How to upgrade apartment bathroom lighting and fan?

Hi there,

Hoping to get some advice on upgrading the lighting in my bathroom - one thing on the long list of renovations! I have a ground floor 1960 build apartment (there’s one apartment above us). Currently there is no exhaust fan in the bathroom and I don’t think it’s likely for us to be able to put one in without going through the exterior brick. My hoping to be able to put in a ceiling heat lamp but am unsure if we would be able to put one in due to moisture in the room without an exhaust. Would someone be able to give me an idea?

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JacobZ

Hi @Stephy,

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is wonderful to have you with us.

As a bathroom is a wet area, there are requirements under the electrical safety standards for what kind of lights can be used in certain areas. Generally, this means whatever lighting is used needs to have an acceptable IP (ingress protection) rating to prevent water from finding its way inside the light. Unfortunately, I do not have access to the relevant standards to give details, nor am I qualified to do so. The best suggestion I can give is to get in touch with an electrician and explain what you are trying to do. They should be able to give you some advice on a suitable solution.

I imagine there's a good chance some form of exhaust would be required. While the lack of ceiling cavity would make your options limited, there are still things like wall vents, which, as you mentioned, would require you to drill through the wall, as well as window vents, like this Blauberg 150mm White WIND Window Exhaust Fan, which can be installed in a window, with the assistance of a glazier. Again, due to the nature of the work, the best thing you can do is contact an electrician, explain the situation and ask them for their advice as they will have knowledge of the relevant building standards and would be able to recommend products and a solution based on these standards.

Apologies I couldn't be more help.

Allow me to tag @R4addZ, @CSParnell and @AlanM52, who have some experience in this field, to see if they have anything they can add.

Jacob

AlanM52

Hi @Stephy,

Can you take some photos of the bathroom area including the shower so we can see how all that relates to window and wall.

It may also be possible to use one of these combo units which would require another wire.

Prepare yourself... likely for more electrical conduit on the walls.

Cheers.

R4addZ

Hi @Stephy

Because there is no way to get the exhaust air out through the ceiling, a combo unit isn't suitable for this job. So taking into account that both windows are capable of being opened it will have to be a wall mounted fan. The good thing is that there is already an air brick style vent in close proximity to the current conduit run to the light. You should check if there is a corresponding vent brick in the external wall and if so, it could well be possible to mount a fan in that location. and connect it to the same feed as the light.

You will need an Electrician for this work though!.

AlanM52

@R4addZ, CC: @Stephy,

I carefully suggested that combo unit because it does not include a fan.

2 x 275W infra-red heat lamps provide instant warmth
8W energy saving LED centre globe for superior illumination

To replace the fluro.

Cheers

R4addZ

Hi @AlanM52 and @Stephy

Because the conversation was more along the lines of ventilation, it was those combo units I was referring to and did not intend to imply that the unit Alan had linked to would be totally unsuitable (I hadn't even checked the link at time of writing). In fact that unit would be ideal with a seperate wall fan, I think the confusion has come about due to the word Combo being able to be used to describe different types of unit with 2 or more functions. Alan had addressed the light and heat and I had addressed the ventilation.

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