Accessories & Controllers for Electric Heaters

This is a question that gets asked occasionally and, unfortunately, it’s something of a grey area. With any bathroom electrical, you need to be sure that the product has a compatible IP rating that ensures it’s well protected against water and adheres to regulations concerning the bathroom zone it will be installed in. Bathroom zones 1 and 2 require an IP rating of at least IPX4 for any electrical appliance, but for zone 3, there are no official requirements.

As many room thermostats have low IP ratings unsuitable for zones 1 and 2, you may think that installing it in zone 3 of your bathroom will be adequate, but this isn’t always the case. Bathrooms are subject to extreme levels of humidity and condensation, which can cause thermostat components to degrade over time. Using a thermostat with a low IP rating in zone 3 of your bathroom is possible but not advised if you want to ensure its longevity. Usually the best solution is to employ an electrician who can mount the thermostat outside the bathroom and run a hardwired connection through the wall.

Thermostats and programmers with high IP ratings are available but we do not currently stock these products. If you want a bathroom heating solution with a greater level of control, you may want to take a look at our excellent selection of towel rails with programmers and integrated thermostats.

Indoors, the best way to control your heating is with a thermostat. Outdoors this isn’t a practical option, because outdoor heaters work to offset the cold of outdoor weather, rather than raise the overall temperature.

The best way to control outdoor heaters is with semi-manual controllers that make it easy for you to adapt your heating needs to your comfort levels. Push-button timers, dimmers and motion sensors are simple controllers that make managing your energy usage easy. Most products will be rated IPX4 or higher if they’re intended to be used outside, although you should always check product descriptions to make sure it has the right level of protection you need, as individual installation requirements can vary.

Setting heat levels for every single electric heater in your home can be a tiresome endeavour, especially if you want them to act like a central heating system, warming all areas of your home at the same time. Central controllers allow you to do just that, making your electric heaters act as a unified system, so you can adjust your heating from one single point and all of the heaters in the house will respond.

Central control systems are comprised of a central thermostatic control unit and a set of receivers which intercept and initiate the thermostat’s commands. Your heaters wire directly into the receivers, which switch them on or off to maintain the temperatures set at the thermostat. Whenever you make a change to your heating plan – be it a slight temperature adjustment or the incorporation of a new heating routine – the controller will signal the receivers accordingly.

You’ll need to take note of the maximum load the receivers can cope with as this varies from product to product: the higher the amp load, the more heaters the receiver can accommodate without you having to purchase an additional receiver. Always make sure that the central control system you intend to buy will be able to cope with the amperage of your heaters before committing to a purchase. A receiver with a 10Amp limit can control a combined total of up to 2300W, whilst a receiver with a 16Amp limit can control up to 3680W.

All heaters wired into a central control system will change according to any input made on the main controller, so they will no longer act as a zoned heating system with each operating individually. If you want to control any of your heaters independently, you will need to purchase additional thermostats.