct

    gypsm or concreet contact to the tubeing, then you need those metal plates that snap onto the pex to spread the heat out and connect it with the ceiling
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