Can I use heat from light bulbs for a very small toilet.

[big-all]

leave the door ajar and warm it from the house

 

[EFLImpudence]

I currently have a 11w (60w equivelent) fluoresant light

Are you sure?

Normally such nonsense as "60W equivalent" or similar is only given for LED lights and means the light output is equivalent to that of 60W tungsten lamps.

The Wattages are not equivalent as 11W is 11W and 60W is 60W; ~ 5½ times as much.

And acording to youtube vids these heat up to about 10+ degrees C.

 

[big-all]

think off the 11w as a dripping tap giving 11 drips a min into a jar that has a hole that looses 1 drip a min then it will fill it in say 2 hours because its small and the losses are less than the input
you now go for say a larger volume say 100 jars the input will have next to zero effect as the losses are 10 times the input
you then go for a small room size off perhaps 500 jars -------- you get the idea

 

[chrisforsterx]

It would help if the OP was clearer about what the need is.
you used to be able to buy “rough service” tungsten lamps at around 60w

As said, there are infra red heaters that are designed for bathrooms but no idea how quick they are.
There are also those tube heaters that consume little power and would take the chill off.
Tube heaters would be mounted low down and the heat would rise up around the user.
(but eventually just go to the ceiling)

Thanks. I didn't put specifics.
In the winter I use the toilet as a Ad Hoc airing closet. The house temp is about 18c but the washing needs to be about 23+c to dry before stink or worse, mould, or I'll be washing again.

Due to the building regs at the time you have to have the light on to run the extractor fan. So I thought rather than pay for another heating source on top of that, See if there are still heating bulbs that can work of a standard light fitting / wiring / circuit.

I've read forums where plenty seem to think 40w heating bulbs are still available, but I can't find them anywhere.
I can only find E27's and not B22's and I don't want to change fitting unless I have to.
Since the room is so small, and the differance is only 5c, according to stats, a 40w would be both safe for a standard fitting and heat a small space.

 

[conny]

A tubular greenhouse heater?
Plenty on Amazon.

 

[EFLImpudence]

Due to the building regs at the time you have to have the light on to run the extractor fan.

Not so.

I've read forums where plenty seem to think 40w heating bulbs are still available, but I can't find them anywhere.

Don't search for a specific Wattage.

Plenty on Google and/or Amazon.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

You were mollycoddled by the sound if it we had a tin shed at the end of the garden with a chemical toilet and lit the way with a candle in a jam jar

We didn't even have the luxury of a candle in a jam jar, you made spills out of waxed bread wrappers, and lit those..

 

[bernardgreen]

We had one of of these. a small switch and two torch bulbs in the outside loo ( 1950's ).
.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

We had one of of these. a small switch and two torch bulbs in the outside loo ( 1950's ).

Luxury!

 

[Mottie]

Thanks. I didn't put specifics.
In the winter I use the toilet as a Ad Hoc airing closet. The house temp is about 18c but the washing needs to be about 23+c to dry before stink or worse, mould, or I'll be washing again.

In that case, as has been suggested, a 40w tube greenhouse heater will work. If you don’t have a power source to plug it into, you will need to take a feed from your fluorescent light and leave the light switched on.

Alternatively, we use one of these in our spare bedroom but I don’t know if you would have room for this exact model in your loo: https://www.lakeland.co.uk/24909/dr...8nZU-K6bS3lIUPdqdTWo_Y5Y1j6Vq1xxoCWTwQAvD_BwE

 

[ericmark]

In the winter I use the toilet as a Ad Hoc airing closet. The house temp is about 18c but the washing needs to be about 23+c to dry before stink or worse, mould, or I'll be washing again.

Interesting, but the problem with drying clothes in doors is the water needs to go somewhere. Since it seems looking at the old days, what we had was single glazed windows in steel frames, and at the bottom of the frame was a small trough and some small holes to the outside, so condensate ran down the windows, into trough and out side keeps the humidity low, add to the the through put of air, to replace the air that went up the chimney, so our homes were relatively dry.

The advent of central heating which had balanced flues so no through put of air, and the replacing of windows with double glazed units, started the rot, but we also find things like air vents filled with expanding foam, bathroom extractor does very little, as better fitting doors and windows means no where for air to get back into the house.

We did use vented tumble dryers, these also caused ventilation as some where some how that air needed to return into the house, the washer/dryer used cold water to condense the moisture and pumped it out, so little of the heat came into the room, it was lost out of a drain, the next generation condenser dryer used the air in the room to cool the condenser, which resulted in a warm room, maybe OK in winter, but rooms with dryers in could become stifling in the summer, so the next generation of condenser dryer was the heat pump, resulting in a lot less power being required, and also a lot less heat released into the room.

I know I have made my own drying room in Hong Kong, a 40 foot container with a curtain down the middle so two 40 foot corridors, a 3 kW wall mounted fan heater blowing the air around in circle and just before it got to the heater an air conditioner to cool and remove the water, and it did work very well, but the main point was the AC to remove the moisture.

I have heard of people doing this in their home, using a dehumidifier to remove the moisture, but in real terms now we have heat pump tumble dryers it seems a little pointless, may as well use the purpose built tools for the job.

