Advice needed on installing a bathroom heater and fan

[James_M]

Hi, looking for some advice. Our main bathroom doesn't have a heater or fan. We have a flat roof and have been told that we can't install a regular unit due to lack of ceiling space.

Any hints and suggestions welcome.

Thanks

 

 

 

[JDE]

James M

You can still fit a fan through the side. Either through window cavity. This would require modification of the existing window.I see you have a hopper window, If it is wooden frame you could just get the window shortened and build a frame for the fan in one end.  Or depending on the cladding of the house straight through the wall, possibly next to window depending on plumbing in wall. As for heating that would need to be separate maybe a radiant bar heater above the mirror. None of the electrical would be diy you would need to get a sparky. JDE

[MitchellMc]

Hi @James_M,

To add to @JDE's suggestion of using a window or wall exhaust fan, I thought I'd mention that you can use Heatstrips in your bathroom. I did think that they were only suitable for alfresco areas, but I've confirmed that they are suitable for bathrooms. Unlike the older styles, the sleek black or white design has no visible halogen globes or elements and would be a great solution to your issue. They come in various sizes and styles, so there will be something to suit your needs. They mount to the ceiling and are relatively low-profile at only 100mm.

Please let us know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

[MikeTNZ]

Hi @MitchellMc,

I don't want to come across as a spanner in the works here, but I don't think under the current Electricity Regulations that you're allowed to install something like that in a bathroom.

Is there any chance that some sort of a timber surround made up that screws to the existing timber in the roof could be fitted to allow something like this to be installed.

https://www.bunnings.co.nz/ixl-tastic-easy-duct-triumph-3-in-1-bathroom-heater_p4449294 

Sorry that is the NZ Bunnings site but it is only for illustration purposes.

If you had enough room in the surround, you could duct the fan straight through the roof via a ducting and a dek-tite to a chimney thing (I fail to remember what they're called).

I had exactly this same issue when I bought the place I'm living in now, in the winter it was miserable and condensation was starting to cause issues with damp.

As an electrician, I've installed hundreds of the Tastic units, they are really easy to fit and totally recommend them.

If you need any further advice, I'm more than willing to help you out, nothing is worse than a cold, damp bathroom that is hard to ventilate.

Cheers,

Mike T.

[James_M]

Thanks Mike that us all helpful info.

I've got these photos here which are from the ensuite. The first is the heat and light unit and the other photo is of the fan which has a whirly bird on top of it. The darker photo is of the light in the bathroom in question

How do you suggest I approach a sparky about doing the job? The couple I've contacted have either flat out refused the job or said that it would be too hard to do a 3 in 1 unit.

 

 

 

[MitchellMc]

@MikeTNZ, 

Heatstrips (excluding the Heatstrip Max THX and gas models) are approved for use in wet areas and are IP55, IP45 and IPX4 rated, which means they're protected from water ingress from all directions. They are fully compliant with Australian and New Zealand standards AS/NZS.

It's worth noting that if installed in wet areas, the heater switches or controls must be located so that persons in the bath or shower cannot touch them. Each model will include recommended clearances. As with all fixed wiring products, the units must be installed by a licensed electrician.

Mitchell

[MikeTNZ]

Gidday @James_M,
Thanks for taking this idea on board, you could do exactly the same thing in the other bathroom.
Same set up, same unit.
Now what is required electrically is that the sparkie, needs to run a 3 core + Earth cable and a neutral conductor from the switch to where the Tastic unit is placed.

That gives you Heat on one core, Fan on the other and light on the last remaining core, you are not allowed to use the Earth wire as a Neutral, only lazy sparkies do that and given this is a bathroom, that fan unit (being made of metal) has to be earthed.
They will also need to install a 3 gang switch that is annotated as Heat, Fan, Light.
The heat lamps will not run unless the fan runs at the same time to save melting the plastic (there is an internal interlock on the unit itself).
What I would do is get a plumber to do the ducting through the roof, with a Dek-tite unit, doing this sort of thing yourself can mean your roof ends up leaking.

If you have further questions, James, bring it on.

Cheers,
Mike T.

[MikeTNZ]

Hi @MitchellMc,

Thanks for that.

With the myriad Regulations, Rules and what have you these days, it's hard to know what is right and what is wrong.

Now that WorkSafe have taken over the Electrical regime over here, there is more stick than carrot, hence why people like me err on

the side of caution rather than just give advice.

[EricL]

Hello @James_M

Your photo of the heat and light fan enclosure looks to be promising. I suspect the sparky only wants to do the connecting part and not the building part. However, before building the enclosure, is the distance from the heat and light unit to the floor in accordance with council regulations? That could possibly be another reason why no fan was installed in the roof area due to the distance. I suggest asking the electrician, what if everything was built ahead and all they needed to do was to connect the wires? Perhaps they will be more open to the idea of installing it for you.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[James_M]

Thanks Eric. This info will give me a bit more to go with when asking some trades about the job. I think I'll look to get a wall fan out the window and then have the heat / unit installed where the light is. Would be handy to know who did the job for the ensuite but we have only been in this property for a year.