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It is almost impossible to do without a heated towel rail in our changeable climate. It is not surprising that it is very difficult to find a bathroom or a bathroom where this household appliance would not be in one form or another. And today, heated towel rails are placed not only in bathrooms, but also in living quarters. They dry not only towels, but also any other textiles. Plus, they also heat the room and lower the level of humidity in it. Thanks to this, the reproduction of mold fungus is suppressed, which destroys finishing materials and harms people’s health, penetrating into the lungs.
Classification of heated towel rails by type of coolant
There are only three design options for a heated towel rail, depending on the coolant: electric, water and combined.
Electric heated towel rails
The devices are heated by thermal elements connected to the mains. Their main advantage in comparison with water models is the possibility of year-round operation, which is especially acute in summer in apartment buildings, where central heating is turned on only in winter. Electric heated towel rails are heated either by a cable and or a tubular heater (heater) mounted inside the device, or by a liquid (oil-based).
Electric heated towel rails, unlike water models, can work all year round. The main characteristic of an electric heated towel rail is its power. It is calculated based on the area of the bathroom. For residential premises, a heater power of about 0,1 kW per 1 sq. m. But in the bathroom there is always humid air and therefore the power needs to be increased to 0,14 kW per 1 sq. m. The most common options on the market are devices with power from 300 to 1000 watts.
Advantages and disadvantages
Water heated towel rails
These units are heated by hot water from a heating system or autonomous hot water supply with recirculation. That is, their operation is practically free. But the pressure in the heating main of an apartment building varies widely. The standard value is 4 atmospheres, but the pressure can increase up to 6, and with water hammer – 3-4 times. Moreover, heating systems are regularly pressure tested (tested) with a pressure of 10 atmospheres. For such a heated towel rail, the main parameter is precisely the maximum pressure that it can withstand. For an apartment building, it should be at least twice the maximum possible. That is 20 atmospheres or more.
Advantages and disadvantages
Combined heated towel rails
Such devices use two heat sources. They are connected to a water heating system or hot water supply (DHW) and are simultaneously equipped with a heating element, which is turned on only when necessary, for example, in summer. The technical parameters are the same as for water and electric heated towel rails. The designers hoped to combine all the advantages of both types of devices, but at the same time they also combined their shortcomings.
Advantages and disadvantages
Differences in towel warmer models
By design
Towel dryers can be stationary or rotary. In the first version, all types are made, their cases are fixedly mounted on the wall. Swivel heated towel rails are only electric, they are mounted on the wall using special brackets with the ability to rotate about a vertical or horizontal axis. Connection to the network is carried out by a flexible armored cable without creases in any position of the device. Such a model, turned to the wall, takes up a minimum of space, therefore it is especially convenient for small bathrooms.
According to the method of fastening
Most often, a heated towel rail is mounted on a wall in a bathroom or other room. Floor installation on legs is also possible – this option is used when it is impossible or unwilling to drill a wall or if it, for example, is made of frosted glass. Electric towel warmers are portable and can be plugged into a nearby outlet.
According to the form
A very simple and common design option is a “ladder”, that is, two vertical pipes connected by several horizontal ones. Such devices are heated by water or a heating element located below. Not so long ago, heated towel rails came into fashion, where several upper rungs of the “ladder” form a shelf on which already dry towels can be folded so that they are warm at the right time.
The heated towel rail can also be made in the form of a “snake”, that is, one pipe bent several times in one plane – this option is also very popular. In this form, water heated towel rails are often performed. Electrical devices of this form can be heated by a cable similar to that which is laid in a warm floor or heated downpipes. But a special tubular heating element is also possible. There are also heated towel rails in the form of the letters M, E, U, not to mention the “author’s” solutions.
By coolant
In a water device, the role of the heat carrier is always performed by hot water. With electric models, things are a little more complicated, since they come in two varieties. In “wet” the inner space of the pipe is filled with liquid. For example, Atlantic towel warmers use propylene glycol. It heats up quickly and keeps the temperature for a long time. Such models are usually more powerful and are equipped with automatic control devices with an accelerated heating mode and a timer that periodically turns off the heating element in order to save energy. They also protect against short circuits.
In “dry” heated towel rails there is no liquid heat carrier, their volume can be occupied by a heating cable with a protective sheath. Such a device heats up quickly, but also cools down quickly.
Popular questions and answers
Maxim Sokolov, an expert at the VseInstrumenty.Ru online hypermarket, answered Healthy Food Near Me’s questions:
Material of manufacture – models made of stainless steel, copper and brass are considered the most durable. They are resistant to corrosion and have excellent resistance to aggressive impurities in water. Ferrous metal heated towel rails are installed with full confidence that there are no such impurities in the water, for example, in a private house;
– Construction – ladder or snake. Choose the option that best suits your bathroom.
– The number of jumpers and overall dimensions affect how many towels can be placed on the heated towel rail at the same time. Usually they start from the number of family members (each has its own crossbar).
– Type of connection – left, right, diagonal. This is important, both for water models and for electric ones (wire outlet relative to the outlet).
– Color and design should be in harmony with the overall color scheme of the bathroom. The classic version of the heated towel rail is shiny metal. But there are also matte options, in gold, white or black.
We also remind you that an electric heated towel rail must be installed in close proximity to an electrical outlet – cable extension is prohibited. At the same time, it is necessary to place it so that water does not get on the device itself and on the socket; it is also necessary to use a waterproof socket. Atlantic recommends the following parameters for installing an electric model:
– 0.6 m from the edge of the bathtub, washbasin or shower cabin,
– 0.2 m from the floor,
– 0.15 m each – from the ceiling and walls.