How To Choose A Good And Inexpensive Heated Towel Rail, Connection Conditions, Prevent Airing Of The Serpentine System

2023 Author: Philip Bishop | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 07:54

• Types of heated towel rails
• Connection options
• DHW or heating?
• Features of connection in houses with centralized heat and water supply
• Ways to connect heated towel rails
• Connection specifics
• Installation and connection of towel dryers
• Removing the old
• Cranes
• Finishing works
• Crimping the heated towel rail
• The solution to the problem is electric drying
• Video for choosing and connecting a heated towel rail

A heated towel rail is a must-have bathroom accessory, often not only performing its direct functional duties, but also playing the role of an additional heating device. If it is present in the room, the likelihood of the development of not the most useful putrefactive microflora decreases and the formation of condensation decreases - which is why the installation of heated towel rails in all apartment buildings was provided for by the project.

However, over the decades that have passed since then, such devices - which were, in fact, a jumper pipe connected to the heating system - have become obsolete not only morally, but also technically. Modern towel dryers are not only more convenient to use and more reliable in operation, but also can easily fit into the most non-standard interior.

Types of heated towel rails

By the type of heat carrier, all heated towel rails are divided into two large categories: water and electric. At the same time, the heat source does not affect the appearance and dimensions of the dryer at all - both ordinary bent "snake" tubes and exquisite models of abstract configuration equally perfectly cope with their functional duties.

However, practically not differing externally, these two types of heated towel rails differ very much in their internal structure. The former are heated by hot water circulating in them, while electric towel dryers are, in fact, an ordinary heating element with a low degree of heating and a small electrical power consumption: there is not simply no water in them - it is contraindicated for them.

Connection options

Water heated towel rails can have a different connection scheme to hot water supply, therefore, when purchasing such a device, it is necessary to provide for this factor, so that it is easier to carry out its installation. So, according to the installation method, these accessories can have:

• Bottom connection.
• Top connection.
• Corner water supply.
• Side connection (left or right)

The most practical and optimal is the side connection, since models with this design can be adapted to any installation location.

Such an installation option will help to make the connection node almost invisible, so the type of connection will not spoil the interior design. It is imperative to clarify the center-to-center distance between the hot water connection pipes, if it is not planned to re-install the piping. Usually this parameter is 500 mm, but there are exceptions. This must be taken into account when going shopping.

DHW or heating?

Since hot water is used as a heat carrier in traditional heated towel rails, the most obvious way to connect them is to insert into an existing hot water supply system. But, unfortunately, this method is far from always available, and much more often you have to do it differently: connect to the centralized heating system. Unfortunately, because as a result of such a connection, the work schedule of the heated towel rail becomes rigidly tied to the heating season - and in the warm season, the dryer turns from a heater into a simple towel rack …

In houses or apartments with individual heating with a double-circuit boiler, the issue of connecting a heated towel rail is solved much easier; there are also special models of heating boilers with a third circuit designed specifically for connecting water dryers.

Features of connection in houses with centralized heat and water supply

Technologically, "cutting" a heated towel rail into the heating system is a procedure that requires stopping the heating and removing the heat carrier from the system. Therefore, in apartment buildings it is best to do this in the summer, during the "dead" heating season. In the midst of winter, it is very difficult to persuade the public utilities to even temporarily turn off the heating, but the reaction of neighbors, in case of positive results of persuasion remaining without heat for several hours, is not at all difficult to predict …

However, even when carrying out work in the summer, everything is not so simple: the heating system must be empty, without a coolant. In the case of centralized heating of an apartment building without the help of utilities, it is very difficult to make sure that the water from the pipes is completely drained; in addition, the "feeding" of the system should be shut off - and this, again, is under the jurisdiction of housing and communal services.

Connecting to a centralized hot water system also requires, if not personal participation, then at least sanctions for work from representatives of public utilities - it is necessary to temporarily shut off the hot water entering the house. This is also required when removing (dismantling) old models of heated towel rails that are not equipped with "cut-off" taps and bypasses …

Ways to connect heated towel rails

Depending on the design of a water heated towel rail, the methods of connecting it to the system may be as follows:

• bottom - inlet and outlet pipes are located at the bottom of the heating device and in the same plane with it;
• lateral - nozzles are located on the side of one side of the dryer and are rotated in relation to its plane by 90 degrees;
• central - connection is made to the branch pipes located in the middle of the lower part of the device;
• diagonal - "connectors" for connection to the system are located at diagonally opposite points of heated towel rails; found in ladder models.

Connection specifics

Lateral connection is used for hidden installation of hot water or heating pipes. The joining process is relatively time consuming - but the result is worth it! The bottom connection is used in models of heated towel rails designed for installation in open systems, and is most often used in houses of old housing stock. If necessary, it can be converted into a lateral one without any special difficulties (but not vice versa!) - it is enough to connect 90-degree corners to the "entrance" and "exit" of the dryer. But the appearance of the finished structure will not be very attractive …

When choosing a model of a heated towel rail, you should take into account that devices with side connection are slightly (about 10%) more powerful than products with a bottom connection to the system.

