Radiant bath/shower heater with countdown timer - ideas?

[Chris Green]

We want to put a radiant electric heater in our downstairs shower room, it's not used often enough to want to keep it permanently heated so a radiant heater of some sort would seem to make sense.

So that it doesn't get left on permanently by mistake I want it to have some sort of countdown timer switch.

Trying to find anything to do this is proving difficult as it needs to be shower room friendly. I suppose I could put the countdown switch outside but this seems a little odd. A single fixed time would be fine I think (say 30 minutes) so it could be operated by a pull switch but I can't find anything that would work like this.

Any ideas would be very welcome.

[nothanks]

Not quite what you're asking for, but might be worth looking at FBT5 timers. I've installed two of them on towel rails (mounted outside the rooms) and would buy again.

[Peter Burke]

Chris Green [e-mail] wrote in news: [e-mail]:

You may have better luck finding a plug-in version, usually available very cheaply.

I bought one, stripped out the electronics and mounted it in a deep surface mounted socket box. Left the heater permanently on with switch cord removed and fed the power from a separate pull switch.

People do need trained to cycle the switch twice if the controller has timed out but that didn't seem to be a problem. I added a neon to give more positive feedback of live operation.

Example here but min is an hour, you should be able to find more searching for countdown timer plug.

[Peter Burke]

Peter Burke [e-mail] wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Link:

[Chris Green]

We've actually already got one of those for a heater in our breakfast room, it's OK but not as nice as it might be, it feels somehow a bit 'clunky' and it's not at all obvious how it works at first glance. Very few visitors to the house seem to realise how it works and what it's for until we explain it.

We need something simpler and more obvious for the shower room heater I think, just a simple button to press or a string to pull that gives you (say) 30 minutes of heat with no options or alternatives.

[Chris Green]

Yes, I have a few of those, none of them is *really* well designed from the easo of use pointof view.

[Peter Burke]

Chris Green [e-mail] wrote in news: [e-mail]:

I got lucky I think, the brand I tried (lowenergie I think) would generate a timed cycle when power was applied to it so that made the job easy. Those that require multple button presses to generate a cycle of the required duration just wouldn't work.

[nothanks]

All fair points.

Why not make something? A momentary action pull switch, a timer (are

555s still the timer chip of choice?), a relay and a neon. Simples!

[Chris Green]

It may come to that! :-)

[Max Demian]

I did that with an ICM7555 to control a battery operated cupboard light, so it would turn off after 5 minutes if not turned off with the switch. I used a Momentary (On)-Off-(On) rocker switch so you could turn it off manually, which might be desirable, but tricky for a pull cord. You could put the switch outside; standard for hotel bathroom lights.

[Chris Green]

I've found this:-

It fulfils just about all my requirements except that it will have to be outside the shower room. It's made by Lowenergie but very few people seem to stock it, they all have only the 6A 12s-12m one.

[Owain Lastname]

CPE MRT16-PC is exactly what you need. Can't find it for sale but MRT16-REM + a separate momentary pullcord (they usually have red cords) would do

On/off: triggering the timer will turn on the load and start the timing. Triggering the timer again during timing will immediately turn off the load and stop the timing. Resetting: triggering the timer will turn on the load and start the timing. Triggering the timer again during timing will re-start the timing period from scratch. When using an external trigger In this mode, the timer will not start until the trigger is removed making it ideal for pump or fan overrun applications. Non-resetting: triggering the time will turn on the load and start the timing. Triggering the timer again during timing will have no affect.

Owain

[Peter Burke]

Chris Green [e-mail] wrote in news: [e-mail]:

It may generate a timed cycle on power up so you may be able to feed it from a pull switch and have it in a hidden location.

I'm sure you'd prefer an off the shelf solution but it seems eminently hackable eg. push switch could have relay contacts in parallel to allow remote operation (internals bound to be at mains potential though).

Despite having pneumatic in the headline description the detailed description points to it being electronic. Also it's 13A resistive so plenty of headroom.

Btw link copied twice, single below:

[Chris Green]

Yes, exactly what I want, pity it's so expensive and the pull-string version is no longer available apparently. Still, it's certainly a possible, thank you.

[Chris Green]

... and following that up I have found:-

Now why couldn't I find that with my original searches? It's a bit expensive but does absolutely everything I need.

[williamwright]

Just use a mains powered/mains switching timer relay.

Bill

[Harry Bloomfield, Esq.]

[e-mail] wrote on 19/11/2020 :

Or PIR with timer and a thermostat so it only comes on when cold.

[Brian Gaff (Sofa]

And a box and some way to power it. I was wondering if Alexa might have a device that it can turn on for a set time then turn it off. Brian

[Dave Liquorice]

Or just find a mains coil time delay off relay and shove it in a box somewhere maybe add a neon on the output for feed back. Use a corded pull switch, might need a double pull to trigger it again once timed out.

Is the shower electric? Feed heater from the shower power pull switch? Might need to check ratings of switch and/or shower MCB... or just use a mains coil relay to switch the heating that? Still possible to leave heater on if the shower is left powered. Using a time delay off relay for the heating stops that and if the shower is turned off the double pull is automatic.

PIR and thermosat similary simples but you don't really want the heating to come on each time some one pops in to get something or use the loo or whatever.