It is hard to imagine a bathroom without a heated towel rail. The presence of such an attribute allows using it not only for drying clothes, but also for maintaining the required temperature and humidity indoors.
Design features of plumbing fixtures allow them to be divided into:
- electric;
- water;
- combined.
Most consumers use water-based equipment for drying clothes. The use of such a design is possible only if there is a supply of engineering networks to the required room. The inability to connect to hot water supply or heating, makes the consumer think about the acquisition and installation of an electric device.
What is an electric heated towel rail
The appearance of plumbing equipment for drying electric towels is no different from water counterparts. The same forms of interlocking coils in the form of letters S, U or M. Particularly popular models in the form of ladders, with a large number of horizontal partitions. Like watercraft, the body is made of chrome elementscomplementing the sheen of other bathroom fixtures. Some models of heated towel rails have a color due to which they fit into the required interior.
The electric appliance consists of aluminum, brass or steel pipes, a heating element and a temperature controller. Some models are equipped with sensors to maintain the necessary microclimate. Distinctive external components from water components are the visible temperature controller and the network connection wire.
The principle of operation of the electric heated towel rail
The towel dryer only works when connected to the mains. Through the temperature controller, which gives the command to turn it on offline, the current is supplied to the heating element. As the latter, a dry or wet heater is used, which heats the curved surface of the heated towel rail. The heating element can also be a cable located inside the tubular structure for drying clothes.
Varieties of electric heated towel rails
Today, the consumer is offered a wide selection of diverse models. Depending on the shape of the plumbing fixture, distinguish:
- M-shaped (habitual coils).
- S-shaped.
- Ladders.
- U-shaped (or U).
In addition to the shape, the difference may be the size of the unit.
IMPORTANT!
Unlike water units, the thermal power of electric heated towel rails is independent of size. The heat transfer of electrical appliances is directly proportional to the amount of electricity consumed.
According to the principle of work heating element, equipment happens:
- with wet heater;
- with dry heater;
- with heating cable.
The presence of wet heating elements allows the use of heating technology in heated towel rails of a combined type. Such devices can operate using two sources of heat: hot water (heating) or electricity.
ATTENTION!
The inclusion of such a unit with the water or heating turned off and there is no liquid in the cavity for heating, entails the failure of the heating element.
The use of a heating element of a wet type allows using not only water, but also oil in devices with a closed circuit.
IMPORTANT!
The heated towel rail is positioned so that the heater is in the lower part of the unit. Outwardly, this is due to the installation location of the thermostat.
Dry heating equipment less demanding on mounting locations. There is no liquid in these units, and a dry heater, evenly distributed over the entire surface of the pipes, instantly heats the surface of the plumbing fixture. Such designs are more durable and economical in energy consumption.
Heated towel rails with heating cable recently appeared in the consumer market and managed to gain great popularity due to increased efficiency and variety of design. The basis of the design is a special electrical wire, which, when connected to the network, heats up and gives off heat to the shell. This cable is built into the internal cavity of the pipes of the plumbing fixture and serves as a source of thermal energy. Such designs have less than 100–300 W electricity consumption from dry heaters, with the same heat transfer characteristics. The service life exceeds analogues by 5-10 years.
What is the advantage of such a unit
We highlight several obvious advantages of the unit:
- The use of water heated towel rails does not allow to warm the bathroom of an apartment building well, due to the unstable mode of passage of the coolant through the pipes of the plumbing fixture. For this reason, constantly moist places appear in the room, and subsequently - mold, fungus. The electrical unit will warm up the required space properly and prevent dampness.
- Complete set with humidity and temperature sensors increases the cost of equipment. But, during operation, it allows the heated towel rail to spend less electricity to maintain the required microclimate. The purchase and installation of an electrical unit will permanently save the room from the likelihood of mold.
- The advantage of such devices is the ability to transfer and connect to another wall or to another room. Water structures are deprived of such a resource due to the specifics of the connection.
When choosing plumbing equipment, it is important to pay attention to thermal characteristics, which show the possibility of application for the required area of the room. The correct selection will determine the comfortable microclimate of the bathroom.
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