Radiant Ceiling Panel DIY

Tally

Hmmm....like the idea of placing the radiator in a panel. This would give me go btu's.

Tally

Radiant Ceiling Panel DIY

I am new to radiant and beginning design on a system for my home. I will not be going with in-floor as this is a remodel and I do not want to tear up a lot sheet rock. My plan is to go with a radiator setup (i.e. myson). In my kitchen, I have very limited to space to place any radiators. I have about 150 sq feet to heat and would have space for 5'x5' hydronic panel that I could build and place on the ceiling. Pehaps with enough tubing/reflective material/water temp, I could get enough btu's out of this small panel. Let's just say I need about 5,000 btu's. I really could design this panel any way I want and then bolt it to the ceiling and sheet rock over it. I think it would look OK as it would simiply step down 4" to 5" in depth and be centered over the kitchen. Another option would be to go up in the joist space (tear down 25 sq feet of sheet rock) and be flush with the ceiling but I may not get enough BTU's. I also have some obtacles such as plumbing in the ceiling that I may not be able to work around. I am looking for design ideas to do this or am I simply not going to get enough btu's out of the 25q feet. I could use a hydronic toe kick heater under a cabinet but I think that is just like the forced air system I am getting rid of. Please point me in the right direction. Thanks.

Joe Brix

How tall is your toe tick?

A few have been able to get 6" Myson or runtel panel baseboard under there. Sterling Heat has a designer copper fin tube BB at 6.5" AIM radiant BB is only 5 1/8" tall.

Brad White_36

Your 5 x5 foot ceiling panel

would have to emit 200 BTUH per SF. That is pretty hot...

Standard extruded aluminum radiant ceiling panels are similar to what you are descibing and can emit that range of density but with 180 F water.

Runtal makes a flat panel radiator which hangs form the ceiling but of course would be larger to use lower water temperatures. If you are willing to make a step-down, why not consider a Runtal ceiling panel as an honest expression of heat in itself?

Keep in mind that at radiant temperatures (100F or so water temperatures) the emittance will be in the range of 20 to 30 BTUH/SF depending on the material. With sheetrock over it, that would reduce the output of course.

Also you probably do not want this small space to dictate what your water temperature will be for the rest of the house.

Any toe-kick heater you get will need warmer water than you otherwise would need. And I have yet to find a quiet kickspace heater...

My $0.02,

Brad

Tally

Runtal Ceiling Panel

I see that Runtal has flat panel radiators on their site. They do not show a ceiling model unless what are saying is that you just bolt the wall model to the ceiling?

Tally

Question on Runtal

**Re post put in wrong place **

I see that Runtal has flat panel radiators on their site. They do not show a ceiling model unless what are saying is that you just bolt the wall model to the ceiling?

Brad White_36

The ceiling radiators are there

you may just not have clicked the "continued" bar.

http://runtalnorthamerica.com/comm/tech2.html#rc

Specifically for ceiling mounting.

They are the model RC and come in 7 standard tube widths (from two to eight tubes). The widest, almost 24 inches, emits 430 BTUH per linear foot with 140 degree average water (meaning 150 in and 130 out). You would need almost 12 feet to heat your room as you posted it.