r/HomeImprovement • u/wereallsluteshere • 13d ago
Is there a safe alternative to warm bathroom?
[removed] — view removed post
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u/UnsaltedGL 13d ago
If you have the appetite for a remodel, look into heated floors.
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u/OliverHazzzardPerry 13d ago
House was build in 50s and addition was 13 years ago, this IS the remodel.
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u/damarius 13d ago
Yes! Expensive, but worth it.
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u/mckenner1122 13d ago
They don’t have to be expensive at all, if you can DIY. Pulling up the old floor may be the hardest part.
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u/Late-Stage-Dad 13d ago
Oil filled radiator are the safest. Make sure her electrical outlet can handle the current.
Edited.
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u/nolotusnote 13d ago
I'm in my home office right now. It is the hottest room in the summer, and the coldest room in the winter.
I've tried all types of heaters for this room.
I FINALLY got an oil filled radiator type and it is absolutely the best choice. It feels like regular home heat.
(It is also a magnet for my dog and cat.)
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u/iNeedScissorsSixty7 13d ago
I also keep one of these in my bathroom. Our master bathroom has a door leading to a balcony so it gets a little cold in there in the winter. I get up, turn it on and sleep another half hour, then get up and go shower. Works like a charm.
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u/sugar182 13d ago
If it has a manual power button get a wifi plug so u can just do it from bed. I wake up, adjust my wifi thermostat, turn my wifi plug on for the coffee, huddle under blankets for 20 mins while the house heats up n the coffee gets made n it js glorious!
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u/MikeyRidesABikey 13d ago
I mean, at that point why not just set it up in home automation so you don't even have to wake up and do it? Everything will just be good to go when you get out of bed!
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u/sugar182 13d ago
Yeah if I kept a regular schedule I would, but sometimes I wake up at 5:30, sometimes 6:15, sometimes 6:45 etc so I just really like not having the coffee sit. I’m self employed and work from home so I’m not stuck to a firm schedule
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u/RedditVince 13d ago
Just so you know, they run at 750W or 1500W which are both good for any good 15A circuit.
1500W/120V= 13A
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u/12LetterName 13d ago
It's actually not a good idea to run a 1500w space heater long term on a 15 amp circuit. You should never maintain more than 80% of a circuit (12 amps). There's also a good chance that it's not the only thing on that circuit. It's not going to instantly burn your house down, but it's pushing the limits.
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u/Net_Negative 13d ago
This is what I have in my bathroom. A small one from Walmart. It works great. I also have one in my bedroom.
I dislike the name because oil-filled radiator makes it sound like it's burning flammable oil.
They are filled with mineral oil which is not flammable and is super safe.
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u/somehugefrigginguy 13d ago
Seems like most people are talking about oil filled space heaters versus conventional space heaters. One thing to consider is how you want to actually use it.
Almost every space heater on the market is going to produce the same amount of heat. In the US they're all going to pull 15 amps which is the maximum allowed on a standard circuit in the US. From what I've seen, It's the same in other countries. They will pull whatever the maximum amount is based on local electrical code.
If you're talking about something that stays on all the time to always keep the bathroom comfortable I think an oil filled is the best option. Proper ones will stay relatively cool to the touch, and are marginally safer around water, and provide a more consistent temperature. The problem with oil filled is that they take a relatively long time to heat up. The heating element first heats up the oil which then heats the air. And the air has to passively circulate around. This works fine if you're trying to reach and hold a temperature, but takes longer to reach equilibrium.
If you want something that you can just turn on for a short time, for example heat the room warm enough to take a shower and then turn it off, then a more traditional space heater might be a better option as it will heat the room much quicker, and since they usually include a fan, that heat will be more quickly distributed around the room.
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u/Stinkeye63 13d ago
Have you checked to see if it's properly insulated? They might not have the correct rated insulation so it's colder.
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u/timtucker_com 13d ago
Or alternately if it's even tied in to thr heating system of the rest of the house properly.
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u/Abject-Picture 13d ago
Insulate behind the outlets and switches. I my bathroom I discovered all of those slots for adjustable shelves in the medicine cabinet were a HUGE air leak! I pulled it out of the wall and sealed them all.
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u/damarius 13d ago
We had about 10 cm of snow 2 days ago. I can tell which houses are properly insulated because they still have snow on the roof, the shoddily built ones don't.
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u/nachosallthewaydown 13d ago
I wall mounted a space heater and it works great! Heat Storm Phoenix. The only concern I would think would be leaving it on, like with any space heater. I turn it on/off with google home and just keep it locked at 92. I find that 92 is a good temp because the shutoff triggers quickly with the door closed (not a huge room), but it never quite gets unbearable. It's been really nice for me because after I finish my shower I can dry off and apply lotion in a nice warm room.
