Ceiling radiant heating

[Roy D. Cooke, Sr]

A first for me ( Ceiling radiant heating ) .
I have to do a home that has this .
Any thoughts Good Bad or?
What should I look for ?
Any Concerns?.
Life of heating are they prone to fail?
Efficency ?
I will take my clamp on to see load draw to find out if elements are not working .

Thanks .. Roy Cooke

[Greg Fretwell]

Must be something they use in Australia.
Heat rises in the northern hemisphere

[Michael Larson]

Originally Posted by Greg Fretwell

Must be somerthing they use in Australia.
Heat rises in the northern hemisphere

Ceiling radiant heat is is not just for Australia.
Radiant heat is not used to heat air directly. Think ceiling bath heater or overhead radiant tube in a service garage type location. All from above and used to heat objects. The heat you feel from the sun is also radiant.

[James H. Bushart]

I inspected a home last January that had ceiling radiant heat. It was very inefficient. The surface temp on the ceiling was 120 degrees, 75 at the thermostat, and almost 50 on the floor. Outside temp was about 25.

The buyer had three kids, all under four years of age, and would be living in a completely cooler environment than the rest of the family. He walked.

I should add that the home was vacant and the setting had been low prior to our arrival.

[jvogan]

That type of heating was common in the 70's in my part of Missouri. It was more of a "fad". Like James said...it will heat a house but isn't very efficient. It heats from the ceiling down, so the floor, and your feet, stay cold, and when you stand up, your forehead is sweating!

[Greg Fretwell]

I have seen some successful floor heating schemes but ceiling heat will only end up heating the attic. Don't confuse this with heat lamps (or the sun) that do actually "radiate" heat.

[Russel Ray]

Originally Posted by rcooke

I will take my clamp on to see load draw to find out if elements are not working.

I use an infrared laser thermometer. Simply point it at the ceiling and record the temperature. One hour later, repeat the process. They either work or they don't.

[Russel Ray]

The ceiling systems installed here actually work quite well, which did surprise me the first time I found one. The drawback is the electricity they require, especially after the 2000-2001 California energy crisis. Most everyone disconnected their electric systems at that time.