I was looking for a bathroom heater and picked up some of these from Masters. Price in store is $10 more than the click and collect price, which is nearly half the price of the next cheapest one I could find.
Store price is part of their 60% off garage sale special, so another $10 off this gives approx 70%.
the heat bulbs themselves that come with this are worth more than the whole light ($9 to $10 each)
Wouldn't advise installing one of these in an apartment, nor if you have a downstairs bathroom. There generally isn't enough height in your ceiling cavity.
(I'm not qualified to give advice) but if the area is not ventilated then that humid air will condense and you'll have issues with water having no place to go.
So I imagine you will need ducting.
Yeap we've got black mould in our apartment's bathroom because the builder was too stupid/lazy to put it adequate ventilation.
Builder's build what clients ask for.
Ok so the builder and developer were too stupid/lazy to put it adequate ventilation.
The exhaust in these are shit. They're really only there for cooling the bulbs
Thanks all, window exhaust looks like the way to go!
Bull price. It was $39.95 last week which is the normal price. Also quote from a review. 'Warning: because this has 4 heat lamps it is classified as an appliance and requires it's own circuit according to my electrician'
They do suck heaps of juice, it might not necessarily need its own circuit, but at the very least you'll definitely want to put a 4x lamp model on a power circuit that doesn't already have a high load on it.
Short physics lesson.
Heat globes: 275W x 4 = 1100W
Light globe: 100W
Fan: 40W
Total: 1240W (let's call it 1300W)
Let's say that a typical household circuit can handle around 15 amps (at least, that's what the circuits are rated at my place).
Amps = Power (Watts) / Voltage (I=P/V)
So:
Amps drawn by unit = 1300W / 240V = 5.42A
So you've still got at around 9A to play with. Provided that you're not running a bunch of other high draw appliances from the same circuit, it'll be fine. For example, if you run it off your lighting circuit you'd need to have 36 x 60W light globes running at the same time for the circuit to get close to tripping (9A x 240V = 2160W / 60W = 36).
It's also worth remembering that average oil / column heaters, kettles, toasters etc. are rated around 2000W each. These all draw more current than this 3 in 1 bathroom heater and I don't know many houses that have a dedicated circuit for these appliances.
I am not sure about an apartment but it also depends on placement if you can place it closer to the wall it would have ventilation. You can run your own ducting that is easy and get a side air vents on the wall. But it does all depend on placement and ceiling space.
If its single story and has thin ceilings like cathedral ceilings, What we done was put a whirly bird above it.
Multi story probably need to put in bathroom window,
Should have said in the original post, the heat bulbs themselves that come with this are worth more than the whole light ($9 to $10 each)
I think you did 💡
I don't get these things … they aim a source of radiant heat at the top of your head. So naturally a small part of your head and shoulders gets warmed up … is it even worth turning it on?
That is what you want in a bathroom however. You don't want a room heater that takes an hour to heat the room up.
I want to be heated from the side so a large area of my body is exposed to the radiant heat, not just the top of my head/shoulders. So a heater on the wall makes more sense.
Wall mount it ðŸ›
You could always jump out of the shower onto the floor and start rolling around. Just like the sausages that a cooked in the kwik-e-mart
Essential Safety: Must not be mounted off horizontal.
@Steptoe: Because all information on the internet is suspect you shouldn't take any notice of the manufacturer's "statements" about electrical safety bro - it's just "The Man" trying to keep a brother down.
I wouldn't think it is very efficient, what heated air there is will rise, luckily they have provided an exhaust fan to get rid of it..
It works by focusing infrared energy aka radiant heat onto the skin. Probably a lot less efficiently than a radiator type heater judging by the amount of light these things throw off.
Well yeah, it may be send the meter box spinning wildly and dry a couple of hairs on the top of your head, but the rats upstairs sure do appreciate it on those cold winter nights
If you live in Canberra its worth turning on.
