Basement shower - heat

19 years ago

Hi - I'm posting this question to both this forum and the bathroom forum, hoping that someone will have a creative solution. My husband and I are at the beginning of a basement finishing project. We've already finished a fitness room/extra guest bedroom, and now we're working on a "bathroom suite" - i.e. a space of about 16' X 6' divided into 3 parts - a half-bath, a dressing room, and finally a walk-in shower. The basement is not centrally heated, and this bathroom/shower will not be used a lot, so we don't plan on adding central heating. We may put in a light/fan/heat unit (like WhisperWarm) to both the half-bath (5'x6'4") and the dressing room (7'x6'4") to provide "instant heat" to those 2 areas, but I'm worried that the walk in shower itself (4'5"x5'6") will be very cold. Are there any (legal) ways to add some warmth to this tiled space? I called a local electrical supply company, and the person I spoke with didn't know of any heat-supplying ceiling units (infrared or fans) that could be installed in a shower stall. Are there any other options? Thanks for any creative solutions that you may be able to offer.

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Comments (5)

baymee
19 years ago
I can suggest that an electric boiler, available in many kilowatt sizes, could provide warm water radiant heat. You can turn them off when not needed. You could also use your boiler, if your have one. For occasional use, it's an expensive option and I'm sure others will offer additional opinions.

In our local paper yesterday, there was an article about creating basement bedrooms. Codes everywhere require escape routes through a door or window. It's something you might want to keep in the back of your mind.
profsuzy
Original Author
19 years ago
The electric boiler option is interesting, but probably too expensive for such a small space. We don't have a boiler, so that's out too. We have a geothermal heat-pump, which does a great job for the 2 main levels of the house, but it wasn't sized to heat and cool the basement.
Thanks for the tip about egress issues. The exercise room/guest BR has 2 large windows (it's a walk-out basement), so we're good there.
Any other ideas out there for keeping a basement walk-in shower from being frigid?
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funnycide
19 years ago
I wouldn't worry about the shower, as soon as you turn the shower on the hot water will warm the tile floor and sides in 20 seconds. You could install electric mats under the floor if you are using tile.
I also don't think you will need 2 heat units as you are suggesting. If you turn on the heat in the bathroom area and open the doors I'm sure the other areas will heat up shortly.
profsuzy
Original Author
19 years ago
Thanks, funnycide. My husband says not to worry about the shower either, but I hate stepping into an ice-cold shower. As for electric mats, do you know (or does anyone out there know) if they can actually be installed under the tile of a walk-in shower? We've got one in our master bathroom, but it's under the floor tiles, not in the shower.

I hope you're right that 2 heat fans would not be necessary. I suppose I could do some inquiries into how many square feet those babies can heat up. Thanks.
joeplumb
19 years ago
As soon as you have 100 degree+ water striking you, you will be warmed up immediately. So you have no problem inside the shower. Your forced hot air should be sufficient to keep the outer space warm enough. I see no problem.