We actually are also looking at a wall heater. We have one of those in a smaller bathroom and it works great. Once the electrician pointed out that 1400 watts is what most hair dryers put out in heat and I looked around our bathroom, the idea of doubling the heat output is pretty appealing. Still, putting more heat into the ceiling would also help.

I am sorry to hear your Panasonic isn't helping you much but glad to hear mine isn't just a lemon!

How does a vent fan heat the air and exhaust air without sucking out the hot air it is supposed to make? It seems like a separate heater would be required.

I'm not sure how it all works but here is the product Panasonic FV-11VH1 with the specs. There are two switches: one for fan and one for heater.

http://www.panasonic.com/consumer_electronics/bp_ventilation_fans/prod_spec.asp

Here is a link that might be useful: Specs for Panasonic FV-11VH1

You just can't use both the heat and exhaust at the same time. Well, you CAN but like you mentioned...the exhuast will suck out the heated air. It's not made to use simultaneously. I have the same unit. It takes the chill off of my 10x11 bathroom and if I close the door can even be considered a little warm but doesn't make it "toasty". I wasn't expecting it to.
Monica

I don't try to use them at the same time. I'll even close the bathroom door off to the rest of the house, turn the heater on for up to 30 minutes before I shower in the winter and it's still not very warm in there. Something has to change!

I can't imagine trying to use the WhisperWarm to heat up such a large bathroom! We have one in a 13x6' master (coldest room in the house) and that's the maximum I'd go with it. It works very well for us, but for something sized like yours, with such excessively tall ceilings (where all the heat is going to concentrate first), I would assume you would need a separate heating source.

And I agree maybe the tile is contributing to the cold "feel", but perhaps someone more expert can chime in here. Do you use radiant flooring, or radiant wall panels? It isn't clear in your posting.

It's radiant flooring.

We have a heater in the ceiling near the shower, which works very well when we step out of the shower. We have two regular heating vents in the bathroom that supply enough hot air to keep the bathroom at a good temperature. The heater is only for the extra touch.

I have this same Panasonic heater and am facing the same dilemma. I've found that this heater warms the bathroom only about 1 degree in a half an hour (I have a digital thermometer in there). My bathroom is about 10x12 with a 10' ceiling and gets COLD.

I've been using a Vornado space heater recently and it heats up from 63->71 in about 15 mins or so, but it certainly isn't attractive! I don't want to install a wall heater because the walls are tiled.

I emailed Panasonic and their response was:
"We researched your request and found that the FV11VH1 max CFM is 120. With the configuration you provided about your bathroom, you need at least 200 CFM."

Great! So I guess the answer is a 'super blowing' ceiling heater. Any ideas anyone?

I've heard of towel warmers that also heat the bathroom. I'm going to have the same problem. The whisper warm is installed (bathroom still not finished) and it's kind of a joke.

Maybe it will be a littler better when the french doors are installed. Ha!

Once you realize it is simply putting out the heat of a 1400 watt hair dryer, you understand it is not going to heat your bathroom. We are either going to have to get a wall heater installed or a space heater. With the 13 foot ceiling and a very large bathroom, it just doesn't do the trick. I can actually add additional heat to the room by plugging in my hot curlers!

Again, the WhisperWarm is a wonderful fan/exhaust/heat unit, but to expect it to heat up an extremely large, tall space all by itself is to not understand its limitations. The calculator on the website to determine size of fan needed should always be used; and as has been said here in many a discussion thread, going bigger is always better.

This is one of the issues that people have to consider when going for open floor plans and extra-large rooms - there is not only a design/build cost, there is the added cost of utilities to properly heat and/or cool such space.

It is one of the major reasons that when Victorians were decidedly out of favor, people in cold climates put in false ceilings. Heating up unused ceiling space is expensive and wasteful. Tall ceilings in hot climates, however, made a lot of sense.

Design is not just what you like. Good design should be thoughtful and aimed at the maximum usefulness of each sited room, appropriate to the activities and family needs.

So does anyone know who makes a ceiling heater that puts out the most possible heat? It doesn't have to contain a fan.

I have that exact same model installed in our 10x13 MB w/ 9 ft. ceiling. Combined with the Suntouch flooring and 2 heated Warmrails towel warmers, our MB can attain an added 5 degrees to what our thermostat on that floor is set to. Considering that before the renovation, that same room was always at LEAST 5 degrees and often 10 degrees colder than the thermostat setting, I am thrilled. I do tend to turn on the heater and close the door for 30-60 minutes to warm it up when I can get away with it, like when DH, aka Energy Police is not around. It does make a difference. The floor and towel rack alone add 2-3 degrees to the temp reliably. I am happy, considering what it used to be!

Hi,
I am in the same situation and was wondering if you found a good floor heater that could be installed in the wall and look not so bad. Thanks, James

Cadet has some unobtrusive wall heaters that look like regular forced air supply grills.

Here is a link that might be useful: Register style heater

you get the Bathroom Master (heat/fan/light combo), which can instantly warm up when you take a shower without pre-heating requirement, from the following distributors:
http://www.rewci.com/baexhefaninh1.html
http://www.aupu.us/PRODUCTS/BathMastr/BthMstr.htm
http://www.bainsneptune.com/english/ventilateurs/v-csbm.html

Based on my experience with the links that John604 referenced, I wouldn't buy from any of them.

Try a vornado portable heater with a fan. They are quiet and blow the air sideways. You need to mix the air thoroughly. if there is not enough amps in the bathroom receptacle, run an extension cord (min 14 gage wire) from another room. It’s a cheap and easy way to pre check the effect of adding another 1500W of heat. Add a second heater if 1 is not enough. The best solution for warm showers is heating wire embeded behind the tile in the shower walls. Turn it on maybe 20 minutes before your shower so the walls are warm before you shower. All the heavy tile walls need the heating wires, not just a small patch of one wall. Unfortunately heated shower walls are only possible if planned before the bathroom remodel is started.

Eric DeVries I am sure in the 14 years since the op asked the question the issue has been solved.