22nd Feb 2010
Bathroom Ceiling Heaters: Pros And Cons
Most bathrooms are equipped with one heating vent, and an exhaust fan. The problem with this arrangement is that they will often be left overly cold in cooler weather. The simplest solution for correcting this problem is to install a bathroom ceiling heater.
Without a bathroom heater, there are two options for warming the bathroom. They are to either increase the thermostat level for the entire house, or to bring in a space heater. The problem with turning up the heat for the entire house is that you may not need the entire house warmed up, and heating expenses will be increased. Space heaters are fine for larger rooms such as living rooms and dining rooms where there is space to accommodate them. However, most bathrooms do not have the floor space to allow for the use of a space heater. Also, using a space heater in the bathroom requires the use of an outlet, but the outlet may be required for other appliances.
A ceiling heater bypasses both of these challenges. True to the name, ceiling heaters are installed in the ceiling. They can be purchased as part of the vent system, or separately. Either way, they will not consume any floor space. They turn on with the flip of a switch, so there is no loss of an outlet. Because they are only heating a small area, they will not drive up the average home’s heating expenses. Finally, they are safer than traditional space heater as there is no chance of robes or other clothing brushing against them in the tight space.
Bathroom ceiling heaters are available in a range of styles and heating capabilities. Some simply turn on and will heat up to one preset temperature. Others are adjustable, offering low, medium or high heating options. Another nice feature about these heaters is that, once the bathroom is warmed to a comfortable temperature, the heater can simply be turned off. Vents extract heat from a room along with moisture, so that when the vent is turned on the room is guaranteed to cool down. However, when using the bathroom heater, the heat in the room will evaporate moisture, eliminating the need to use the bathroom vent.
For safety, comfort, convenience and efficiency, bathroom ceiling heaters are the best choice for warming these small but vital spaces.
[...] can it pay for itself? You won’t spend money on your ceiling heater, you will invest in it. If you ever decide to sell your house it will be one of the features that [...]