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There's a heat lamp above my toilet, wtf?

Traxus

Traxus

Spirit Tamer
Member
Jan 2, 2018
5,213
So my wife and I just moved to a new apartment and it has something freaky I've never seen before: a heating coil in the bathroom. Like one of those lamps they put outside at restaurants. My first time in there I flipped the switch for the ceiling fan but figured something was off when I only heard a faint electrical humming, so I looked up to find this big old exposed orange glowing coil radiating heat at my face while I'm taking a dump.

iUMOOETr.jpg

fKqXg0Vr.jpg


Is this common in some areas? We live near Los Angeles so it's extra weird; I guess it gets a little chilly in the mornings during this time of year but nothing crazy. I'm worried the steam from a hot shower will cause a short but I guess it's built for that. The building is old as fuck so I figure it's from the 70s or 80s.
 
TransEuropaExpress

TransEuropaExpress

Member
Dec 6, 2017
11,039
US
Traxus said:
So my wife and I just moved to a new apartment and it has something freaky I've never seen before: a heating coil in the bathroom. Like one of those lamps they put outside at restaurants. My first time in there I flipped the switch for the ceiling fan but figured something was off when I only heard a faint electrical humming, so I looked up to find this big old exposed orange glowing coil radiating heat at my face while I'm taking a dump.

iUMOOETr.jpg

fKqXg0Vr.jpg


Is this common in some areas? We live near Los Angeles so it's extra weird; I guess it gets a little chilly in the mornings during this time of year but nothing crazy. I'm worried the steam from a hot shower will cause a short but I guess it's built for that. The building is old as fuck so I figure it's from the 70s or 80s.
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I've seriously never seen that either, or even heard of it.

Congrats on that avatar though. Both Ambient Works albums are some of my favorite of all time.
 
OP
OP
Traxus

Traxus

Spirit Tamer
Member
Jan 2, 2018
5,213
Dishwalla said:
They are common in older buildings yes. My grandparents had one in their house when I was a kid, and I was always terrified of it.
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Huh! I never knew these existed.

It does feel amazing. We didn't get our gas turned on until yesterday so I had to take a cold shower a few days ago and stepping out with the heat lamp on was pretty damn good.
TransEuropaExpress said:
Congrats on that avatar though. Both Ambient Works albums are some of my favorite of all time.
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Fist bump!
 
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El-Suave

El-Suave

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,832
We have an old unused employe bathroom/shower in our house and it has a wall mounted heater as well. It's pretty great at making the tiny room comfy quickly, and it would be super useful if somebody would want to take a shower there.
 
whatsinaname

whatsinaname

Member
Oct 25, 2017
15,106
That looks interesting.

Reminds me of the heated shower head I hear is common in some parts of the world.

rwKIkVD.png
 

siddx

Banned
Dec 25, 2017
1,807
We have two in our main bathroom. But I'm in China where everything is weird as fuck.
 
mf.luder

mf.luder

Member
Oct 28, 2017
1,678
I wish I had that. I've always wanted one. If I ever build a house I'm putting in heated floors and a nice heated bathroom/shower for those winter showers.
 
vypek

vypek

Member
Oct 25, 2017
12,630
When I was a kid we lived in an apartment that had one of these. Seen them in a few hotels. I like them a lot.
 
rjinaz

rjinaz

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
28,479
Phoenix
I want one. Even here in Phoenix it was 30 this morning and the bathroom is always cold. This would feel amazing. Though I'd probably only use it 3 months in a year.
 
Catdaddy

Catdaddy

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,963
TN
The first house we bought had one and my parents house has one - was nice to flip it in the mornings and get in the shower. Both houses were built in the 1960s.. Wish our new house we built few years back had one - but I figure somehow they are actually fire hazards...
 
Atomic Playboy

Atomic Playboy

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,903
Portland, OR
My grandmother had one in her condo in southern California. Never quite understood the need for a heat lamp in a place where you run the A/C nine months a year, but apparently it's supposed to help with condensation from the shower? But it was a standalone room with no mirror, so that explanation doesn't add up.
 
Hiphopopotamus

Hiphopopotamus

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
7,885
whatsinaname said:
That looks interesting.

Reminds me of the heated shower head I hear is common in some parts of the world.

rwKIkVD.png
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This looks like some of the weird wiring I saw in FOBs in Iraq. They would hire locals or rely on South Asian handy-men, who were presented as Master Electricians, to wire up bathrooms, but instead killed soldiers to save Haliburton a few bucks
 
whatsinaname

whatsinaname

Member
Oct 25, 2017
15,106
Cas said:
This looks like a death trap :x
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Kittens McMittens said:
That's basically a cheap way to do an electric shower. Looks pretty unsafe though, what with all those wires being exposed. What if those wires get frayed / damaged somehow?
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Hiphopopotamus said:
This looks like some of the weird wiring I saw in FOBs in Iraq. They would hire locals or rely on South Asian handy-men, who were presented as Master Electricians, to wire up bathrooms, but instead killed soldiers to save Haliburton a few bucks
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Traxus said:
Lol I want to see the pitch that went into this design. "Well the electric chair has been played out, but what about the electric SHOWER?"
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The Middle East (Kuwait/UAE) and Mexico are where I've heard they are used, though I am not sure how common they are. 220v...
 
