heat lamp

What Is the Best Kind of Bathroom Heater You Can Use This Winter?

No matter how warm your house is, it's always nice to have a little added warmth in the bathroom. Bathroom heaters feel good when you're getting out of the shower or during one of those middle-of-the-night calls to parental duty when the house may be slightly chilly. 

If you're thinking about what type of auxiliary bathroom heaters you'd like, read on and consider the choices. 

  • Wall-Mounted Electric Fan. Similar to space heaters, these fans are permanently installed. They generally can be 12o or 240 volts and should be installed by a licensed electrician. Most models will feature thermostat controls and timers. Since these are likely spot heaters, you may have to let it generate more heat than needed at one end of the room to adequately heat the entire bathroom.

  • Heat Lamps. Heat lamps use infrared radiation — usually a kind of bulb sold in a 100- or 250-watt size — to heat people beneath the lamp. This is a relatively inexpensive way to heat the bathroom. An electrician may need to add a circuit so that you can use a 250-watt bulb. You might also consider a heat lamp and vent fan. One drawback of these is that the heat is mostly available beneath the bulb, so it will have to be close to the shower and vanity area.

  • Radiant Floor Heating. Radiant floor heating is a great option when you want to spread warmth over the entire bathroom. Heat goes from the floor on up and is located below the floor, out of sight. It can be powered by electricity or hot water. Radiant floor heating is considered an efficient way to heat.

  • Convection Heater. Convection heaters pull in cold air and then heat it with a heating coil. Or, it might draw the air over an oil-filled element, then blow it back into the room. You have a wide range of choices as to shape and size, from a small ceramic tile heater to a larger, oil-filled, fan-driven mode. These bathroom heaters can be wall mounted or portable.

For more on bathroom heaters, contact Air Assurance of Broken Arrow.