A Practical Ceramic Coatings Test.

[Antknee]

There are multiple spray ceramic coatings that one could use, TC Industrial Ceramic, Temp-Coat 101, Super Therm, and others. Has anyone done a cost vs benefits analysis on all these products? I know everyone has their favorite, I respect that, and I don't want to ruffle any feathers, but I do want to use the best and most affordable formula on my bus.

After reading all these threads on this I still cant decide.  After reading that article from Popular Mechanics about the Energy star Ratings I am not impressed by that association as much as I am by the military use, being a vet my self (Navy), I remember the guys who did all the painting and hull maintenance using all sorts of things to insulate. I see that some products get high reviews from the military (Navy and Coast guard) for use as a condensation barrier as well as the thermo acoustic property's.

What I want to see is some opinions on which system would work best , I have a small sample can of Temp-coat 101 I'm going to try to get the same from Super Therm and TC Ceramic, and do a hot plate or heat lamp test on the different samples painted on galvanized steel to see which one keeps the coolest. I'm going to get one of those digital laser thermometers that you point and shoot to get the temperature, I think that should work.

Clifford,  What is this Spray on lining that you speak of? Brand name?"

smooth spray on lining is the best out there for a bus so many more benefits than TC at about the same price

I was going to post this to Ruthi's thread (http://www.busconversions.com/bbs/index.php?topic=15975.0) but I think it deserves a new thread.


Any suggestion, Ideas, comments?

[luvrbus]

Anthony, check out Jim's web site www.smithsultimate.com he is also a bus owner.He is located in Albuquerque NM he does wonder with the stuff ? ever see a Harley painted with lining material he has one and it looks good

good luck

[Antknee]

So is Jim's Spray on lining thermally resistive like the ceramic coatings are? Does it resist condensation?

[luvrbus]

Anthony, all I know is you can use a lighter on the back side and the stuff will melt before you feel the heat call Jim and have him send you a sample.
The coating I don't know I bought 10 gals in 2000 for a bus and it worked good in bright sun light and heat without the sunlight in AZ and only the 120 temps I could not tell the difference, R valve is what you are after for insulation purposes not reflection and you living in Kansas with the storms you guys get I think the lining is better I have seen what a bus looks like on top after a hail storm there 


good luck

[ruthi]

TC will send you a sample also. We used one of those temp guns in our test too.

[Antknee]

Whew, sorry I have been gone so long, Vacation and an emergency stay in the ICU for my wife has kept me off the board for a while, Wife is doing fine now glad we are past that. I got the digital thermometer at Harbor Freight, but Temp Coat and the guys at www.smithsultimate.com are the only ones to respond to my inquiry about a product sample, I am emailing again today if I don't get a response I will call by the end of next week.

See you soon.

[happycamperbrat]

I have read and heard amazing things about these kind of products too. I am wondering how they might work on an engine....

[DaveG]

I don't think you want to coat/paint an engine as you want the engine to loose the heat it generates. I was going to use another word for 'loose' but couldn't spell it. Must be the truck driver in me coming out.

Dissipate...spell check says it is okay, but for some reason it doesn't look right. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

[bevans6]

When I make exhaust headers in mild steel i recommend that they get ceramic coated inside and out.  It makes them last a lot longer, and really reduces heat in the engine compartment.  they also make more power, not enough to notice in a bus engine, but anything you can measure and repeat is worthwhile in a Formula Ford engine.  I send them out to be coated, the coating used is an aerospace baked on coating that cannot be duplicated at home.  it needs a lot of heat to melt and set, and the parts need to be about 10 minutes out of a sandblaster, the steel needs to be bare and no corrosion for best results.

Brian