Installation a Heat lamp in the bathroom

[kap]

There is already a fan but we want to install a heat lamp as well. Is it possible to install the fan/heat lamp combo in place of the existing fan? And what is the difficulty level for a DIYer? My hesitation concerns the electrical part.

[vicrock]

I think I'd go to the Home Depot/Lowes/Menards and ask that question of the employees in the electrical department.

[AlphaDog]

The thing that would concern me is the wiring to the current fan and also the circuit. I've never had a unit that included both a fan and a heat lamp, but logic tells me that wiring designed to run just a fan might not hold up to the additional power draw required for a heat unit.

[cbelt3]

kap-

The main concern is the ampacity on the circuit breaker that you have everything linked to. Most modern bathrooms in a house are often on one 20 amp circuit breaker (GFCI), depending on how the builder put it together. If your bathroom has its own circuit breaker, running the heat lamp (probably 1,000 watts) and lights and a 1500watt hair dryer at the same time will cause the breaker to trip, causing a chilly, drippy trip to the basement.

The secondary concern is heating in the heat lamp housing area. Having a fan built in will help that, but as noted above, chat with the retired professionals at your local home store.

[cbelt3]

Oh, and Alpha-
Possibly, but building code requires 14 gage at a minimum, and many houses were built with 12 gage. So kap should be okay. The wiring gage is supposed to be set so that any load anywhere on the circuit that exceeds capacity should pop the breaker before the wires get hot.

[GGD]

There is probably a single switch for your existing fan, so if you just use the existing wiring you'll always have the heat lamp and fan on at the same time. Might not be what you want in the middle of the summer when you just want the fan.

[Harry in MI]

I installed a vent fan/light/heater combo, it had a toaster coil heater and not a heat lamp. The toaster coil heater need is close to 1000 watts and I needed #12 for it coming from the panel to the triple wall switch. A pair or #14's (one was 14/3) was needed for the light/fan/heater wiring from the switch to the unit to have control independently over all 3 functions.

It's a bit noisy in the heater mode (the blower fan part) but run the bathroom temp from high 60's to high 70's/low 80's during the course of taking a shower, really nice in the winter.

Mine was a Braun unit that they still sell a version of a Lowes and such. The wiring hassle/effort is significant.

[Racer X]

current building code where I live dictates that heater/fan units in a bathroom require their own circuit. Just an FYI. I had one installed back in 2002 when I purchased my house. And it should be on a GFCI circuit as moisture from the shower/tub in the form of steam can get into the fan motor portion and cause a short. Now all this is to do it right, safely, and up to code (based on Seattle's building code).

[kap]

vicrock.
Good suggestion about seeking the advice of the retired professionals working at the hardware store. I will do that at our local mom and pop ACE hardware; not Home Depot less I want to burn our house down.

GGD,

Yes, there is already a single switch for the fan. I'd prefer to have a separate switch for just the heat lamp.