A mist free mirror


A mist free mirror
I don't know if you're like me, but I find it very annoying after a shower or bath to have to wipe down the bathroom mirror 36 times with a towel just so I can see myself shaving (or putting on make-up for the girls).

How do you solve this tricky problem? First of all, by looking at the cause of the problem: when you take a shower, the "steam" generated fills the room. When it encounters a surface colder than its own temperature - a mirror, for example - it condenses, creating the notorious fog.

The solution that immediately springs to mind is to find something to prevent the fog from settling on the surface you want to protect, i.e. the mirror.

There are at least two ways of doing this:

  • By rubbing the surface of the mirror, when it's dry, with a piece of dry soap. In this way, the water droplets that form the fog are drained off and run down the mirror. Disadvantage: you'll need to do it again very regularly.
  • By making the mirror at least as hot as the "steam" generated by the shower or bath, droplets can't condense on it. Typically, it's just over 25°C or 77°F in a hot bathroom, so setting the mirror to around 30°C or 86°F works.

So the second solution was chosen. The idea is to build a mirror heated on the back by an electric resistance that keeps it at around 30°C or 86°F.

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Last modified on: September 5th 2024

Materials required

How it's done

Once you've got the idea down, you can do it your own way.
Here's one way, inspired by the one at home.

Clean the back of the mirror well with a little degreaser (trichloroethylene, acetone) to facilitate adhesion of the tape and glue. To work comfortably, lay the mirror flat on an old piece of carpet.

Serpentine resistive wire

Snake the resistive wire along the mirror, as evenly as possible. The wire should protrude a little at the start and "arrive" near the start, also protruding a little, to allow connection to the current via a domino. A bit like the diagram opposite, but "tighter".

.
Anti-fog mirror

As you lay the wire, hold it against the mirror using pieces of aluminum tape. Note that there should be no crossing of the wire.

collage

Once all the wire has been laid, glue the styrodur plate to the mirror using a glue gun, putting a little between the wire's passages.

isolant

Ideally, the plate should be a little larger before being glued, and then its size should be matched to the edge of the mirror with a cutter or, better still, a filicutter.

detail of cut

Detail of a cut seen from the side

domino

Connect both ends of the wire to a domino to facilitate connection to the power source.

This can be done before or after installing the styrodur.

patere

The mirror itself is finished, all that's left to do is add a hook to hang it from (I used an ordinary scrap of plastic glued together with a glue gun), and possibly improve its aesthetics by framing it with mouldings to your taste.

alimentation

Then connect the domino to the chosen power source to heat up the mirror.

miroir avec buée

A normal mirror after a good shower...

miroir sans fuée

The anti-fog mirror in action!

That's all there is to it. Now you can look at your hoe in a dry mirror, even after a shower at 50°C or 122°F...

Second version

After almost a year of good service, I've tried to improve the mirror by making a slightly less cobbled-together version with a larger, circular mirror. Here are the technical changes:

miroir anti-buée

The PC power supply is replaced by an old DELL laptop power supply, which delivers around 20 volts. This is ideal in terms of power and voltage, plus the power supply has an indicator light and its own protection mechanism against short-circuits and overheating. I just added a switch on the mains input.

Conclusion

Well, there's certainly room for improvement, but it's up to you to decide what you need. Here are a few suggestions if you feel like it:

Of course, if you'd like more information or to make a contribution, please don't hesitate to contact me.

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  • Mise-en-place = having everything necessary for the task(s) ahead prepared/within arms reach. aka organization
    Posted by chef-to-be august 19th 2013 at 18:19 n° 1
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