Bathroom heat – brands and ?
We’re remodeling our bathroom. The 6′ by 8′ room is outside the heated area of the house, and we’ve been using one of those little electric wall heaters with a fan. We’re considering two approaches to heat – possibly using both, rather than one or the other.
One is below-the-tile electric heat. Best price so far is Easy Heat, from a local supplier; second best from a company in Chicago that does a lot of DIY sales. We’ve only got 16 square feet of tile surface to work with after filling the rest with shower, cabinets, and toilet, and the Chicago company’s sales guy speculates that this may be insufficient for the sole heat source in our climate (California North Coast, technically Mediterranean, but lots of sub-freezing mornings in the winter, often enough down into the 20s, sometimes into the low 20s or rarely teens).
Any thoughts appreciated.
The other possibility is another forced-air electric heater. The remodel leaves limited wall space, so we’re considering a toe kick (aka kickspace) heater instead of a wall heater.
Any feedback on positives and negatives of toe kick heaters appreciated. In particular, if it’s below the vanity, will my toes get cooked when I’m shaving?
Several brands available: Myson, Broan, King. The best price is King, from a local home improvement center. I’ve never heard of King, but its website claims 45 years in the business. Any advice on reliability and parts availability for this brand?
Replies
I would use both types to avoid freezing issues.
Warmly Yours and others make the under tile electric loops which can make your feet cozy on a cold day, but I wouldnt count on it too heat the room.
A standard elec baseboard or toe kick heater would be very useful. Can you get a toekick in to your vanity ??
How well insulated it the room?
I am assuming that at least one side, if not 2, are jointed to the mail part of the house that is fully heated.
If both are true you can probably get enough heat from the floor heater.
Another option, if you have the space, is a towel warmer.
Some of those are fairly small, but I think that some of them are also designed for space heating.
Another option is for an electric cove heater.
http://www.radiantsystemsinc.com/
http://www.infraredheaters.com/cove.htm
I have never used one, but I think that Mike Smith has used them.
William the Geezer, the sequel to Billy the Kid - Shoe
bump..
William the Geezer, the sequel to Billy the Kid - Shoe
yes...we use radiant cove heaters (Grainger carries them )...
there are also radiant ceiling panels which we used in a kitchen remodel...neither is as invisible as the radiant floor but they both perform very wellMike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
What others have said is correct. You'll not likely get enough heat from the electric resistance floor heat to make the room comfortable. I've got them in North Carolina mountains. Nice and cozy to walk on but not really to heat the room.
Of course my ex takes is responsible for the electric bill so I could try to really crank it up and leave it on for a week while I'm there and let you know how it feels. I might feel the heat from her though.