Can you put a baseboard heater in a bathroom? Absolutely! It is one of the best ways to keep your bathroom warm. Baseboard heaters are an affordable and low-maintenance way to provide warmth for those chilly days that come from time to time during the winter months. If you have a small bathroom, this might be an excellent option for you because they can fit in tight spaces.
While not all baseboard heaters fail rapidly, bathroom heaters will typically rust first. The exception is the electric baseboard, which has a considerably stronger line of protection against rust.
Why You Should Install a Wall Heater Rather than a Baseboard Heater in a Bathroom
Although you can install an electric baseboard heater in a bathroom, an electric wall heater is generally preferable for several reasons. The top three benefits of installing an electric wall heater in the bathroom over an electric baseboard heater are as follows:
- Electric wall heaters quickly distribute warm air to your bathroom, while electric baseboard heaters take longer to warm the space. You want a heater that heats the bathroom fast, or you may leave before it warms up.
- Electric wall heaters are similar in size regardless of wattage, while baseboard heaters differ in length. This implies that if you want a 1000-watt heater, you’ll need at least 4 feet of free floor space in your bathroom for an electric baseboard. An electric wall heater with the same wattage will take up only 10 inches by 12 inches of floor area.
- Bathroom wall heaters have several additional features that are ideal for the space. They include an in-built auto timer, which overrides the thermostat for up to 60 minutes, allowing you to warm up quickly. You may either reset the timer or allow it to run down on its own, at which point the heater will return to the thermostat’s temperature setting.
Cost to Install Baseboard Heater in Bathroom
The cost to install a baseboard heater in a bathroom will depend on several different factors. For example, if someone is planning to install a heater in the bathroom and there are no other modifications planned, it will cost much less than if they plan to do additional work such as tearing down walls or ceilings.
The average cost of installing baseboard heaters into bathrooms with an existing electrical system can range from $400-$700 per unit installed, depending on what type of installation is necessary for each case.
Baseboard heaters come with simple instructions, making them easy to install by anyone who has basic knowledge about how electricity works and does not require professional assistance or experience.
Anyone else should hire a qualified electrician because this task requires knowing where to place multiple wall switches and outlets so that everything runs properly and safely.
Proper ventilation is another factor to consider when installing a baseboard heater in a bathroom. The space must have enough airflow, which means that the room’s walls and ceiling need to be both airtight and vapor-resistant.
Additionally, homeowners should make sure they get an electrician who knows how to install heaters on top of solid surfaces such as tile or concrete instead of simply hanging them from drywall because this can lead to cracks in the surface due to changes in temperature over time.
The typical cost of materials to install a baseboard heater is $88.35 per heater, ranging between $81.55 and $95.16. The overall price for labor and supplies per heater is $395.75, ranging from $290.88 to $500.62.
If you decide to install baseboard heating in your house, you’ll be charged for each unit on its own. The greater number of units you need, the more expensive it will be to install baseboard heat. It may also affect how you heat your home: whether it’s electric, oil, hot water, or gas.
Every baseboard heater requires a power connection, which will contribute to your project’s overall cost. The average installation cost for a baseboard heater per unit ranges from $342 to $800, while electric baseboard heat may cost up to $1,180 per heater.
Another $500 to $800 may be added to the price of a propane heater installation if you want help from a professional electrician in connecting it to a power source.
A baseboard heater is used to heat a specific room in your house and should not be considered a whole-home heating device. To compute the cost of your baseboard heater, first, figure out how big each room will be where you’ll need to install one.
Overall, to ensure sufficient heating in any particular space, you should use 10 watts of power per square foot. Both 120 and 240-volt baseboard heaters are available.
However, because they use less amperage to operate, 240-volt units are more energy-efficient. For example, a 500-square foot room will require 500 watts of heating power.
How to Install Baseboard Heater in Bathroom
- Turn off the circuit breaker for your heater. Typically, you’ll want to turn it back on after installation is complete.
- Remove the wall mounting brackets from one side at a time and set them aside so they don’t get lost if you ever need to move or remove the baseboard later.
- Use a stud finder to locate two adjacent studs. Ensure that the heater will fit between them and have at least an inch of space on either side for insulation, paint, or wallpaper.
- Cut out a section from drywall so you can route your wiring around it after installation is complete.
- Do not install the baseboard yet! You need easy access to both sides before installing any baseboards to ensure proper fitting later. It’s best to use a keyhole saw because they’re incredibly safe and one of their blades rotates while running, which prevents accidents during operation.
- Ensure you wear gloves during this process.
- Remove all the brackets holding it in place and run wiring through walls using fish tape before running through tubing behind baseboards by following the manufacturer’s instructions carefully.
- After the installation is complete, turn on the circuit breaker for your heater to check if it’s working correctly.
- Finally, you can now install the baseboard heating units in drywall. But you have to ensure they are leveled by a carpenter’s leveler first before putting them back into place.
Where Should I Put My Bathroom Baseboard Heater?
The best place to put a baseboard heater in your bathroom is on the sidewall. This is because you need to keep the exposed flooring warm. When people get out of the shower, they stand on a warm surface rather than cold tile or stone (line break). The heat will also dry your feet more quickly after you’ve stepped in all that water.
The bathroom is not an ideal place for heating because it can cause mold growth and humidity problems. It’s best to put baseboard heaters in rooms where many hours are spent inside (i.e., bedrooms).
Place your baseboard heater at least six inches away from pipes; this ensures that no damage occurs if any water leaks into them.
How Close Can a Baseboard Heater Be to a Bathtub?
The baseboard heater must always be at least 12 inches away from the bathtub. If the baseboard heater does not have a thermal cut-off, it may come too close to the bathtub.
The best way to ensure that these appliances do not pose any danger is by making sure they are correctly installed and used safely.
Why Do Baseboard Heaters Need to Be Under a Window?
Baseboard heaters need to be under windows for several reasons. One reason is that the glass of a window provides free insulation, which minimizes heating costs and saves energy (and money).
A second benefit of putting a baseboard heater next to windows is due to convection; hot air rises, so having your baseboards near an open window will help circulate warm air throughout the room. Finally, because it’s important for heat loss not to impede airflow into or out of your house.
You want fresh air coming in through an open window while old heated air escapes at another point of the home – installing a baseboard heater near one ensures good ventilation.
Baseboard Heater Safety Tips/Electric Heaters in Bathrooms Regulations
Here are some tips for keeping them safe:
- Place the heater on an inner wall near other objects that do not move around much to protect it from any accidents involving pets who may knock into it while jumping up onto furniture.
- If you have an older home, it is important to check the electrical system first. Ensure that a breaker has not been tripped and there are no frayed wires or loose plugs on any of your appliances.
- Be mindful about where you install them about children who may pull things down from high shelves onto themselves as they explore their new environment.
- Be sure to check your local regulations to see what is required of you.
- You may also need to consider that bringing an electric heater into a bathroom will mean less ventilation for the room in general, which can be dangerous depending upon how large it is and whether or not any fumes are being emitted from products used within the space.
Conclusion
Baseboard heaters are great heating systems that you can use in many different rooms of your house. They are easy to install and provide enough heat to keep you comfortable, even during colder months. Also, the flexibility that baseboard heaters offer is one reason why they’re so popular.