Electric heater

[grainger12002]

anyone have a heater they like,easy on electricity and still make heat ? Looking for a small heater to supplement the bathroom and have not had much luck ...

Thanks

 

[Larry Caldwell]

Electric resistive heaters are all nearly 100% efficient, except perhaps for some electricity used running the fan. The problem is that electricity is an expensive heat source. Just buy whatever fits in the bathroom and call it good.

I use a heat lamp bulb in the back bathroom fan fixture. It comes on instantly, gives a feeling of some warmth, and I turn it off when I leave the bathroom. I think the bulb is 250 watts, which is pretty hot. You really need a fixture designed for that high wattage a bulb. The base in mine is ceramic, with an air gap all around the bulb and a heat shield behind the base.

 

[grsthegreat]

I installed a nutone heat/fan/light combo when i built my house. Love it. Put it on a timer and in just 10 minutes it takes the chill off of the bathroom in the winter.

For an existing bathroom, i NEVER recommend a freestanding electric heater, as i have had to rewire several houses that have had fires from these things over the years. I also had to rewire a local restaurant that burnt to the ground due to an electric freestanding space heater. I hear that the new electric oil style heaters are ok, but have no actual experience with them.

I generally always recommend installing a recessed (built in) heater or heat lamp for safety reasons.... oh, and just to be clear ... NEVER install a heat lamp above a bathroom door's swing radius. I recently had to move one for someone that had melted their door and nearly burnt down the back side of the house from one of these.

 

[JerryK]

Oil filled heaters are great. But they take a while to heat up and cool down. So, if you are looking for something that heats up fast, not the best. That even heat is what makes them best for heaters you are going to run for awhile.