Our house was built in 1969 and we love the radiant ceiling heat. It is quiet, clean, and heat can be regulated for each individual room. In the winter we can shut off heat in rooms we are not using. We have lived here 27 years and never had problems with it, never a service call.
Thanks for this video. We're looking at houses in our area and a lot of them have this type of heating, and I wasn't sure what it was. I guess I won't be adding any can lights!
Invest in a thermal camera then re-route the radiant cables as needed, just don't cut them. It can be done just a lot of work and cameras are not cheap.
My radiant ceiling heat came in pre-wired sheets of sheet rock. No plaster involved. It went up just like regular sheet rock except for the elec hookup.
My ceiling has developed some bug cracks that run for several feet and is growing. And I have wavy lines in the ceiling. Should I pull it all down? I’m going with a propane furnace anyway.
Hi Jeff! Thank you for commenting. I think that there could be a lot of possible things going on here. Your ceiling trusses could have settled, taking the ceiling drywall with it...or perhaps the drywall isn't attached to every single bottom beam of your truss, and sagging has occurred due to age. Or maybe your roof isn't a truss system at all! I've heard that the 1/2" drywall tends to do this (which is in a lot of older homes) as it ages but that the 5/8" thickness resists sagging better. But yes, cracks mean that something is failing. I would have a contractor come out and shed some light on the situation before attempting any demolition or repair work myself. Personally!
@@pnwerica thanks for the comment. It’s a ranch style 1980 home. I think the trusses are fine . I believe the ceiling is getting brittle from the heat/wires and starting to detach. I’ll get into the attic crawl space this weekend and see if I can see anything. Thanks a ton!
Hi Roselyn! I honestly can't say for sure...contractor rates will vary by area and if your ceiling contains asbestos it will cost more to remove. You can have it tested yourself by scraping off a bit and sending to a lab...testing should cost you about $100 to $150. If no asbestos is present, you can do it yourself quite simply! Home Depot sells a ceiling scraper with a plastic bag attachment: www.homedepot.com/p/Homax-Ceiling-Texture-Scraper-for-Popcorn-Ceiling-Removal-6104/202061374
I found a great home with this type of heating but my real estate agent advised me that most of them contain asbestos. Did yours have asbestos, and if do how expensive was it to remove?
Hello! Thank you for commenting. I have so much info to share with you - sorry if this post is long for you but hang with me. :) 1. Yes, most popcorn ceiling contains a LOW LEVEL of asbestos. You can have environmental testing done where someone comes out, scrapes a bit of material off of your ceiling, and has it tested to determine if asbestos is present and also the percentage. Many general home inspectors will perform this service; you just have to ask. 2. Cost to remove: this depends on the level of asbestos you have. Our ceiling in particular in this home tested out at 1%. Our general contractor felt safe simply scraping it off and hauling it away. HOWEVER, if your asbestos percentage is higher AND / OR you elect to have the asbestos removed following the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency ) guidelines where hazard gear must be donned by the remover, etc. the cost will be higher. SO WHAT WE PAID: popcorn removal only: $2250 for 3 bedrooms, a living area, an entry way, and a hallway. FOR THE SEGMENT IN THIS VIDEO, we elected to remove the ENTIRE CEILING and REPLACE IT since the electrical heating in this room had been damaged and rendered inoperable AND because the ceiling had been patched before. THAT cost us about $5200 to remove and replace the ceiling AND the insulation above it. 3. A few things you should know about radiant heat: IT IS OBSOLETE. NO ONE will service it. EVENTUALLY you will need to replace it with either wall units, a ductless system, or a ducted system. My preference is for a full ducted system - but that is just me! Keep in mind you will probably have years and years of service out of the existing radiant heating system, but you will need to replace it one day. ALSO, ONCE THE POPCORN IS SCRAPED OFF, you will *very likely* be left with an UGLY ceiling of plaster, embedded electrical wires, and rusted staples. I had to use a special primer over mine and even after painting it you could still see the plaster marks. I can email you a picture of this if you want! I plan on featuring it in an upcoming video. But even if the house did not have a radiant heat system under the popcorn, once any popcorn is removed any irregularities in the ceiling will be exposed. They CAN be corrected with a skim coat of building compound but in the case of our ceiling our contractor felt it would not be safe to do because of the extra weight that would be added by the skim coat of building compound to the already HEAVY plaster that is keeping the electrical wires in place. He was worried that the extra weight may cause the ceiling to fall! But a non-radiant ceiling post popcorn removal can be treated this way. ----- Whew! Thanks for reading. If everything else about the house is wonderful, I wouldn't let a radiant ceiling stop me from purchasing it. For our house, we are going to just "ignore" the ugly ceiling until it is in our budget to add a ducted heating / cooling system AND replace the ceiling at the same time. CHEERS!!! Erica
Did you also have your insulation tested for asbestos also? We are interested in vaulting a ceiling in a 1965 home with the same situation (popcorn, radiant ceiling heat). I know this post is old but just curious!
We live in a duplex with the same kind of heating, but I think it is a poor design. My parents average between 500-600 dollar electric Bill's about 6 months out of the year for a 2 bedroom. My aunt lives next door and their bill is about half.
Our house was built in 1969 and we love the radiant ceiling heat. It is quiet, clean, and heat can be regulated for each individual room. In the winter we can shut off heat in rooms we are not using. We have lived here 27 years and never had problems with it, never a service call.
Does it matter about the kind of paint that is put on the ceiling
Isn't it super expensive
Thanks for this video. We're looking at houses in our area and a lot of them have this type of heating, and I wasn't sure what it was. I guess I won't be adding any can lights!
