Wanting Better Radiant Bathroom Heating

Russ on 31/05/2019 - 02:05
Last edited 31/05/2019 - 02:08

I have one of those exhaust fan/heater combinations in the roof, which has four 275W bulbs for heating. I'm not happy with it, and I'm looking for an alternative.

The reasons I'm not happy with it are:

  • more than a kilowatt of lighting means that any late-night showers leave you fully awake, due to the brightness
  • it only heats my shoulders and the top of my head!

So I'm looking at radiant heating that doesn't use white-light bulbs, and heats from the side.

My bathroom is long and narrow, and I can't really put the heater on the long walls (shower cavity on one side, mirror on the other). The only feasible mounting place is either over the door or over the window, The door is further from where I get out of the shower, and doesn't have flammable curtains attached, so above the door is the best location.

I've looked at wall-mounted ceramic heaters, but I've read that they take a minute or two to come up to heat, and almost all of the ones I can find are either (a) very expensive, or (b) not suitable for a humid environment like a bathroom.

The only other option I can find is infrared heat lamps, like this: http://www.lighting.philips.com.au/prof/conventional-lamps-a…

I've used one of these long ago, to heat a sporting injury. A bank of four of them, mounted above the door, would provide 1kW of heat from the side (well, pointed about 30 degrees down), without being blindingly bright. Being essentially a light bulb, I expect they'll heat up in seconds.

Anyone tried this, or know if this is a practical option?

I'm also open to other options, but be aware that there is no room for an oil heater or similar, and I've tried fan heaters too - not enough room for them. One of the fan heaters I bought said it needed one metre of clear space around it in all directions - that's wider than my bathroom! My bathroom is 1.8m by 2.4m, and half of the 1.8m is shower cavity and a built-in cupboard. The part of the room where you can walk (without being in the shower) is only slightly wider than the door, about a metre wide by 2.4m.

Thanks in advance for your ideas!

Electrical & Electronics

Comments

  • try2bhelpful on 31/05/2019 - 06:34

    We have a micro furnace with a safety cut out switch and it has done sterling work for the last 15 years, but they don’t seem to be available anymore. We just sit it on the vanity and it blows out hot air. We only use our light heater for extra light as they are fairly useless. Maybe use the fan heater to warm the room before you shower, or do similar with any heater that takes a while to come up to speed, then turn it all off, and remove, before you jump in. In winter I also dry myself quickly and put on slippers and dressing gown to complete my toilette. Best of luck.

  • brownbag on 31/05/2019 - 07:31
    +1

    You could consider a Far Infrared Heater (FIR). mine is a 900 Watt model by 'outdoor heating systems'. There's no hole in the roof (so no heat loss) and FIR heaters can fit on a wall or ceiling (as mine is). They don't heat the room but heat the person sitting in front of or below them, which is just want you need in the bathroom.

    • bumblebeetuna on 31/05/2019 - 12:54

      Hey brownbag, how do you find the 900w? I have a 600w in my ensuite. It's ok, but not amazing, not as good as I'd hoped. probably the 2.7m ceiling not helping either! Sort of wishing I'd gone bigger, even for the small area.

      • brownbag on 05/06/2019 - 12:46

        I just got it from 'outdoor heating systems' online. Yes, the higher ceiling can be a challenge - my ceiling is about 2.4m so probably a better distance.

    • Russ on 31/05/2019 - 13:49

      That one costs a bit more than I'm willing to pay, but I found a similar device for $199:
      https://www.kogan.com/au/buy/kogan-2400w-ceiling-strip-radia…

      Problem is, ceiling mount is only going to heat my head and shoulders. Wall mount will be better, but I have no idea how "directional" these are. If I mount it above the door, it'll be ~2m away from my head, ~3m from my feet. Will most of the heat be wasted?

      I'd rather get a ceramic heater with a reflector, something like this:
      https://www.mydeal.com.au/excelair-wall-mounted-radiant-heat…

      But none of them say whether the body is made of stainless steel or aluminium, or ordinary steel. Ordinary steel will rust out quickly in the steamy environment of a bathroom, the high humidity of Brisbane's summer makes things dry very slowly.

      • brownbag on 05/06/2019 - 12:47

        There's a difference in price but that's because you're comparing radiant heating with far infrared heating, and they're completely different forms of heat.

        • Russ on 06/06/2019 - 01:52

          Maybe so, but in the application I want them for, is there any difference in performance?

          Wikipedia is vague on the differences. As far as I can tell, the only differences are:

          • far-infrared heaters have a lower surface temperature, so they won't dry the air out as much
          • they don't produce a visible glow
          • they require a larger area for the same amount of heating
          • they cost more

          Are there any other differences?

          I admit I'm having difficulty with radiant heaters of all types, they want a minimum gap of 50cm to the nearest wall. That's not possible where I want to mount the heater, the wall above the bathroom door is only 90cm wide! If I mount the heater elsewhere, it will be almost above me, and heat only my head and shoulders.

          The infrared bulbs may be the only way I can achieve heating from the side. They apparently don't need any clearance, because they are quite directional. I'm going to buy one and try it, they're about $45 from Ebay with a lamp surround.

          • brownbag on 06/06/2019 - 08:58
            +1

            @Russ: I got them as they are more efficient. The energy you put into them goes into heating the body rather than the surrounding air, which you're not really looking for in a bathroom. They also fit neatly onto the ceiling with no holes needed (which allow air to escape), like the typical bulb heater.
            But your ceramic heater with reflector may do the job well.

  • Typical16-bitEnjoyer on 31/05/2019 - 09:03

    Just get a cheap small ceramic fan heater and place it somewhere it won't get wet. Will heat nearly instantly and easily heat a bathroom.

  • ihbh on 31/05/2019 - 13:00

    any late-night showers

    how often do you have to take these?

    • Russ on 31/05/2019 - 13:53

      If everyone showers in the morning, there will be a queue and arguments. I'd like to set everything up for convenience, so we can shower at any time.

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