Can I change bathroom exhaust fan with a heater?

My mother in law has an old house and has an exhaust fan in her bathroom that also has a heater. e found one at home Depot but my husband says he can't do it. He has changed light switches and fixtures with no problem. Is this harder or is it possible following an online step by step. We have 3 dswitches in teh baathroom. 1. light above mirror 2. exhaust fan 3. light to fan

Please help!
Can I change bathroom exhaust fan with a heater?
A exhaust fan draws very little power, but a heater will use a WHOLE LOT of power. You will need to do an amp reading on this circuit.

Figure out which breaker the fan is on. Then turn on all the lights and anything else that might be attached to this circuit (ie. like a hair dryer or other thing that gets plugged in)

This circuit might not be just lights and a fan, there might be some receptacles (plugs) that are run off of it as well.

After you have every thing turned on - do the amp reading at the circuit breaker. This is important, you need toknow how much electricity (amperage) you are using.

Next, take a look at the wattage of the heater element your planning on installing - and do the math.

watts=amps x voltage

or rearranging the formula amps = watts/voltage

for example (1500 watt heater) = (amps) x 120 volts

amps = 1500watts/120volts

amps =12.5 which is alot of power.

Many residential circuits are only 15 amps. The current electrical code dose require a 20 amp circuit for the bathroom(s). But that one 20 amp circuit may be serving more than 1 bathroom. In older homes you can expect your bathroom to have a 15 amp breaker, and be tied in with almost anything else - like bedroom receptacles and lights.



Odds are you will be fine as there was a heater there before, just don't get a new one that uses more power than the original.



If you need to, you can always just get up into the attic and compleatly remove the old unit and replace it. This would almost certainly be better than trying to find replacement parts for some old broken down fixture.

Good luck
Can I change bathroom exhaust fan with a heater?
may need to install on more switch for the heater , but depending on how many leads coming from your new fixture, and how many watts the heater is you may need a second circuit from the breaker box and a separate switch for the heater accessory, or another option may be to wire the mirror light and the lite on the fan to operate from the same switch if that switch is in an acceptable location if not than hook the heater up to the switch that operates the mirror lite and wire the mirror lite to the fan lite switch. Good luck
To be honest most exhaust fan motors are super simple to change out. Just two or three screws and unplug and the old one is out. Im not sure your situation but it sure sounds easy to accomplish.



Perhaps your husband is lazy or is simply afraid to fail.

Perhaps more kisses and encouragement will get him to attempt this small challenge. After all reward is part of the game. Its like giving the dog a treat after you get him to shake hands.
Yes you can, some models still have a 3 in one application. Fan, light, and heater. However, a larger hole may be needed for this unit, but the electrical will be fine.