Some helpful tips for connecting heated towel rails

• If the diameters of the pipeline and the nozzles of the dryer do not match, the connection is made through adapters, the working section of which should not be less than the same parameter of the pipes of the system. If this condition is not observed, there is a high probability of overpressure in the system, leading to a violation of its performance.
• The layout of the hot water or heating system and the axial dimensions (the distance between the geometric centers of the pipes) of the heated towel rail must be "linked" to each other. Otherwise, during installation, you will have to use various adapters and fittings, which does not at all improve the appearance of the assembled system.
• The more it is used when assembling additional adapters, the higher the likelihood of leaks at the joints. Therefore, you should not save on sealing the joints with winding or special compounds.
• When selecting taps and fittings for connecting a heated towel rail to the system, it is imperative to take into account their electrochemical compatibility. Some metals, when physically in contact with each other, form a galvanic pair, which leads to their rapid mutual corrosion. For example, brass and steel are bad neighbors.
• The longest service life and the greatest heat transfer are chrome-plated models of heated towel rails. True, their cost is corresponding …

Installation and connection of towel dryers

Installation of a water heated towel rail includes the following basic operations:

1. Dismantling the old device.
2. Installing a bypass.
3. Installation of top (inlet) and bottom (outlet) taps.
4. Direct installation of a heated towel rail.
5. Pressure testing of the assembled structure in order to identify possible leaks.

Removing the old

Work begins after the complete "dehydration" of the system to which the connection is made. Dismantling of the old heated towel rail is usually done with a "grinder" - even with a threaded connection, the nuts and couplings most often "stick" to the pipes tightly and cannot be unscrewed. If this does not happen, the old dryer is simply unscrewed and removed from the brackets.

It should be borne in mind that the remaining pipes for connection must have a length taking into account the subsequent threading or welding of the corresponding fitting.

Bypass required

A bypass is a piece of pipe that serves as a jumper between the "supply" and "return", to which a heated towel rail is connected, mounted BEFORE the taps that control the operation of the device. Its purpose is to ensure the operability of the system when one of the elements (in this case, the dryer) is removed from its composition: if there is a bypass in the system, the circulation of hot water in it will not stop. In his absence, in which case it will be necessary to completely shut off the water …

The bypass can be welded to the pipes of the main line or connected through tees, but the diameter of its working section must be less than the diameter of the main pipes.

Cranes

To control the operation of the heated towel rail, two stopcocks are installed in front of it with a corresponding cross-section of the main pipes. The design and arrangement of these valves does not really matter - both two-position (open / closed) ball and multi-turn products are equally suitable. True, if an air lock in the towel dryer accidentally forms, leading to a sharp decrease in the efficiency of the heater, it will not be possible to remove it with such taps. Initially, air can be vented through the nuts, but if they are often twisted, then the seals will quickly become unusable.

The best option is to install at least one Mayevsky valve, which allows you to easily remove air from the system. And automatic models of such cranes will allow you to forget about such a problem as airing a heated towel rail!

The valves usually have a threaded connection - therefore, if there is no thread on the main pipes, it must be cut or welded on the appropriate fitting.

Finishing works

The final installation of the heated towel rail is to fix it on special brackets and attach the branch pipes to the taps. In some models of dryers, instead of brackets, telescopic holders or, for example, clamps are used - all of these fasteners are usually included with a heated towel rail.

Rarely enough, but there are devices that are installed in the reverse order: first, the device is connected to the pipeline, and only then it is attached to the wall. But in any case, the distance from the heated towel rail pipes to the wall should be at least 1.4 of their diameter.

It is better to seal the connections to ordinary threads with linen winding, but for tapered threaded connections it is better to use FUM tape. In both cases, the amount of the seal should be such that twisting occurs with a slight but noticeable interference. Excessive efforts are not allowed!

Crimping the heated towel rail

After the completion of the installation work and the supply of water to the system, the operation of the heated towel rail is checked and the absence of leaks from threaded connections and welds is checked.

In apartment buildings with centralized heating and hot water supply during the summer, such a check can be difficult and leaks can only be detected after the heating "starts" - therefore, taps must be installed in front of the dryer.

The solution to the problem is electric drying

There are times when there is no technical possibility to use the main heating riser or you do not like its place, then there is another way out. An electric heated towel rail does not require a heating or hot water supply system for operation, so all work on its connection is reduced to mounting the device on the wall in any way possible and plugging the device into an outlet. The power of such devices is not very large, the installation is extremely simple and, in some cases, they are economically more profitable than water heated towel rails.

The main requirement when installing an electric dryer in the bathroom is the unconditional compliance with electrical safety standards. It is obligatory to use an RCD and an outlet with an IP protection class of at least 54.

Video for choosing and connecting a heated towel rail

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