Another option to greatly reduce the need for the fan is to have a fully enclosed shower area. Something like a showerdome or even a piece of arcylic sheeting that covers the top of the shower means that no steam is even generated and you stay warmer in winter while showering. Simple yet very effective. To the point where we don't even use the bathroom fan anymore.
@ecoevo Thank you for the video. Given the shortfalls of the 3-in-1 units, it makes sense to have an individual exhaust fan and individual heat source. Could you please suggest any standalone radiant heat options?
I've been wanting to add heat lamps myself! Getting out of shower, nothing like a nice warm towel or some heat while you dress! Also, with the popularity of cold-plunges, and considering a refrigerator outputs 32-40F (0-4C)... I'd love to remodel a bathroom, such that with a flip of a switch somewhere, 30-minutes later, ice-water will come out of the shower-head (2gallons/min for a few minutes)! Any thoughts if this is do-able , or is a shower's water flow too much for on-demand ice-cold?
We use a heater blower wall mounted to recirc warm air within the shower room, this raises dew point significantly and keeps the moisture in its gas phase, once the room gets saturated (condensation noticeably begins forming) we turn on the extraction fan which is on a pre set run on timer. Simple, cheap and very effective.
If the unit is not designed like this, it is a tall ask to ask for insurance to accept this modification to a device like this should a fire start from it being modified.👍
I've seen a 3in1 unit on the market, that is wired to turn on the fan at low speed when the heat lamps come on. I didn't notice any extra holes in the top for passive cooling of the heat lamps. Having the fan running with the heat lamps would mean more power use but I think a unit with a DC fan would mitigate that
Sorry, another thought: Would some sort of heat recovery extraction with a fresh air intake (far from the exhaust) be of benefit? The same sort of heat exchange used on primary passive house systems.
This is a video where we focus on mainstream construction where the house design is NOT passive house centric. No doubt viewers of this video if they enjoy it will get exposed to passive house principle heat recovery ventilation systems though via other videos. Thanks for the comment.
Considered the usage pattern (short and intermittent) and the complexity of such system, the benefit does not warrants the effort required. Unless it’s a part of a whole house energy recovery system.
As I grew up I began to notice, that so much of Everything that’s out there, is so poorly designed, or just simply is a gimmick.
Another option to greatly reduce the need for the fan is to have a fully enclosed shower area. Something like a showerdome or even a piece of arcylic sheeting that covers the top of the shower means that no steam is even generated and you stay warmer in winter while showering. Simple yet very effective. To the point where we don't even use the bathroom fan anymore.
@ecoevo Thank you for the video. Given the shortfalls of the 3-in-1 units, it makes sense to have an individual exhaust fan and individual heat source. Could you please suggest any standalone radiant heat options?
I've been wanting to add heat lamps myself! Getting out of shower, nothing like a nice warm towel or some heat while you dress!
Also, with the popularity of cold-plunges, and considering a refrigerator outputs 32-40F (0-4C)...
I'd love to remodel a bathroom, such that with a flip of a switch somewhere, 30-minutes later, ice-water will come out of the shower-head (2gallons/min for a few minutes)!
Any thoughts if this is do-able , or is a shower's water flow too much for on-demand ice-cold?
Totally agree with your assertions. Great video.
Another heating option is underfloor heating, but this has its own set of problems.
This really should be part of the BCA as what can't be done.
We use a heater blower wall mounted to recirc warm air within the shower room, this raises dew point significantly and keeps the moisture in its gas phase, once the room gets saturated (condensation noticeably begins forming) we turn on the extraction fan which is on a pre set run on timer. Simple, cheap and very effective.
What about just fitting a draft stopper to the basic 3in1 unit and wiring it so the fan is always on when the heat lamps are on?
If the unit is not designed like this, it is a tall ask to ask for insurance to accept this modification to a device like this should a fire start from it being modified.👍
We found that a high efficiency shower nozzle makes a less foggy bathroom. Didn't expect that.
I've seen a 3in1 unit on the market, that is wired to turn on the fan at low speed when the heat lamps come on. I didn't notice any extra holes in the top for passive cooling of the heat lamps. Having the fan running with the heat lamps would mean more power use but I think a unit with a DC fan would mitigate that
I notice there was no mention of underfloor heating. Is that a good option as well?
Sorry, another thought: Would some sort of heat recovery extraction with a fresh air intake (far from the exhaust) be of benefit? The same sort of heat exchange used on primary passive house systems.
This is a video where we focus on mainstream construction where the house design is NOT passive house centric. No doubt viewers of this video if they enjoy it will get exposed to passive house principle heat recovery ventilation systems though via other videos. Thanks for the comment.
Considered the usage pattern (short and intermittent) and the complexity of such system, the benefit does not warrants the effort required. Unless it’s a part of a whole house energy recovery system.
Thankyou :)
You're welcome 😊