Hot-water heated mirror in bathroom >>> is this easy to put together?

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looknohands

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Hi,

I am about to solder my copper waterlines in a new bathroom, and I'm considering routing the shower's hot-water supply line behind the bathroom mirror so it's automatically heated whenever someone takes a shower. I know that there are electric heating pads that can do the same, i.e. prevent the mirror from fogging up, but this bathroom will not be used for showering much, so I prefer heating the mirror only when necessary.

I am wondering how many turns the hot water line should make behind the mirror, how close the line should be behind the glass, whether I should put something like an aluminum reflective material behind the water line to direct as much of the heat towards the mirror as possible, and so forth.

I'd love to hear of any experiences with this.

- Erik
 

Master Plumber Mark

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what if it leaks

I have never , ever heard of anyone donig this...

three shower heads in the shower ,

a fan in the toilet to take away the smell,

a bidet seat,

....those I have seen...


I am not even sure it would actually work ....and what happens if it leaks??

why not do like everyone else and just wipe the mirror off with your towel

when you get out??
 
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Master Plumber Mark

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high maintaince...

well, If I had one of those ladies in the mirror pics living with me,
I would probably be trying to make her happy too.....


but you got to realize that if she looks that good ,
you can never , ever , turely make them happy.

go with a c***** sprayer in the shower,
at least you will have some good memories.
 
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looknohands

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Interesting tip about applying that film, but I am not sure how that would make the mirror look -- I'm sure you can notice it in some way.

My wife has been in a hotel where the mirror was heated, and it worked beautifully. We read somewhere that mirrors can be easily heated by running the hot-water lines behind it. I loved that idea, so I'd like to try it out.

To answer your question about what to do if it leaks: well, whatever you would do if the water lines were leaking inside your walls in a normal case. The water lines are running through the wall anyway, I am just thinking of doing the routing of them such that they pass behind the mirror (and make a few turns there to cover a decent area). In fact, behind the mirror it would be easier to fix any leak (although I should not have one of course), since I could simply detach the mirror to get behind it.

Too bad nobody here has done this kind of thing. I am really curious about this and would love to learn the details and how well it works.

- Erik
 

Jadnashua

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If you used an adhesive that didn't mess up the silvering on the back of the mirror, how about using a sheet of copper and just run the pipe down the middle - soldered to the sheet. The copper would conduct the heat and you wouldn't have a bunch of fittings to worry about. Just solder the thing first, then glue it to the back of the mirror. Course, you could probably also just use an electric heating blanket..hook it to the light switch - you wouldn't need much wattage, in fact, you might just leave it running or put it on a timer. Something like they use for under tile.
 

geof

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The suggestion to use a copper sheet is a good one because it is headed in the right direction. Plaster and glass conduct heat so slowly that the front of the mirror is not going to get warm from pipes in the wall cavity. Perhaps there are mirrors that are designed to be heated with water pipes.

I would start with better exhaust fans. Panasonic makes high flow exhaust fans that are centrifugal and not noisy.

An electric heater with a fan could be mounted in a wall adjacent to or across from the mirror.

A squeegee works better than a towel.
 

SteveW

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I second the recommendation about Panasonic exhaust fans. I put one in my master bath a few years ago and have never had a problem with mirror fogging. It's VERY powerful and almost silent, too.

Warming the mirror only treats the symptom, and doesn't correct the actual problem.
 

Terry

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I would spend the money on a Panasonic fan before I would move water lines behind a mirror.

There shouldn't be that much steam in the room in the first place.
I put one in for my friend, after much discussion, and now he listens to the radio while in the shower. It's the first time he could do that.
Sometimes you need to put a timer on them or they will run all day, they are that quiet.
 

Jadnashua

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If the situation is right for it, consider a solatube with the remote fan option. I put one in my bathroom and it is really great. On a sunny day, the 10" tube outputs the equivalent of a 300W light bulb, and the fan motor (optional) is remote, so it is essentially silent. You can retrofit it in place of an existing fan/light kit (you can get a lamp fixture for in it or skip the light). My location is in a condo with no windows for the bathroom. If the moon is out at night, there is enough light from the thing to find the toilet without turning on a light! www.solatube.com If I could get the condo to approve it, I'd probably consider putting in a few more - they've got a new option - a motorized shutter for those that like to sleep late!
 

looknohands

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Hey, thanks for all the tips guys! I'll definitely look into the Panasonic fan option.

I also like the tip of the copper plate. I may just do without mirror heating, but if I decide to go for it still, then I'll work out the copper plate setup.
- Erik
 
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