What are heated towel dryers
The popularity of heated towel rails, like their assortment, increases every year. To determine which one to choose, you need to know what are heated towel rails, their varieties and features.
Instruments for the bathroom should operate under conditions of high humidity and sharp temperature drops, a heated towel rail is no exception.
Experienced builders and designers when repairing apartments with special attention, fit the bathroom finish. After all, the bathroom is a room with high humidity and is subject to sharp temperature drop. Accordingly, these conditions impose specific requirements for the equipment and materials used in the repair. Heated towel rails in this case is no exception.
In the modern market, 2 main material were proposed that are used in the manufacture of heated towel rails are chrome brass and stainless steel. It is worth considering that these materials at first glance are quite difficult to distinguish each other.
Heated towel rails made of stainless steel have a number of advantages compared to heated towel rails made of brass
Connection diagram of a towel rail.
The main difference is that steel models can withstand greater water pressure during operation in multi-storey residential buildings with central heating and water supply. However, if you decide to choose a steel heated towel rail, it is recommended to stop on the product designed from a solid (seamless tube). It is also desirable to choose a heated towel rail with thick walls of the pipe so that its thickness exceeds 3 mm. The thicker the pipe wall, the better.
Most people, having heard the word "heated towel rail, represents a serpentine, to which they are already accustomed to, living in urban apartments. But today foreign and domestic producers present a large range of sizes, shapes, colors and structures of towel rails for the bathroom. Today, the design of heated towel rails pleases its diversity. They have forms of individual letters or words, geometric shapes, currency signs, there are also heated towel rails with rotating around their axis or interlaced pipes.
There may be no equipment in the bathroom, but not only the heating device. Modern heated towel rails are designed to perform two main tasks:
- To maintain the required temperature in the room, thereby preventing it from the convergence, and, accordingly, the appearance of mold and fungi.
- Dry towels, bathrobes and other things.
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What are the types of heated towel rails
Like all devices, each type of heated towel rails has its drawbacks and dignity. Knowing their features and varieties, you can choose the best option for the bathroom.Currently, there are 3 types of heated towel rails, possessing both the advantages and disadvantages:
In terms of the fact that heated towel rails vary on water, electrical and combined, there is also a huge selection of various shapes.
- Water.
- Electric.
- Combined.
Water, in turn, are divided into:
- From stainless steel.
- From non-ferrous metal.
- From black steel.
The principle of their work becomes clear from the instrument name:
Water heated towel rails function at the expense of the central heating system and are heated by passing through their hot water pipes. Water quality is an important factor affecting the choice of the product, since water of poor quality can destructively affect its inner walls. Consequently, if you intend to buy an imported towel rail, you need to make sure that it is suitable for work in our conditions. Most likely, from the aggressiveness of water is subject to the destruction of products from non-ferrous metals.
Electrical does not depend on central water supply and heating, they only need a socket and them can be used as needed. But their disadvantage is additional costs of electricity.
Electrical models are also convenient than those are easily adjustable. However, during their installation, it is necessary to strictly comply with all the requirements that are presented to electrical appliances operating in wet premises. Electrical models are most promising for home use, since only this type of heated towel rails will not leave the user without heat, even if the hot water is turned off.
Combined models are the most practical option to apply the most profitable source for heating at the moment. In other words, it allows you to alternate the outlet of the contour or water or by electricity. The combined system during the heating season operates from water, and at another time from electricity.
Materials from which heated towel rails
There are several types of material for the manufacture of heated towel rails:
Steel is the most reliable and durable. The goods from this material are somewhat heavy, but is available at a price. Products made of black steel capricious to the composition of water, which will proceed by them, so they are recommended to be installed in homes, in which the individual water supply system is provided. However, if you still decided to choose a product from black steel for an urban apartment, then you need to apply a two-circuit system with an additional heat exchanger. This design will protect the heated towel rail from the aggressive environment.
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Copper heated towel rails have high thermal conductivity, and also not subject to corrosion.
Copper has a high degree of thermal conductivity and is not amenable to corrosion, the product from this material is heated faster, easy to assemble and has a small weight.
Brass is resistant to corrosion, and in order to extend the service life, covered with chrome. In the domestic market, brass products are mostly imported. Often they are not calculated for installation in centralized heating systems. Since the working pressure of the items of these products is lower than that of stainless steel products, many are known that hydroudars (pressure drops) are quite common in multi-storey buildings with central heating, sometimes they can reach 8-10 bar.
However, the brass heated towel rails of imported production are more diverse on their painting and forms. They are better installed in houses with autonomous heating (in cottages, country houses, in cottages), where pressure rarely can exceed 3 bar. For apartments in high-rise buildings, safer buy stainless steel heated towel rails with a working pressure of 10-15 bar.
The products from non-ferrous metals are distinguished by a beautiful design, but are very sensitive to high temperatures and to metal compounds in water. These factors can negatively affect the service life of the product.
Stainless steel is the least capricious material, freely transfers temperature differences. Heated towel rails are produced with a painted, chrome or polished surface. Cheap options often have welding defects.
Stainless steel heated towel rails easily carry large temperature differences.
By purchasing a heated towel rail, the availability of such documents should be checked as:
- installation instructions;
- technical certificate;
- hygienic certificate;
- Recommendations for operation;
- Warranty card.
If you need to move the heated towel rail to another wall (not at the one where the central riser is located), it is recommended to purchase a stainless steel product that has a deck valve for air. This valve is also called "Maevsky's crane". Thanks to this device, there will be no difficulty with the first launch of the new heated towel rail, or when starting after the seasonal disconnection of hot water supply. It is enough to open the "crane of Maevsky" and pull the air plug before water flows. This procedure is necessary in order to fill the hot water heated towel rail, as well as for its normal circulation, as the heated towel rail will not work with the air plug.
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Another important detail of heated towel rails
If the bathroom is repaired with the transfer or replacement of the water heated towel rail, it is recommended to make a bypass (jumper) in the rim system and set the ball valves at the output and the inlet of the heated towel rail. This device will cost about 4-5 thousand rubles (the cost of the jumper itself and work). Bypass primarily need to be easier to replace seals that are used to connect the heated towel rail to the pipes. The service life of these seals is approximately 2-3 years. In order for when replacing seals or a towel rail, or even when eliminating any problems, it did not have to turn off the water in all riser, a jumper called bypass with ball valves is intended. Thanks to it, it is easy for it to overlap the water supplied to the heated towel rail with the help of these cranes, thereby launching water on the jumper and without violating pressure in the system.
Another part that needs to be taken into account by choosing the device is that in the market for a long time there are heated towel rails with a rotary device. These products are able to rotate 180 ° relative to the wall at the connection point to the pipes. But it is the weakest place of such heated towel rails, as rubber rings are served by seals in turning devices, which are very quickly wear out due to turns. The severity of rave towels or linen speeds up the process of their failure, as rotation is performed under load.
Summing up, we can conclude that if you are repaired in the bathroom in a high-rise building with central water supply, it is recommended to install heated towel rails made of stainless steel and rigid mounting to the wall.