Bathroom - electric controlled heating

[utterlydiy]

I'm not sure if this is the correct section for this topic.


My mother who has only electric to use for heating her bungalow. She currently has several storage heaters in various rooms and hall, also she has oil filled radiator for additional heating if required.

But the bathroom has a electric towel rail heater. She switches this on during the cold mornings to heat the bathroom before having a shower. But the towel rails gets so hot she accidently burns herself touching the rail when grabing a towel.

Is there any other form of electric heating she could use, having a thermostat to control the temperature either in a towel rail or oil filled radiator. She does not want a fan convector type heater as these dry the air. The bathroom has an open shower with a curtain around and the flooring is sealed and sloped to a flush surface drain in the floor, this was done some years ago for my wheel chair bound father.

I thought of under floor heating as she has wooded suspended floors. But what costs are involved.????

There is no gas mains supply to her estate and she does not want a Gas or Oil tank.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[Steve]

Doesn't the towel rail have a thermostat? or at least 2 heat settings? Electric heaters shouldnt have exposed parts that get so hot they burn you. I mean, you should be able to touch it for, say, a second and not see any lasting effect. (this is in my opinion, i dont know if there actually any regs supporting this)

Fan heaters are the only other option in the bathroom, short of having an ugly infra red heater. Fan heaters dont dry the air, the moisture remains the same. But I have never liked the smell of a fan heater burning off dust when you first turn it on. For this reason, im a fan of oil rads, you never know they are on, the least instrusive electric heat.

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Main_Index/Heating_Index/index.html
^plenty of heat sources there, take your pick. Must be suitable for bathrooms . . .

UFH is laid under tiles, and as you have a nice wetroom arrangement, this would be VERY labourious to install at this stage.

 

[crystal ball]

How about another storage heater in the bathroom

 

[utterlydiy]

Thanks for your replies

Having done some brief research about under floor heating as for mothers expense, thats out of the question due to costs. Lifting the sealed lino type floor covering for the open shower, laying the matting of underfloor heating on top of the existing wooded floor, then relay the flooring material for the open shower and plus the labour costs.

The existing rail my mother thinks it was put in when the house was built some forty years ago and has only one setting. You are correct the rail don't burn to touch, but you could not hold it more than a second or two without a possible burn. With the fan heater I've always found the air to be dry where the heater element heats and drys the air passing over the element.

As for the storage heater which seems a good option, but I would have thought these are not suitable for bathrooms, where the shower could possibly splash onto the heater if the curtain is not closed correctly. If you know of such a heater for the bathroom please let me know of the details.

Has anyone any other suggestions for some form of heating to remove the chill in the winter months

 

[utterlydiy]

With a Storage heater, could it be connected into the existing Heated Towel rail supply or would it have to be into the Ecomony 7 circuit. ??

 

[crystal ball]

Storage heater should be connected to E7, whether it will suit your situation depends on your bathroom layout, best to contact a local electrician and get his opinion

 

[utterlydiy]

I've been looking at the Robinson Willey and Unidare range of heaters, both state that they are suitable for bathrooms. But the Robinson unit states, it is splash proof.

The storage heater would be mounted on the wall opposite the wall with the shower some 2mts away. The curtain would be approx. midway between the two.

So could these heaters as above be suitable.

//www.diynot.com/shop/Heating_Cooling_and_Ventilation/Storage_Heaters

 

[utterlydiy]

Would the heater in the link in my previous reply, be suitable for the bathroom with a shower.???????