Previously, heated towel rails were not considered a necessary element in the bathroom and were often dismantled. This is correct, because bathrooms, as a rule, are cramped spaces, and the models of these devices had quite impressive dimensions.
Now everything has changed and you can choose a suitable heated towel rail for a bathroom of any size. Manufacturers offer a lot of options from different materials, all shapes and colors. It’s difficult not to get confused in such an assortment, so you definitely need to know the basic rules for choosing a high-quality heated towel rail for the bathroom, which will be discussed in this article.
Classification of heated towel rails
Most of our country is located in a climate where it is important to maintain optimal temperature in the house using heating appliances. In addition, drying clothes is difficult most of the year. For this purpose, they purchase a heated towel rail in order to be able to provide additional heating in the bathroom and be able to dry a small amount of laundry.
By heating type
Depending on how the device is heated, they are divided into water, electric and combined type devices. In order to understand the principles of their operation, it is necessary to consider each in detail:
Water type heated towel rails. This type of heated towel rails operates from the heating system in the house. Since hot water from the water supply system passes through the pipes, an aggressive environment is not created inside. But any water can sooner or later cause lime deposits on the inner walls of the heated towel rail, so you should choose only those models that are resistant to such influences.
A negative feature of such heated towel rails is that they stop functioning in the summer when the hot water is turned off. Namely, they are just as needed at this time as in winter, especially on cold days, when warmth inside the bathroom would not hurt.
Connecting this device to the general system is done by attaching it to American nuts and creating waterproofing using rubber or paronite gaskets, which periodically need to be replaced to avoid leakage.
It is also worth paying attention to the fact that it is better to choose stainless steel heated towel rail models with a tap for draining water. This will help, if you need to move the water device, to drain all the liquid from it. This valve will also help free the heated towel rail pipes from air pockets that may form immediately after hot water is supplied.
Electric heated towel rails. Such a device does not require additional water supply; it is enough to have an electrical outlet in the bathroom or outside it. The operation of the device depends only on the availability of electricity. In addition, such a heated towel rail can be installed not only in the bathroom, but also in any room of the house where it is needed.
Important! Heated towel rails operating using the “dry” heating type are considered more reliable than those operating from heating elements.
Many questions arise about connecting such an electrical appliance. So, it can be implemented in several ways. The first is hidden, which involves installing a cable in the wall and connecting it to the distribution box, which allows you to integrate the device into the general power supply. Such installation of a heated towel rail can only be carried out if the device is equipped with a control unit through which it can be turned on or off, as well as set the required heating temperature, which can vary between 25 and 70 degrees Celsius.
Devices made of copper have high thermal conductivity and resistance to corrosion. They are also lightweight and heat up quickly. This type of heated towel rails can be installed in a central water supply system only if the inner surface is galvanized. But a longer service life can be achieved if you install this device in an autonomous system.
Such a heated towel rail can become a full-fledged part of the interior and decorate it, as they are available in various interesting variations.
Brass is an alloy based on copper. It was from her that he inherited excellent technical characteristics. Typically, such heated towel rails are chrome-plated inside, which significantly increases their service life.
According to the design of heated towel rails
Depending on the design and external design, heated towel rails can be completely different. Basically, the main role is played by the connection diagram to the hot water supply. So, according to the connection method, devices can be bottom, top, corner and side.
Heated towel rails are now installed not only in bathrooms. There are models that can be installed in any other room, they are especially common in hallways, where they are used as a heater and a place for drying wet outerwear and even shoes.
Floor products are very convenient because they can be moved without much effort to any other place where heating is currently needed.
For user convenience, rotating heated towel rails are also available, equipped with a special mechanism that allows the components to be rotated 180 degrees. But such water heated towel rails for the bathroom are less reliable than stationary models, since their mechanism can quickly fail. Typically, the service life of such dryers is about 3 years.
If you want to install a rotating version of the heated towel rail, but you are not satisfied with the service life of such a model, you can take a different route and install a stationary one with an additional removable rotating mechanism. It can be made of several slats, on which you can easily place several towels and underwear.
You can also purchase an electric model of a rotary heated towel rail, which is more reliable than a similar water model due to the absence of coolant inside the pipes. The convenience of such products is that all the things hung on the parts of the dryer will not overlap each other and will dry in a shorter time.
According to the shape of heated towel rails
Now designers are developing various interesting designs of heated towel rails, in addition to the usual coil. Such diversity helps satisfy the taste of even the most demanding customer.
The following main forms can be distinguished:
Conclusion
For some, choosing a heated towel rail can be a very difficult task, but it can be easily dealt with if you know the basic criteria by which these devices are classified. And based on your needs and wishes, you can make a choice in favor of one or another unit.