Piggus

Piggus

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,718
Oregon
My grandparents don't have a heat lamp like this, but they do have one of those red lightbulbs that puts out a ton of heat above the toilet in one of the bathrooms. It's actually pretty nice.

whatsinaname said:
That looks interesting.

Reminds me of the heated shower head I hear is common in some parts of the world.

rwKIkVD.png
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Ugh, my ex-gf's apartment had one of these when she was teaching in Peru. It was absolutely useless and frankly dangerous.
 
mjc

mjc

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
5,902
That could be odd for LA, but in colder places it makes a little sense. Bathrooms might not have registers for forced air heat or radiators, so they can be a little chillier than the other rooms of a house.

My parents have a bathroom in the basement that has one of those, I think. It's kinda nice when it's cold.
 
Walter White Walker

Walter White Walker

Member
Oct 27, 2017
21,619
I haven't seen one that looks like that but everywhere I've lived in the past 20 years has a big heat bulb in bathrooms with a bathtub and/or shower. You run it when you're in the shower so that the mirror defogs quicker and there's not as much moisture in the air.
edit: here's mine:
vq7mGeJ.jpg
 
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ScandiNavy

ScandiNavy

Banned
Apr 13, 2018
1,551
Norway
I've seen wall-mounted rectangular ones with a thick rod that heats up.
Good for lighting a smoke, if you don't have a lighter.
 

Deleted member 13642

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
374
Los Angeles, FUCKING knew it op. This baffles me. Not only did my first LA apartment bathroom have no windows, IT HAD A FUCKING HEATER UP WHERE AN EXHAUST FAN WOULD BE. I still remember vividly shitting hungoverly with what I reasonably assumed would be the exhaust fan on but soon realizing it was JUST HEATING UP THE SHIT SMELL AND MAKING IT WORSE. Bathrooms are supposed to be cold.

God damn am I right there with ya, friend. Still miss the city tho.

I have apparently had old emotions suddenly stirred up. I'm gonna go open some windows.
 
Razgriz417

Razgriz417

Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,120
my parents redid their master bath last summer and they installed a heated ventilation system on a timer. They love it, can keep the bathroom warm when they get out of the shower.
 
Walter White Walker

Walter White Walker

Member
Oct 27, 2017
21,619
theinfinityissue said:
Los Angeles, FUCKING knew it op. This baffles me. Not only did my first LA apartment bathroom have no windows, IT HAD A FUCKING HEATER UP WHERE AN EXHAUST FAN WOULD BE. I still remember vividly shitting hungoverly with what I reasonably assumed would be the exhaust fan on but soon realizing it was JUST HEATING UP THE SHIT SMELL AND MAKING IT WORSE. Bathrooms are supposed to be cold.

God damn am I right there with ya, friend. Still miss the city tho.

I have apparently had old emotions suddenly stirred up. I'm gonna go open some windows.
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In the ones we have here (Washington state) the fan is in the same casing as the heat lamp, just above it.
 

Deleted member 8860

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 26, 2017
6,525
All my life I've thought that these were just for drying/cleaning up the room (after you took a shower, etc.).

Guess I learned something today.
 

Cokie Bear

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
4,944
The sweatier you are, the more natural lubricant to make pooping easier.
 
Manmademan

Manmademan

Election Thread Watcher
Member
Aug 6, 2018
16,185
Traxus said:
So my wife and I just moved to a new apartment and it has something freaky I've never seen before: a heating coil in the bathroom. Like one of those lamps they put outside at restaurants. My first time in there I flipped the switch for the ceiling fan but figured something was off when I only heard a faint electrical humming, so I looked up to find this big old exposed orange glowing coil radiating heat at my face while I'm taking a dump.

iUMOOETr.jpg

fKqXg0Vr.jpg


Is this common in some areas? We live near Los Angeles so it's extra weird; I guess it gets a little chilly in the mornings during this time of year but nothing crazy. I'm worried the steam from a hot shower will cause a short but I guess it's built for that. The building is old as fuck so I figure it's from the 70s or 80s.
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Lol @ buildings from the 70s or 80s being "old as fuck".

The house i grew up in had a heating element somewhat like this. It had long since busted by the time we moved in during the early 80s.

Im not sure how old it was EXACTLY but when we did renovations i was pulling newspaper out from the 1920s, there was a pipe running through the front to accomodate a STEAM HEAT set up, and there was a vent for a woodburning stove in the kitchen.
 
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