However the principle still remains, you need air with a low humidity to dry clothes, and inside the home it is not really that low, carports are ideal, no rain or bird lime, and reasonably dry air, but alas we left that house in 1979, in fact with that house with hot air central heating the problem was stopping the house getting too dry.

Clearly to dry in doors you want no plants, and movement of air between house and outside, a heat recovery unit would be good, but the heat from any light bulb is so little it is unlikely to dry clothes, a clothes horse with a tube heater under it will work, mainly as the heater is causing thermals and moving the air, but it will get the whole house damp.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I have heard of people doing this in their home, using a dehumidifier to remove the moisture, but in real terms now we have heat pump tumble dryers it seems a little pointless, may as well use the purpose built tools for the job.

The point is, much more space for air circulation when clothes are hung up, much more of a clothing load can be accommodated, and the kWh is considerably less than that of a heat pump dryer, for the amount of washing dried.

 

[chrisforsterx]

The point is, much more space for air circulation when clothes are hung up, much more of a clothing load can be accommodated, and the kWh is considerably less than that of a heat pump dryer, for the amount of washing dried.

Interesting, but the problem with drying clothes in doors is the water needs to go somewhere. Since it seems looking at the old days, what we had was single glazed windows in steel frames, and at the bottom of the frame was a small trough and some small holes to the outside, so condensate ran down the windows, into trough and out side keeps the humidity low, add to the the through put of air, to replace the air that went up the chimney, so our homes were relatively dry.

The advent of central heating which had balanced flues so no through put of air, and the replacing of windows with double glazed units, started the rot, but we also find things like air vents filled with expanding foam, bathroom extractor does very little, as better fitting doors and windows means no where for air to get back into the house.

We did use vented tumble dryers, these also caused ventilation as some where some how that air needed to return into the house, the washer/dryer used cold water to condense the moisture and pumped it out, so little of the heat came into the room, it was lost out of a drain, the next generation condenser dryer used the air in the room to cool the condenser, which resulted in a warm room, maybe OK in winter, but rooms with dryers in could become stifling in the summer, so the next generation of condenser dryer was the heat pump, resulting in a lot less power being required, and also a lot less heat released into the room.

I know I have made my own drying room in Hong Kong, a 40 foot container with a curtain down the middle so two 40 foot corridors, a 3 kW wall mounted fan heater blowing the air around in circle and just before it got to the heater an air conditioner to cool and remove the water, and it did work very well, but the main point was the AC to remove the moisture.

I have heard of people doing this in their home, using a dehumidifier to remove the moisture, but in real terms now we have heat pump tumble dryers it seems a little pointless, may as well use the purpose built tools for the job.

However the principle still remains, you need air with a low humidity to dry clothes, and inside the home it is not really that low, carports are ideal, no rain or bird lime, and reasonably dry air, but alas we left that house in 1979, in fact with that house with hot air central heating the problem was stopping the house getting too dry.

Clearly to dry in doors you want no plants, and movement of air between house and outside, a heat recovery unit would be good, but the heat from any light bulb is so little it is unlikely to dry clothes, a clothes horse with a tube heater under it will work, mainly as the heater is causing thermals and moving the air, but it will get the whole house damp.

Harry / Eric. Thanks for replies
Was trying to explain. The room has an extractor fan powered from the light. You have to turn the light on which allows power to the fan switch and then turn that on. When i bought the house years ago the builders explained that this was the building regs. Athough it seems not so much regs but the most common way to wire up.

So, I thought... I only need about 23c to dry clothes, the central heating is about 18c, so I only need about 5c increase in a small space.
The extractor fan is on for the moisture, which means the light is on anyway, so I was hoping to get some kind of heat bulb as most heat bulbs are unsuitable for regular fittings/wiring.

LOL. I was hoping the conversation would turn into a quick explanation of what bulbs do what and what can be used as a normal light which also adds heat.

But it seems to be Monty Python instead. Good job I don't need this for another 6-8 weeks yet.

 

[Nope]

Harry / Eric. Thanks for replies
Was trying to explain. The room has an extractor fan powered from the light. You have to turn the light on which allows power to the fan switch and then turn that on. When i bought the house years ago the builders explained that this was the building regs. Athough it seems not so much regs but the most common way to wire up.

So, I thought... I only need about 23c to dry clothes, the central heating is about 18c, so I only need about 5c increase in a small space.
The extractor fan is on for the moisture, which means the light is on anyway, so I was hoping to get some kind of heat bulb as most heat bulbs are unsuitable for regular fittings/wiring.

LOL. I was hoping the conversation would turn into a quick explanation of what bulbs do what and what can be used as a normal light which also adds heat.

But it seems to be Monty Python instead. Good job I don't need this for another 6-8 weeks yet.

Why not buy one of the heater bulbs I sent you the link to earlier and see how you get on?

As for it being “regs” that the fan must be connected to the light, I find that surprising. The number of houses I’ve been to where the fan and the light are on two separate circuits, independently operated.

 

[Taylortwocities]

Unless I've missed it, in addition:

- a general heat source at ceiling height is pointless, heat rises, so it may be slightly warmer at ceiling height, but not lower down.
- if you have a fan that runs when the light is on and (I suppose) the heater is on then the fan will suck all that expensive heat outside and warm the outside air.

As above, one of those tubular greenhouse heaters running on a timer is probably the best you can do.