Best way to heat your towel rail?
Discussion
An unexpected debate my end....
So my three options to heat towel rails:
Off the central heating
Electric
and a surprise new entry, from the hot water.
Off the central heating means no hot towels during the summer, but then, do you need hot towels over the summer?
Electric, well, it takes longer to heat them on demand, though suppose could set via thermostat
Via hotwater, warm on demand, but are they warm enough?
So in the words of the cadburys cream eggs, how do you (h)eat yours?!
Maybe my middle name is Scrooge, but you can guarantee that if there are any women in the house an electric rail will be on all the time in summer and probably overnight in winter (so towels nice and warm when going to bathroom at night when central heating off).
And that seems like a waste of electricity to me.
I chose running off the central heating for that reason!
And that seems like a waste of electricity to me.
I chose running off the central heating for that reason!
Edited by mac96 on Saturday 4th February 21:25
We've got out heating zoned through evohome, however the towel rails have been left with manual valves on them, this means that if the central heating or the hot water comes on then the towel rails get heated. To me this is perfect, even in the summer after we've showered the hot water will be on for an hour or two reheating the megaflo, during this time it also drys the towels.
We do also have the electric elements as they already installed, we've used them once, before we installed evohome.
We do also have the electric elements as they already installed, we've used them once, before we installed evohome.
robwilk said:
Mine are connected to the boiler circs before the zoning valves so every time the boiler fires either for heating or hot water the towel rails heat up so in the summer they still heat up due to hot water demand but not as often as in the winter.
no good if you have a combi though.
Rob
That's a good solution but equally easy is since every other rad is on a TRV, with the bathroom the only non-TRV rad, it heats up fine in summerno good if you have a combi though.
Rob
I have central heating with Evohome. All radiators and towel rails have Evohome controlled valves. For any day I can set 6 temperature profiles on each radiator and towel rail. Most of the house is set to 20 to 22 deg C and for 2 hours each day when we a most likely to use the bathrooms the towel rails are set to 25 deg C so they are nice and hot. Towel rails don't put out as much heat as a radiator but if they do cause an adjoining room to heat up then those radiators automatically throttle back. Something similar will probably continue in summer when only the towel rails will be heated.
As suggested above, I'd put it on the CH circuit then have a timed switch on an electric element (say for an hour) so it can't be left on but you can press before or after shower to warm / dry towels as necessary when the CH isn't running?
If you're sizing one as the radiator for the bathroom remember it won't heat the room as well when covered with towels so go a bit bigger
If you're sizing one as the radiator for the bathroom remember it won't heat the room as well when covered with towels so go a bit bigger
ks in hand works for me.Mine is on my CH with its own Heatmiser Neo stat. Set to heat the bathroom in the winter and to warm/dry towels around shower time in the summer. All other rads are off in the summer.
Oil fired combi has a heat bank which is required for hot water anyway so I don't think this is hugely inefficient.
As others have said too many electric ones are wired in to be on all the time - you can get digital programmable timers which replace a standard fused spur switchplate - well worth it.
Oil fired combi has a heat bank which is required for hot water anyway so I don't think this is hugely inefficient.
As others have said too many electric ones are wired in to be on all the time - you can get digital programmable timers which replace a standard fused spur switchplate - well worth it.
We have ours connected to the CH system, but also to the Hot Water loop.
We then have the hot water timed to come on for 90 mins early evening before the general shower times.
On really cold days the towel rail is on with the CH (whatever room is calling for demand - Evohome) on normal days/summer the towel rail comes on with the hot water!
IIRC most modern new builds are plumbed in this way!
We then have the hot water timed to come on for 90 mins early evening before the general shower times.
On really cold days the towel rail is on with the CH (whatever room is calling for demand - Evohome) on normal days/summer the towel rail comes on with the hot water!
IIRC most modern new builds are plumbed in this way!
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