Bathroom Gas Wall Heater

[DrFood]

My SO and I live in Westbury and for some reason the builder did not put in one of those gas heaters in the 2 bathrooms. Nor did they install vents to the bathrooms.

We've gotten estimates from 4 HVAC companies to run vents to the bathrooms and they are in the $700-800 range. Completely stupid pricing we think. It is a max 10 foot run from the plenum to the bathrooms.

Summer A/C temps are not an issue, its the cold in the winter. So to solve our winter temperature problem we have thought about installing gas wall heaters. The problem is finding them in good shape.

Does anyone have any suggestions on where we might find a couple and any idea of price?

We will do the install ourselves to save the install price a plumber would charge.

Thanks.

[musicman]

the ones internal to the walls are no longer to code. i have seen some that protrude from the wall but they usually aren't aesthetically pleasing. panasonic makes some great, quiet ceiling mounted ones like this one.

Edited December 10, 2008 by musicman

[rbarz]

there are gas lines protruding from the wall or you would have to run the lines?even though it doesn't answer your question i would suggest installing ceiling heat lights. they sell them at lowes and home depot and many of them are regular lights with heat and vent functions. plus it should be an easy install.

[RedScare]

There are a couple of places in the Heights that sell refurbished Dearborn space heaters. Don't know if they have any wall heaters. Online, I found this company.

http://products.desatech.com/index.php?cPath=21_22_44_53

[cgallagher]

The cost to run a gas line to the bathrooms will be exceed the $700-800 you will spend adding duct work.

If you are skilled enough to run gas and install the units yourself, then you're easily capable of running duct work to the bathrooms. The installation is exactly how you think it would go. Purchase a small sized roll of duct , a couple of small duct boxes, some mastic and strap. Cut the hole in the ceiling and attach the box to one of the ceiling joists. Splice the other end of the duct into a neighboring plenum or duct. Tape and mastic the connections and install grill covers.

This is with the assumption that there is attic space over the bathrooms. If there is not attic space, $700-800 is probably a good deal.

[DrFood]

Thanks for the responses.

I priced the materials for running the gas lines at Lowes and it is less than $100. I can do it myself. I can also cut the holes for the heaters myself.

Thanks for the info on the place in the Heights. I will look into it.

Not sure why the in wall gas heaters would be against code. There are a number of houses in Westbury and Meyerland that have had major (read gutted) bathroom remodels and the owners reinstall the gas heaters and pass inspection.

We don't really want to go with electric. Gas is much cheaper and much more efficient than electric ever will be.

As for running new vents myself. I'm not one to cut into HVAC systems. Knowing my luck it would get screwed up and everything would be out of balance. But like I said $700 for 2 simple vent runs of about 10 feet seems extremly expensive.

The cost to run a gas line to the bathrooms will be exceed the $700-800 you will spend adding duct work.

If you are skilled enough to run gas and install the units yourself, then you're easily capable of running duct work to the bathrooms. The installation is exactly how you think it would go. Purchase a small sized roll of duct , a couple of small duct boxes, some mastic and strap. Cut the hole in the ceiling and attach the box to one of the ceiling joists. Splice the other end of the duct into a neighboring plenum or duct. Tape and mastic the connections and install grill covers.

This is with the assumption that there is attic space over the bathrooms. If there is not attic space, $700-800 is probably a good deal.

[RedScare]

Thanks for the responses.

I priced the materials for running the gas lines at Lowes and it is less than $100. I can do it myself.

Will you take a picture of the explosion for us?

(j/k)

[memebag]

Yeah, I'm confused. Screwing up an air vent can lead to an air leak, which can, worst case, make you slightly more hot or more cold than you want to be. Screwing up a gas line can lead to a gas leak, which can, worst case, make you much more dead than you want to be.

[musicman]

Not sure why the in wall gas heaters would be against code. There are a number of houses in Westbury and Meyerland that have had major (read gutted) bathroom remodels and the owners reinstall the gas heaters and pass inspection.

it's all about safety. many of the older units are not equipped with oxygen sensors which would shutoff the heater should a problem be detected. this along with improper operation can be deadly. these units were only designed to be used for a relatively short period of time and then turned off which minimizes risk. unfortunately, some users leave them on overnight to provide heat and results in combustion/carbon monoxide issues in some instances. like polarized receptacles, while they're not needed to power an appliance, the design does provide the user with a higher level of safety should that problem occur.

Edited December 11, 2008 by musicman