They aren't as directional as that. Not like the top of your head gets burnt but your chin freezes.
I've got a small ceramic heater which has a safety cutout switch. It gives off a lot of heat in a small room. I've had it for years and have never had any issues with running it. We have an overhead vent/heater and we don't use the heater (unless we need extra light).
This is what i do in winter
This is cheaper than the replacement heat lamps I bought from Bunnings. Great find!
Bummer out of stock
Need to check store by store. When I checked this morning, for Brisbane
Tingalpa, Parkinson had no stock
Everton park, Richlands and Springfield had stock.
I bought from Richlands, and they probably had another 15 on the shelf.
Does anyone know if the Incandesent lamps can be replaced with LEDs?
Not if you want it to heat your bathroom. The incandescent flood lamps are used for heating. LEDs are way more efficient and wont do this to any appreciable degree.
If you just want light you could probably find an Edison screw LED bulb to fit.
I did that to mine - two of the lights are 15W LED PAR38 lamps, bought from Aldi. They sit recessed behind the fascia, as they aren't as long as the 275W incandescent lamps.
With this arrangement I can have heat when I want it, or on warm Summer mornings I can choose just bright light. The bright LED lamps make it easier to wake up, without using a lot of electricity.
I don't know if my light fitting is the same model as this one, but it looks the same. I also replaced the center lamp with an LED bulb, I found one that fit exactly, only the lit part of the bulb protrudes.
Sparky chiming in; new circuit? Nah Why put a new circuit in if you don't have to. Have it connect to existing circuit, if it overloads the circuit then you may need to put it on its own. Worst thing it will do is trip circuit breaker or blow fuse in old house.
If you turn the fan on whilst the heat lamps are on they will suck up all the heat, so pointless
Turn them on when you get out of the shower (dry hands first) or when you are freezing in the bathroom.
They do juice power so don't leave them on
😉
Sparky chiming in…
If you turn the fan on whilst the heat lamps are on they will suck up all the heat, so pointless
It's incredibly sad how absolutely clueless some tradespeople are about the only subject that they are supposed to know at least something about.
Turn them on when you get out of the shower (dry hands first)
LOL WOT?
You aren't really a licenced electrician, are you ;-)
You going to explain what you mean or just insult people?
You going to explain what you mean or just insult people?
The comment about the "fan sucking up the heat" is wrong, since this kind of device uses Infra Red (radiant" heat, it does NOT warm the air. So, there is no warm air to get sucked by the fan.
In fact that advantage is the whole idea of a Infra-Red (radiant) heater in such an application.
As for the "dry hands first" - that is just plain odd.
A licenced electrician would not install a switch in a Wet Area, as the wiring rules do not allow it.
A normal light switch can be operated with wet hands. They are a "declared article" and subject to strict safety testing (resistance to tracking being one of them). Of course, a licenced electrician would know that.
Been a sparky for 15 years what up?
This is probably one of the first things i'd rip out of a house if it had it in the bathroom. Another ceiling exhaust, 275w per globe ~ 1kW when all turned on. It may cost $30 but may cost you an extra 35c/day if you run it for an hour a day. Do you and the environment a favour and skip this 90s idea.
No one cares. Go hug a tree
Why woudl you have it on for a day? IMO your energy practices come into play. Surely one just needs to turn it on after getting out of the shower. Can't think why else you'd use the heat lamps and not the normal lights that either come with the heat lamps (i.e. I have 4 heat lamps and the normal light in th emiddle).
The only thing I'll say is we have an exhaust already in our bathroom above the shower, so I wonder if you can install these so that the exhaust isn't in function. I mean our heat lamps look exactly like this bar there's no exhaust fan? I can see why you'd need it for those who want an all in one appliance though.
I wonder if you can install these so that the exhaust isn't in function
I recommend against it. When the lamps are running, they need to have the vent at the top open, or you'll get a lot of heat build-up inside the unit, possibly melting the insulation and starting a fire.
