Staying warm in basement bathroom

gr8fl4porsche · gr8fl4porsche's Garage

I finally got restarted in finishing the basement.

I am adding a full bath and need to come up with an additional heating method to keep the lower bath nice and warm for morning showers. There will be a vent off the main HVAC system but I am thinking about some in floor heat or possibly just a couple of warming lamps.

So far, my research shows that the electric in floor heat with a programmable thermostat would work but will be $7-800 for a small area.

Do heat lamps on a timer system work?

Any other ideas?

SLO-BOB · 02-09-2009, 05:50 AM

I would stick with the in floor heating as a supplemental. You can program it to be on when you use it. Especially useful if that's the shower you use every morning. Nothing quite like the feel of warm tile on bare feet. I'm doing that on my bathroom remodel. Heat lamps are okay and work quickly, but look old school to me. You can get wall mount electric heaters that are quite effective also, but again imo, look ugly. They are cost effective (to buy) and easy to install in a rough opening.

Bill Verburg · Bill Verburg's Garage

Both work, I love the radiant floor heat in my br

Jim Richards · 02-09-2009, 06:15 AM

If it was me, the electric radiant floor heat supplementing the HVAC vent would be the answer.

911Rob · 911Rob's Garage

shop around on the floor heat. We put them in our homes for $250?

TerryH · TerryH's Garage

My front smaller bathroom has three 250w infrared heat lamps. It's insta-heat and surprisingly it doesn't turn into an oven the longer you stay. No temp regulator or timer, just on/off with a switch. The regular light is on a different switch. Our home is 60 years old, not sure what codes allow today.

A prolonged stay can result in temporary color blindness!

dhoward · dhoward's Garage

id10t · 02-09-2009, 07:10 AM

Always enjoyed the heat lamps in hotel bathrooms... make the whole (small) room warm in just a few minutes, auto turn off.

SLO-BOB · 02-09-2009, 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 911Rob

shop around on the floor heat. We put them in our homes for $250?

The quoted price did seem high compared to what I've seen. Are you factoring in labor perhaps?

http://www.ezfloorheat.com/items/mat-kits/120-volt-mat-kits/list.htm