Fan Heaters - Snap Cold in Queensland

With the snap cold in Brisbane this week there’s a need for a temporary heating solution. My bathroom does have a heating lamp as well as closing all ventilation but that means condensation which may lead to long term mould and mildew.

I see that Target, K-Mart, Bunnings and Big W have fan heaters for $15 to $25.

Which do you suggest and why? What questions should I ask?

These Choice pages may get you on your way…

And if you are Choice member,

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If you’re going to use it in the bathroom, a very important question to ask is:
Can this fan heater be used in the bathroom?
Not all fan heaters are safe to be used in steamy rooms, unfortunately.

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It’s also important to understand that warming the air on it’s own will not remove the condensation - excess moisture from the bathroom. Warming the air allows it to hold more moisture. The bathroom exhaust fan needs to be left running to expel the moist air. It will need to vent to the outside of the house. If it vents into the roof cavity the risk is the warm moisture laden air will condense in the roof cavity creating a new source of potential moisture problems. A worse scenario is leaving the doors from the bathroom open into adjoining rooms. Some of the moisture will leak into those rooms and condense on any cooler surface.

Wiping the wet bathroom surfaces with an absorbent cloth, and or squeegee to the drain are other helpful steps. We leave the exhaust fan running aided by the heat lamps in the ceiling mount.

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Live on the granite belt. We have heat lamps and an exhaust fan. I sometimes crack the window very slightly as well, yes, even in winter. But we’ve found our best option includes showering during the day so we can also leave the window open for awhile afterwards. This can’t always happen (work constraints) but even after an evening shower, having the window open afterwards helps. Of course we dont get the humidity that Brisbane gets.

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