You are correct!! No can lights for you! 🤣
Invest in a thermal camera then re-route the radiant cables as needed, just don't cut them. It can be done just a lot of work and cameras are not cheap.
My radiant ceiling heat came in pre-wired sheets of sheet rock. No plaster involved. It went up just like regular sheet rock except for the elec hookup.
That is very interesting! Are you in the US? I am in the US and have not heard of anyone installing new radiant ceiling heat!
My ceiling has developed some bug cracks that run for several feet and is growing. And I have wavy lines in the ceiling. Should I pull it all down? I’m going with a propane furnace anyway.
Hi Jeff! Thank you for commenting. I think that there could be a lot of possible things going on here. Your ceiling trusses could have settled, taking the ceiling drywall with it...or perhaps the drywall isn't attached to every single bottom beam of your truss, and sagging has occurred due to age. Or maybe your roof isn't a truss system at all! I've heard that the 1/2" drywall tends to do this (which is in a lot of older homes) as it ages but that the 5/8" thickness resists sagging better. But yes, cracks mean that something is failing. I would have a contractor come out and shed some light on the situation before attempting any demolition or repair work myself. Personally!
@@pnwerica thanks for the comment. It’s a ranch style 1980 home. I think the trusses are fine . I believe the ceiling is getting brittle from the heat/wires and starting to detach. I’ll get into the attic crawl space this weekend and see if I can see anything. Thanks a ton!
This is exactly what I need to see because my apartment has this heating system and I don't know what it is and I've never seen it before
It can be good for people with allergies - no air ducts to blow dust around!
@@pnwerica oh yes the allergies, an air filter in every room jeeves please jolly good ole chappy
Hi! How much will cost the removal of that ceiling in 1 medium size room, please?
Hi Roselyn! I honestly can't say for sure...contractor rates will vary by area and if your ceiling contains asbestos it will cost more to remove. You can have it tested yourself by scraping off a bit and sending to a lab...testing should cost you about $100 to $150. If no asbestos is present, you can do it yourself quite simply! Home Depot sells a ceiling scraper with a plastic bag attachment:
www.homedepot.com/p/Homax-Ceiling-Texture-Scraper-for-Popcorn-Ceiling-Removal-6104/202061374
I found a great home with this type of heating but my real estate agent advised me that most of them contain asbestos. Did yours have asbestos, and if do how expensive was it to remove?
Hello! Thank you for commenting. I have so much info to share with you - sorry if this post is long for you but hang with me. :)
1. Yes, most popcorn ceiling contains a LOW LEVEL of asbestos. You can have environmental testing done where someone comes out, scrapes a bit of material off of your ceiling, and has it tested to determine if asbestos is present and also the percentage. Many general home inspectors will perform this service; you just have to ask.
2. Cost to remove: this depends on the level of asbestos you have. Our ceiling in particular in this home tested out at 1%. Our general contractor felt safe simply scraping it off and hauling it away. HOWEVER, if your asbestos percentage is higher AND / OR you elect to have the asbestos removed following the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency ) guidelines where hazard gear must be donned by the remover, etc. the cost will be higher.
SO WHAT WE PAID: popcorn removal only: $2250 for 3 bedrooms, a living area, an entry way, and a hallway.
FOR THE SEGMENT IN THIS VIDEO, we elected to remove the ENTIRE CEILING and REPLACE IT since the electrical heating in this room had been damaged and rendered inoperable AND because the ceiling had been patched before. THAT cost us about $5200 to remove and replace the ceiling AND the insulation above it.
3. A few things you should know about radiant heat: IT IS OBSOLETE. NO ONE will service it. EVENTUALLY you will need to replace it with either wall units, a ductless system, or a ducted system. My preference is for a full ducted system - but that is just me! Keep in mind you will probably have years and years of service out of the existing radiant heating system, but you will need to replace it one day.
ALSO, ONCE THE POPCORN IS SCRAPED OFF, you will *very likely* be left with an UGLY ceiling of plaster, embedded electrical wires, and rusted staples. I had to use a special primer over mine and even after painting it you could still see the plaster marks. I can email you a picture of this if you want! I plan on featuring it in an upcoming video.
But even if the house did not have a radiant heat system under the popcorn, once any popcorn is removed any irregularities in the ceiling will be exposed. They CAN be corrected with a skim coat of building compound but in the case of our ceiling our contractor felt it would not be safe to do because of the extra weight that would be added by the skim coat of building compound to the already HEAVY plaster that is keeping the electrical wires in place. He was worried that the extra weight may cause the ceiling to fall! But a non-radiant ceiling post popcorn removal can be treated this way.
-----
Whew! Thanks for reading. If everything else about the house is wonderful, I wouldn't let a radiant ceiling stop me from purchasing it. For our house, we are going to just "ignore" the ugly ceiling until it is in our budget to add a ducted heating / cooling system AND replace the ceiling at the same time.
CHEERS!!!
Erica
Did you also have your insulation tested for asbestos also? We are interested in vaulting a ceiling in a 1965 home with the same situation (popcorn, radiant ceiling heat). I know this post is old but just curious!
my house is the same. I scraped off popcorn and replastered.
Did the re-plastering ever crack on top of the radiant ceiling?
Hi there! Could you share how it has been scraped? Isn't it dangerous for your health?
We live in a duplex with the same kind of heating, but I think it is a poor design. My parents average between 500-600 dollar electric Bill's about 6 months out of the year for a 2 bedroom. My aunt lives next door and their bill is about half.
when this system was popular(70's&80's) there were gov't subsidies and electric company assistance for the bill. that made this system very efficient.
Hi! I didn't realise you live in USA :) We're in Britain. No it doesn't have asbestos, thanks God.
No asbestos - I say give it a go yourselves!! Cheers!