Want a TV in the bathroom, but they are V expensive.Can I fit a normal one?

lancslass2008

Hi all

Before anybody says I am being extravagant I'm not. My partners Sister has recently had a major operation and Surgery. Part of the rehabilititation of the surgery is taking regular baths. So, we thought it may make bath time less of a chore (when you have no choice) if we could fit a TV in the bathroom. We have searched the internet and there are lots of choices. Some of them are very expensive. My partner asked his mate who is a bit of an odd job man who told him.

"You can build a normal one into the bathroom wall and set it back a bit, and just put a piece of toughened glass over the face of it. If you make sure the toughened glass is well sealed with clear silicone all the way round and you make sure the cables come down the cavity and are not in the bathroom you'll be OK. However, we have found some potential problems with this ourselves.
1. Surely the piece of glass will condense up in the bathroom. Can you get a heated piece?
2. Surely if the TV is built into the wall there is nowhere for the heat from the TV to escape?

We'd really like to try this, but the proper TV's are £700-£800.

Is there a way round this or are we being silly?

Thanks

aliEnRIK

What size tv are you looking at?

You do realise youll need a 'feed' to it? (Aerial, sky or whatever)

JasX

hmmm, will the TV will generate heat you'll need to be getting rid of so extra heating in the unit probably isn;t necessary or sensible, also i'd be careful to check the inside of the cavity isn;t excessivly insulated (or TV will overheat) or dusty (fire hazard?). in theory if the TV is the right distance from the glass it'll be able to keep the glass warm enough to keep condensation at bay but not overheat itself.

perhaps worth considering one of these push button timer type things so it can't be left on and forgotten about for an extended period....

(nearly broke one of the 'proper' bathroom ones in a hotel leaving a towel on top of the 'low wall' it was built into covering it up, moved the towel some time later and half the screen was black with a warped picture -fortunately it recovered when turned off and allowed to cool or i could have got a rather large bill )

kwikbreaks

How about a small battery one? You'd need to be in a good signal area for it to work though.

Fifer

There are two issues which need to be considered here; electrical safety (for humans) and the damp environment (for the TV).

From a safety point of view, mains powered appliances in bathrooms must be appropriately IP rated which makes them expensive. However, battery and lower powered items are fine. Developing kwikbreak's battery suggestion, how about a small 12V TV designed for car or caravan use? You can use a mains adaptor outside the bathroom and run a 12V cable through a wall to power the TV. You'll still need an aerial connection. Another option is a portable DVD palyer. No aerial is required for watching DVDs.

The damp environment will still potentially be an issue, but I suspect that if the TV is removed to a dry warm envirnment after half an hour's use, it may well not cause harm.

kwikbreaks

Regarding damp and the device - it would certainly need to be LCD imo.

Andy_L

Thinking outside the box, depending on the layout of the room, how about projecting it in from a computer outside the bathroom.

lancslass2008

Hi again

With regard to feeding the TV, that is not a problem. The bathroom and adjoining bedroom have plasterboard walls with wooden lengths and uprights between them. At the moment, the TV Distribution box is in the loft so I presume we'd just drop the output down the cavity.

kwikbreaks

Given that then a bit of perspex, a big saw, and some DIY skills should sort it (apart from the privacy issue of course) by installing the TV in the bedroom facing a big perspex covered hole in the wall.

Might be better to stick to reading. Not library books though as they get the hump if you doze off and drop the book in (I know this from personal experience).

lancslass2008

OMG

This seems a brilliant deal. In fact, it seems too good to be true. Is it???

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/New-19-Luxury-LCD-Waterproof-Mirror-TV-Bathroom-DVB_W0QQitemZ250567039514QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_AudioTVElectronics_Video_Televisions?hash=item3a56f59a1a

cyberbob

How long do you spend in the bathroom? It it really worth the cost