A few years ago I wanted to block the top vent on my heater with a "DraftStoppa" above the heater, so I asked the manufacturer, and they said "no, it will block the airflow, dangerous".
If you have two holes in the ceiling, one for your existing fan and one for the lamp, then the fan will suck the hot air out, and you'll get a freezing cold downdraft (from inside your roof) through the lamp. You'd have to run the fans in both units to avoid this.
That's nice. Don't buy one then.
Most other heaters will run 2000w, or nearly double the power of this.
Which is why I don't have any of those in the house - they are so inefficient it's ridiculous.
Which is why I don't have any of those in the house - they are so inefficient it's ridiculous.
What is ridiculous is your total lack of logic. We use the heat lamps for around 10-20 minutes a day around four months of the year as they make a huge difference INSTANTLY. They may be inefficient if you don't take into context how they are operated but how smart would it be to use two to five times the power by using a more efficient heater to heat the bathroom before you enter which is instantly sucked out by the exhaust?
This is probably one of the first things i'd rip out of a house if it had it in the bathroom. Another ceiling exhaust, 275w per globe ~ 1kW when all turned on.
You can remove one or two or three of the halogen heat lamps and replace them with nothing or a LED bulb reducing power usage if four is too much for your application. But by all means spend hundreds of dollars pulling out a selling feature from your bathroom because you are unable to take the time to understand how something works especially when instead of pulling it out you could just not use the "HEAT" switch on the wall plate.
They're not inefficient, it's just that it requires that much power to generate heat that quickly.
Why on Earth would you have it running for an hour a day?? They're designed to be used while you dry yourself after getting out of the shower. 5 mins per person at most.
Totally agree with robbie613
I installed heater lamps years ago and regret it.
With the teenagers in our household, those lamps would easily be on more than an hour a day.
@z28:
If removing the teenagers isn't an option (however attractive it may be, just got my "teenage" son to move out at the age of 31), you could remove the halogen bulbs and replace them with LED bulbs or compact fluorescents (CFLs) which use a fraction of the power.
These heat lamps are very cost effective and efficient (the heat is instant and thrown straight at you), and are great for some comfort after a shower, for a few minutes a day. But teenagers don't pay power bills.
These heat lamps are very cost effective and efficient (the heat is instant and thrown straight at you), and are great for some comfort after a shower, for a few minutes a day. But teenagers don't pay power bills.
Provide teenagers (and everyone else) with proper bathroom lighting, and then they won't switch on the IXL to attempt to see themselves in the mirror.
Also, you can put such devices on a "one shot" timer that switches them off after a preset amount of time. They could keep pressing the timer switch and reactivating the heat lamps, but teenagers are lazy.
How much does it usually cost to install one of these in the bathroom?
I have a piece of string here - can you guess how long it is?
You need to ask an electrician to quote you, not an internet site.
$150-$250 depending if cash is involved
Does anyone have a recommendation on a good bathroom 2 in one (light and exhaust) without the heat lamps?
AT $40 - almost worth buying just for the 4 globes…
Last month we purchased these for $69. Showed the receipt to Masters and they refunded the difference between that and $29. Has to be done within 30 days of purchase. Great set of lamps. The lamps, light and fan are on different switches. Great deal - thanks Masters.
I use a $18 fan heater from Bunnings. Cheap and portable. It heats up real quick with the bathroom doors closed.
I was always told to never use these because of the electric bill while growing up. There's lots of things I never experienced because of the situation with the bills actually.
There's lots of things I never experienced because of the situation with the bills actually.
Most of the things on Ozbargain could be rationalised and "not purchased" since they could be considered luxuries.
Electric blankets, heaters in bathrooms, air conditioning - these are little luxuries that make a hard day at work worth the effort.
Do the exhausts require ducting or can they push moisture into a ceiling cavity in an apartment? I've had mixed advice on this from staff at hardware stores.