How to Wire a Bathroom Heat Lamp

There's nothing more relaxing than a steaming hot shower — that is, until you have to step out of it onto a cold, tiled floor. As steamy and warm as bathrooms can get, they could still stand to be more comfortable in the winter months, when temperatures dip and make tile floor pretty unbearable. Luckily, there are remedies, such as installing a bathroom heat lamp. This luxurious addition to the bathroom will provide a toasty start to your day and a relaxing haven at night.

Here's how bathroom heat lamps work, some considerations to take before you begin, and a step-by-step guide on how to install.

So, how exactly do bathroom heat lamps work? Simply, an incandescent light bulb in the infrared heat lamp generates a fair amount of heat and a bit of illumination.

Even though they are producing the heat from the fixture, they are actually energy efficient. The heat that emanates from the bathroom heat lamp is not considered a waste, whereas the heat from a standard light bulb is. However, it should be noted that they shouldn't be used as the sole source of heat or light for your bathroom. A switch to control the lamp separately from light sources in the room is ideal so you aren't heating up the area unnecessarily.

The National Electrical Code is in all 50 states and is intended for safe electrical installation and inspection to prevent electrical mishaps. It is updated every three years with changes based on technology, safety requirements and more. Here's what safety considerations you'll need to keep in mind for bathroom heat lamps:

• GFCI protection is required for larger circuits and has expanded to include 250-volt, single-phase receptacles that are 50 amps or less.
• You may need to consider a dedicated circuit with its own breaker in the electrical box. This is intended to be used with a single appliance so that the breaker doesn't trip when the appliance, such as a heat lamp, is in use.
• Bathroom exhaust fan combo units with a light and heater built in require a dedicated circuit and a wall switch.

Before you begin your installation, turn off the breaker. If you're unfamiliar with wiring or electrical systems, it's best to call an electrician to perform this job for you.

Bathroom heat lamps use a lot of electricity. Make sure that the dedicated circuit in the home is proper for the unit that is being installed. If the circuit power is at the switch location, two cables need to be installed that lead from the wall to the unit, a three-wire cable and a two-wire cable. The neutral wire is shared with all three elements of the unit and the ground wire.

Run the two-wire cable from the breaker box to the switch box on the wall and strip the ends about 1.5 inches to expose the bare wire. Attach those to the switch box. Then, attach the black wire through the singular hole on the side for the heater. The red wire from the three wire cable is attached to the other side with the three holes on the back of the switch box, directly across from where you attached the black wire. The black wire from the three-wire cable is installed under the red wire. Attach the black wire from the three-wire cable to the remaining third hole.

Twist the white wires from all cables together and put a twist-on wire connection around it. Then, wrap with electrical tape. Do this to all exposed wires. Connect the red wire from the fixture to its twin and join all the ends of the matching colors together.