The typical install is 38 drywall, heat wires applied with a special t50 staple variant, then 1438 of plaster applied over top. Im not the original owner and i think at one point the temp was just too high. Retrofit a drywall radiant wall heating this is how it works. I have seen in a couple of homes with radiant ceiling heat. Apr 02, 2014 i was saying that my ceiling radiant heat cable system is from the seventies. Is there a way to somewhat replicate that feeling of getting warmth coming from the sun, and for this case the warming happens inside a room.
The easy way to hang and attach drywall ceiling boards duration. I live in the chicago area and ive never had the need for a back up heat source. I owned a condo a few years ago with radiant ceiling heat, similar construction timeframe i guess warm air fell in the 70s. Cracks in ceiling with radiant heat coil fine homebuilding.
In fact, the temperature variant from ceiling to floor is only about 1 c 2 f. If im going to repair ceilings that cracked from the radiant ceiling heat, the first thing i ask is if they stopped using the ceiling heat. Make sure there will be no cavity remain during applying mud otherwise the air gap will deteriorate the performance. Radiant ceiling vs radiant floor heating from above. Can the ceiling panels be repaired some are cracked an. The most practical thing for homeowner is to use radiant heaters to heat the ceiling mounts.
Jun 19, 2007 heat cables would not cause structural issues in plaster or drywall. I beleive this will make the existing heating less effective and i am also worried. Fix cracks and respray entire ceiling with texture. Ceiling repair radiant heat in ceiling hi folks thanks for the posts. Customer has ceilings in his home composed of plaster board. Old radiant heat ceiling not cooperating, looking for ways to. The house has electric radiant ceiling heat which is not common in this area. Broan 1,250watt surfacemount fanforced ceiling heater.
Overheating can also damage plumbing running above your ceiling, which can result in expensive plumbing work. If i had set it to 70 degrees it could swing upwards of 73 and that is hot for us. I have radiant heat tubing installed in the ceiling plaster. Without air circulation from a forced air system, any soot collects on the colder joist.
Get shopping advice from experts, friends and the community. Dayton, i have the utmost respect for all the radiant guys posting here. Iam assuming you mean radiant floor heating in the floor above. In the older form, electric heating elements are sandwiched between a layer of drywall and a layer of plaster. After cables are installed,2 coats of a plaster product called radex is applied over the cables,then a texture is applied. I was repeating if you want me to do the following. Plastered ceiling wradiant heat told ya the mesh guys would snap,lol the thing about this radiant heat cieling is the cracks are occuring from heating and cooling of the cieling in a rapid manner, not from structual movement, that is why the crack will stay behind the paper tape. In older construction, radiant ceiling heat often consisted of wires sandwiched between a layer of drywall and a layer of plaster. How do i repair radiant heating cracks in our ceiling. I understand that cracking is not unusual under the circumstances.
What material should i use to permanantly repair this crack. You can obtain suitable gypsum plasterboards from diy stores or specialist. The thickness of these panels is usually a oneinch panel, ranging in size between 1 x 2 and 4 x 8, powered by 120 or 240volt current. The best time to test heat cables is in the winter months. I have radiant heat in my plaster ceiling and over the past. Our electric radiant ceiling heating system also eliminates cold and hot spots throughout the environment. The thermostats on radiant ceiling heaters operate differently than with central heating systems. Our house is heated with electric radiant heat in the ceilings. Radiant heat can dry plaster or ceiling tiles, causing them to crack. I have radiant heat in my plaster ceiling and over the. Plastered ceiling w radiant heat kg when the heat is called for the plaster will exspans then when it cools it contracts. Ceiling repair radiant heat in ceiling jlconline forums.
With heat cables particularly the ones buried in the plaster can develop hairline cracks, andor ghosting. Drywall that sags and cracks may result in breaks in the heating element. We did not have any ceiling cracks, but skim coating or texturing the ceiling if you avoid screwing anything in should work fine, based on the experiences of others in our complex. Radiant ceiling heat is a style of heating that is significantly different from the radiators or forced air ducts that you may be used to. A direct transference of clean even heat from object to object without fans, pumps or hoses silent, motionless, and invisible. Ceiling radiant heat electrician talk professional. Best option to fix cracks in ceiling with radiant heat. Radiant ceiling heat usgs diamond plaster is recommended by the manufaturer for electric radiant heat ceilings. Electric radiant heating the ashi reporter inspection news. Ho tells me that his ceilings have a radiant heating system water coils in his. We are building a new house and want to install radiant ceiling heat but we can not find the plaster to cover the wires in the ceiling. What are some common problems with radiant electric ceiling heat.
