How to choose a heated towel rail?

The electric heated towel rail has undeniable advantages that allow you to enjoy the warmth in the bathroom or dry clothes even after the end of the heating season. How to choose an electric heated towel rail in your home? Are there any criteria that you really should pay attention to when buying? This article will help to understand all this.

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Types of Electric Towel Warmers

Towel dryers, first of all, differ in the type of heating. There are three types:

• Cable or dry.
• Liquid or wet.
• Combined.

Before choosing an electric heated towel rail for the bathroom, you need to know the features of each type.

Cable type heating

In this type, an insulated cable is located inside the pipe, which serves as a heating element. In the case when it is planned to use this device for drying towels, this type is ideal.

If you want to simultaneously heat the bathroom, then this version of the device will not work, as it has low power. In fact, this is the biggest drawback of this model. But she has many advantages.

Advantages of heated towel rail “dry”:

• Economical consumption of electric energy.
• Fast heating up of the device.
• Very easy installation.
• Cheapness in comparison with other types of devices.

Liquid type of heating

It is recommended to buy a heated towel rail of this type of heating if additional heating of the bathroom is required.

Coolant in wet-type appliances

The following can act as a heat carrier in liquid heated towel rails:

• Water. Due to the large specific heat capacity, such a heat carrier slowly heats up and cools for a long time.
• Antifreeze. It is characterized by rapid heating and the same rapid cooling. A similar property is explained by the high thermal conductivity of the substance.
• Mineral oil. Heats up slower than antifreeze, but faster than water. The coolant keeps heat for a long time, as it has low thermal conductivity.

What are the disadvantages and advantages of a “wet” type of heating?

Disadvantages:

• Increased consumption of electrical energy.
• A longer heating time when compared with the “dry” type.
• The need to install the device strictly upright.

Important! As a rule, all heated towel rails are installed strictly upright for aesthetic reasons. Therefore, this drawback is not so significant.

• The high cost of the device.

Benefits:

• Higher power.
• If the device is disconnected from the power supply, it remains warm longer.

Combined type of heating

A device with this type of heating is a priority if the finances of the apartment owner allow, since the cost of such devices is much higher than the models already considered. The main feature and advantage of such an electric heated towel rail is the possibility of its operation both from central heating and from the mains.

Important! In the autumn-winter period, when the heating is operating, it can work from it, and when the heating is turned off, the appliance can be connected to the mains and still enjoy the heat and quick drying of laundry in the bathroom.

In addition to the type of heating, there are no less important parameters that you should pay attention to in order to choose the right electric heated towel rail for the bathroom. We will discuss them further.

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Power

The capacity of an electric heated towel rail should be selected depending on the area of ​​the room where it is planned to be installed. Calculation is recommended in the ratio of 140 W / m2. This is quite enough for quick drying of linen and additional heating of the room, even if there is a small window in it.

Important! If you do not need additional heating, then the power of the device can be selected and less - 100-200 watts.

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Production material

Most often in stores there are models made of stainless, ordinary steel or non-ferrous metals. How to choose an electric heated towel rail according to this criterion? - It is necessary to take into account the following differences of each option:

• The most budgetary and short-lived in operation is the option of ordinary steel. The fragility is associated with the coating of the metal with enamel, which eventually begins to swell and collapse under the influence of temperature.
• Stainless steel towel rails are considered the best option - both in price and in terms of use. Often, such a model is chrome plated, which significantly extends the life of the heat device.
• Non-ferrous metal devices are most often made from alloys of copper, aluminum or brass. They have the highest heat transfer, but are rarely purchased by consumers because of their high cost.

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Type of connection

There are two ways to connect an electric heated towel rail:

• Open. With this connection, the cable is brought out and connected to the outlet. Outside the room, the cable can be routed through a drilled hole in the wall.
• Hidden. For this method, you should purchase a special heated towel rail with a hidden connection. Its convenience lies in the fact that you do not need to constantly connect and disconnect the device from the outlet. Also, such a device does not spoil the interior of the bathroom with cords.

Important! A three-core cable in a heated towel rail with a hidden type of connection by grounding will additionally protect the user from electric shock.

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The form

This selection criterion depends entirely on your personal preferences and the design of the bathroom. The most popular today are the forms of heated towel rails:

• Short flight of stairs;
• Snake
• E-shaped;
• M-shaped;
• U-shaped;
• Swivel;
• With the top shelf.

What to give preference to? - Consider these helpful tips:

1. The device in the form of a ladder is considered universal in design, as it perfectly complements any room interior and is practical to use. On a similar heated towel rail, you can hang a large amount of linen and towels.
2. A convenient option is a device with an upper shelf on which you can fold clean towels, thereby saving the limited space of the bathroom.
3. It is worth recalling the noteworthy mobile electric heated towel rails. Their main advantage is the ability to move the device from one room to another. In addition, the installation of such a device does not require additional actions in the form of drilling walls.
4. There are also many designer models that will not only be a practical purchase, but also greatly decorate the bathroom.

Important! The size of the heated towel rail should be selected based on the area of ​​the room. Remember that the larger the product, the more high-quality heating will occur. But too bulky and powerful equipment can ruin the design of the bathroom and lead to irrational waste of energy.

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The presence of a temperature controller

It is recommended to choose a heated towel rail with a temperature controller.So you can adjust the temperature - both for drying towels and for heating the room.

Such a detail is very important in such devices, because with its help you can set a specific temperature regime. The most common temperature controller is found on liquid models. This is due to greater power (up to 2 kW), compared with cable devices, which can be adjusted to save energy.

Important! On sale you can find models of heated towel rails with a timer. By setting the device on and off time on the device’s timer, you can set the most comfortable conditions in the bathroom at the time you need, saving energy consumption.

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Manufacturers

Choosing an electric heated towel rail is best from a reliable and trusted manufacturer. The following companies have proven themselves well:

• Energy
• Navin;
• Termosmart;
• Zorg;
• Argo
• Nika.

The quality and reliability of heated towel rails of these companies is not in doubt.

Important! When buying a device even of a well-known manufacturer, it is better to read reviews about the particular model you have chosen.

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Stock footage

Now you are guided in how to choose an electric heated towel rail for the bathroom. There are not too many selection criteria, but all of them are important enough to know about them. Using the information from this article, you can easily acquire the necessary and useful thing for you that will last a long time.