What heater to choose for the bathroom?

Bathroom heaters come in many versions. They differ in style, size, wattage and installation method. We can divide them into several basic types.

Hot-water radiators

In autumn and winter, it heats the room, while in the summer, like the entire heating system, it will be switched off. The radiator is connected to the central heating system. It has vertical pipes that end with two connection ends, one of which contains a bleeder. This type of radiators can have a decorative screen, which will not only cover the installation, but will also improve the heating efficiency. Depending on the model, the thermostat that regulates the temperature may already be built in or needs to be purchased separately.

Electric hot water radiators

They are somewhat similar to the previous type, as they are connected to the central heating system. However, additionally, they have an electric heating element, which makes it possible to use this appliance not only in the heating season. Usually, the heating element is included with the radiator, but even if it’s necessary to purchase it separately, that shouldn’t be a problem, since they go well with most radiators. It is important that it has less power than the radiator.

Dryers, or electric radiators

Yet another type are electric radiators. Since then aren’t as powerful as the previous types, they aren’t suitable for heating the entire room on their own. However, they will work well as an auxiliary appliance or if the investors didn’t consider a towel and clothes drying appliance when designing the bathroom. Such an appliance doesn’t have to take up a lot of space, it just needs to be connected to a source of power.

When planning to purchase a radiator, it’s worth giving more thought to the ways of its installation. From this perspective, we can distinguish three types of radiators: floor standing, wall mounted and universal. Wall-mounted radiators are the classic solution. This is especially good option if household members are planning to replace an old radiator with a new model that has better parameters and modern design. Investing in this solution will save you from expensive renovation and reworking the whole installation. All you need to do is choose a model of similar size. You should just remember that the pipe responsible for water supply should be at the top and the one draining it at the bottom, otherwise its efficiency will significantly decrease, the bathroom will be underheated and the bills higher.

The second type is a vertical radiator. This is definitely a modern solution and an excellent option for someone who cares about contemporary appearance and saving space, as appliances in this category are slim. If the installation is done incorrectly, we do not have to start from scratch, we just need to use a cross connector, which will help us fix this mistake. Rail bathroom radiators of this type are usually between 40cm and 50cm wide, and are much more aesthetically pleasing than traditional massive radiators. This is the perfect option for someone who is wondering what type of radiator to choose for a bathroom in a block of flats. Usually, in such spaces, the bathroom is the smallest room, meaning that every meter counts. Thus, a good option here would be, for example, placing a radiator above the bathtub.

In a situation when the chosen heater is insufficient and the household members want to give extra warmth to the bathroom, the mentioned electric radiators will work. So, what kind of electric bathroom radiator will be suitable? If the investor wants to avoid additional costs, the simplest solution would be to purchase the heating element, which then will be connected to the radiator we already have. In this way, it will be possible to use the radiator also outside the heating season. If it’s not possible to connect it, a new electric radiator will be a good option. We just need to check its tightness and whether it’s resistant to steam and moisture. It can be floor standing, but often it’s also possible to hang it. A frequently seen solution is, for example, placing a radiator above the toilet. When it comes to floor-standing models, those that have wheels are worth attention, since can be easily moved.

In most cases it is obvious that the bathroom needs a radiator, but sometimes we might wonder if its installation is necessary. This is, for example, the case with the underfloor heating. The underfloor installation is responsible for distributing the heat, but the bathroom heater will still be useful, although for a different reason. In this case, it will be responsible for controlling the level of humidity, which can be very high in the bathroom - after a bath it can be as high as 70%. If we don’t reduce the humidity level, there may be a problem with fungi and mold. It’s best to ventilate the bathroom after bathing, and if it has no window, a radiator is all the more important. Besides, as it was mentioned before - towels dry quicker on a radiator, which is not the case with underfloor heating.

An interesting option is the infrared heater. In this case, the heat is emitted through radiation, and we are not dealing with heating the air but objects. The pleasant warmth can be felt immediately after the heater is switched on. In case of conventional radiators, warm air rises to the ceiling, which is not the case here. Infrared heating technology is used in underfloor heating, but other heating appliances are also increasingly available. So what infrared heater can be used in the bathroom? The most common options are special panels and infrared radiant heaters. However, it is worth checking the wattage of the heater to make the heating efficient and energy-saving.

For a radiator to serve its function optimally, it must have the right wattage. How can we check it? The power of bathroom appliances can be from 50W to 2000W, so the range is large. Usually the optimum wattage is around 120W per square meter of bathroom if the insulation and window tightness are at good levels. This means that the first determinant of the right wattage will be the size of the bathroom. Besides, we need to take into account whether the radiator will be used to dry towels, whether there is another heater in the bathroom, whether it would be the only source of heat or used as an auxiliary heater. For drying towels, a 50W model will suffice, but they will dry much faster on a 100W model.

Knowing now what technical parameters the radiator should have and what type will work in each particular case, we can move on to the aesthetics. Manufacturers offer both traditional rail radiator, as well as models that visually resemble a contemporary sculpture. If the bathroom has a modern shower enclosure, such as walk-in and other contemporary solutions, then a radiator with such a unique design will emphasize the character of the interior. On the other hand, if the bathroom is in traditional style and has a cast iron bathtub, then a classic design radiator will be better.