Finding a manual with the least amount of differential was important along with positive feed back from consumers since king electrics should have worked but failed miserable time and time again. My dad plastered acres of radiant heat and i asked him a while back what the plaster was like after 4050 years and he said it cracks. Radiant heat can dry plaster or ceiling tiles, causing them to crack and peel. I did an insurance job a about 4 years ago, where water came in through the roof and the entire ceiling, blueboard, electric wires and plaster, all fell to the floor. Radiant systems generally have wall thermostats to control each room.
Radiant ceiling heat drywall falling again contractor talk. The house is a two story and is in metro boston, ma area. When the heat is turned on, the ceiling will dry first where its warmest, revealing the location of heated wires. Oct 24, 2011 i have radiant heat in my plaster ceiling and over the past 23 months of digging, major on going excavation, building destruction and construction four feet from my property line the ceilings have cracked in a number of rooms.
To repair small cracks in plaster, youll need patching compound, medium and finegrit sandpaper, a sanding block, a putty knife, a masonry chisel, a paintbrush, a rag, and a screwdriver. The wires are stapled onto a base coat and then embedded in a final coat. The best way for one to reduce their energy consumption is to use electric radiant ceiling heat. The hardware of this device is mounted over the head making it very practical for homeowner living in small houses.
In this video rory brennan, owner of big wallys plaster magic, examines cracks and other damage in a plaster ceiling in an old vermont home. Residents who drive screws carelessly into the ceiling sometimes damage the elements. For others this may seem like a scene out of a highend and high tech house, but in reality even ordinary households can. It is hot water radiant heat and it is still in use. There is a layer of drywall, then radiant heating wires imbedded in something really hard, it seems. Some are wires that are plastered into place using special plaster. Jun 25, 2019 radiant ceiling panels typically consist of a highdensity fiberglass insulation board, a heating element, and a textured surface coating mounted in a frame. Depending on the size of the ceiling i would remove all the plaster, insulate the ceiling and hang new board.
Electric radiant ceiling heat is an aesthetically pleasing heat generator. On top of that, the building was built in the 60s and from what i read, these old radiant heat ceilings are a pain to deal with. Cracks appear in some of the ceilings along what i presume to be the edges of the underlaying lath boards. Does anyone have knowledge of how radiant electric ceiling heat was. In the older types of radiant ceiling, air bubbles in the plaster can cause the heating element to burn out. After tracing out the radiant heat path, and locating the ceiling joists using new technology studfinders, i used a 118 forstner bit to slightly cut into the ripple finish of the plaster ceiling, drilling up every 6 inches or so within the dropped section. The problem is that its not just a regular drywall ceiling. Repairing small cracks in plaster is easy compared to plastering a whole room. Ceiling has radiant heat encased in cement which expandscontracts causing plaster to crack. Electric radiant heating cities inspection service. Im looking for advice on the best methods to repair cracks in plastered ceilings with radiant heat. Modern radiant ceiling heat panels are much more convenient.
Although plaster can also crack, the problem doesnt seem to be as pronounced. Thermostat for radiant ceiling heat greenbuildingtalk. The clue is line voltage thermostats on the wall, but no baseboard heaters. How to fix cracking ceiling with radiant heating wires. Walls and ceilings sheetrock sagging on ceiling radiant heat i.
Radiant ceiling heat general drywall discussion drywall talk. Radiant ceiling heat interior inspections internachi. I used radex a form of electric drywall heat 20 plus years ago. Depending on the size of the ceiling i would remove all the plaster, insulate the. Ceiling mounted systems can be set up in any number of ways. Bubbles in the plaster surrounding the wires allow them to overheat and burn out. The plaster is calcining and that is only part of the problem. Another thing common to radiant ceiling heat is ghosting of joist and the radiant elements through the drywall or plaster. Caloriques radiant ceiling heating system is extremely energy efficient. A putty knife and patience are in order to clean a plaster ceiling, while a stiffbristle brush or shop vacuum may be the only tool required to remove flakes from drywall or another smooth surface.
With radiant ceiling heat that can be a big difference. The walls and ceilings are plaster on lath boards, 2x8 gypsum board. In older construction, a drywall ceiling may eventually crack and sag due to moisture or excessive load. Have a pro check your ceiling before installing radiant heat. The wires are typically 112 inches apart and are often, but not always, installed in an. Homeowners have found that radiant heating systems are as much as 20% more efficient to operate than electric baseboard units because all of the heating energy is directed to the living space, not heating air along the walls. Radiant ceiling heat was real popular here in the 1970s. Radiant heat in the ceiling was very popular in my area. I had a plaster ceiling with radiant heat in it that developed a crack at least 8 feet long, and on one side it sagged at least 2 inches below the other side.
The design and construction of your ceiling can make a room. Electric radiant ceiling heating systems thermaray. Ive also been involved with radiant electric heat for 20 plus years from the ceiling but not radiant hot water. When these wires burn out, it is very difficult to repair the system without tearing out most of the ceiling. Retrofitting flexiro radint wall heating with plugin drywall system. Radiant heating systems are typically located in ceilings and in floors.