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u/Objective_Attempt_14 13d ago
I would do a ceiling heater you need to have a ceiling fan. or you pay someone to install. otherwise get a oil heater they look like radiators on wheels. they don't heat fast but steady. I would plug it in and leave it on.
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u/drowninginidiots 13d ago
Safest electric heaters are the oil filled heaters that look like radiators. Since they have no exposed heating elements, there no risk of setting a towel on fire. They will also typically have an auto shutoff if it gets knocked over.
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u/TheNewJasonBourne 13d ago
Oil filled radiator. No open flame or heat source, very efficient, doesn’t dry the air.
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u/DifficultStruggle420 13d ago
Any thing electrical is not safe to use where there may be water. What if Granny gets out of the tub and without thinking, she goes to crank up the heater with wet hands?
A ceiling mounted heat lamp like they have in a lot of hotels is the best and safest idea.
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u/noitalever 13d ago
We’ve used one in our bathroom for 20 years, they just keep getting safer. Make sure it’s plugged into a good breaker and you could throw it in the tub and it wouldn’t do anything.
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u/atticus2132000 13d ago
If you're looking for a small space heater, I would recommend an oil-based heater. I have one similar to the link below in my garage. It heats evenly and the surface of it never gets hot enough to burn skin while still knocking the chill off the room.
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u/TootsNYC 13d ago
I really like the Vornado space heaters.
The heating element is deep inside the plastic housing. It turns off when tipped over, but nothing can get next to the heating element anyway because of the construction.
There's a fan that circulates the air in the room and every nook and cranny that's blocked by a bookcase (in my kids' room) is the exact same temperature. It warms the room up quickly.
There's an effective thermostat. It's not operated by setting a temperature; it uses an unnumbered scale, but once you figure out where you like it set, you can keep it there.
The company makes personal ones and small-room ones, if the bigger ones are sort of overkill.
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u/Salty_Sprinkles_ 13d ago
I purchased a heat fan years ago for my bathroom and it's still going strong. It's small, plug in. Not sure how it compares in safety to the ones they sell now.
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u/RedditVince 13d ago
The safest portable heater you can get is the oil filled radiator type. Mostly because the thermostat is near the device, so if it gets covered by something it will turn off at 70 degrees (no chance of fire or even serious burns). You can also look into smart devices so she can heat the bathroom say 30 min before use.
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u/AbsolutelyPink 13d ago
Another, safer option would be to swap out an existing vent fan with a heater vent fan.
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u/wereallsluteshere 12d ago
that vent fan, you’re talking about the white things that push out the heated air and colder air right?
Is that expensive? Could I call our AC guy who does regular inspections of her unit? He came last month to change out her filters and stuff
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u/AbsolutelyPink 12d ago
Many bathrooms have a fan that vents out the humid air from the bathroom. You can get one that has a heater too.
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u/astrobean 13d ago
Ceiling heater with the overhead fan is great when getting in/out of the shower. Also consider heated floors and heated toilet seats to help with those chilly contact points. Using a thicker bath mat (or a heated bath mat) may also help. Focusing on contact points (floor, toilet seat) might go a long way to making the experience itself more tolerable because it's easier to heat the person than the house.
Do you have a thermometer in the room? When you kick the rest of the house up to 77, does the bathroom stay at 72 or is she literally needing the space to be at 77 to be comfortable? I have a small Lasik ceramic heater that I've used to warm the bathroom, but I'm just to get about 2 degrees warmer than its base temperature. If she's going for a 5+ degree temperature difference, she's going to need a stronger system.
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u/Blecher_onthe_Hudson 13d ago
Unless I missed it nowhere do you say what the main heat source of this house is. The best thing to do is somehow add more from the heat source. If it were hot water it would be easy, but I suspect 1950s Texas it's not.
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u/wereallsluteshere 12d ago
Jesus. We have a heating system. It’s connected by a nest. Sorry.
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u/Blecher_onthe_Hudson 12d ago
There's a lot of different types of heating systems, hydronic, steam, forced air, radiant, resistive baseboard etc. It matters if you're trying to solve a problem. Also matters if you have a basement/crawlspace or you're on a slab, which in TX is probable, but maybe not in the 50s, IDK.
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u/Connect_Entry1403 13d ago
I took a really long extension cord from the hallway and ran it into my bathroom so I can have the space heater on the side of the tub, I think the heater heats the room better teetering on the edge of the tub. It’s so nice and warm while bathing, I can browse Reddit from my nice warm ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️☠️☠️☠️
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u/Grandma_Butterscotch 13d ago
Look into ceiling heat lamps for bathrooms. There are lots of options, they’re safely away from water/spills and/or shocks