Bathroom mirror heating: How does it work?

Bathroom mirrors are renowned for steaming up at the first flush of hot water, but this problem can be eliminated by installing a heat mat behind your mirror. It's such a simple solution and the mat is usually wired to the light circuit so that it will only operate when the bathroom is in use.

Mirror heating mats work by warming the mirror to the point where the temperature is sufficient to prevent condensation building up on the mirror surface. The mats can be either adhered to the back of the mirror itself or mounted on the wall behind the mirror.

If you are considering installing a new mirror in your bathroom, or replacing an old one, it would be worth your while to consider the advantages of using this simple solution to misted-up mirrors.

Warm up your image: Good reasons to install a mirror heat mat

Aside from the obvious, there are a number of good reasons to consider installing a mirror heat mat in your bathroom:

• They are invisible
• Can be fitted to most mirror sizes
• Offer energy efficiency
• Are easily installed by an electrician

In most cases, mirror heating mats cost no more to run that a 60 watt globe, but as the mat size increases, naturally the wattage will too.

Bathroom mirror heating information and options

There are two ways to heat your bathroom mirror. One is to install the mat onto the back of the mirror itself, but the other method is to install the heat mat on the wall before mounting the mirror. The advantage of this second method is that in the event that the mirror gets damaged or broken, it can be replaced without disturbing the mat.

There are special requirements for adhesives used in mounting mirrors where heating mats are concerned so be sure to use the correct one. When shopping around take note of the various wattage sizes, demister pads (which operate in a similar fashion) and specialists in mirror heating mats mounted separately to the mirror in adhesive on the wall behind.