towel rail.. I thought...
towel rail.. I thought...
Author
Discussion

Daveyh

Original Poster:

110 posts

227 months

Tuesday 5th August 2008
quotequote all
I always thought a towel rail was supposed to be heated by the hot water cycle, NOT the radiator cycle (so it works all year round not just colder months). No ? Mine bloomin doesn't really annoying!
DH

kambites

71,698 posts

252 months

Tuesday 5th August 2008
quotequote all
It's usually a direct replacement for a radiator so it only works when the heating is on. I suppose the theory is that if the weather is warm enough that you don't need heating, your towels dry pretty quick anyway. smile

Simpo Two

93,063 posts

296 months

Tuesday 5th August 2008
quotequote all
Bah, we didn't buld an Empire by having nancyboy hot towels you know!

Rebuker

5,006 posts

253 months

Tuesday 5th August 2008
quotequote all
They are meant to be sturdy grab handles for the OH to hold on to. No towels involved with one's plans for the OH. Oh no.

Simond001

4,519 posts

308 months

Tuesday 5th August 2008
quotequote all
Rebuker said:
They are meant to be sturdy grab handles for the OH to hold on to. No towels involved with one's plans for the OH. Oh no.
Thermostat on low i trust!

ln1234

848 posts

229 months

Tuesday 5th August 2008
quotequote all
Why would you want your hot water and towel radiator to mix? Unless you don't mind taking showers with rusty hot water!

If you are so way inclined, most towel radiators have an option of an electric thermostat, which can be used for the summer months to heat the towel rail.

Rebuker

5,006 posts

253 months

Tuesday 5th August 2008
quotequote all
Simond001 said:
Rebuker said:
They are meant to be sturdy grab handles for the OH to hold on to. No towels involved with one's plans for the OH. Oh no.
Thermostat on low i trust!
scratchchin

Put it on HIGH. And line it with glue. And ride the rodeo.

igiveup

2,875 posts

313 months

Tuesday 5th August 2008
quotequote all
Mine is set up so it comes on with either the Hot Water or the Heating.


NDA

25,806 posts

256 months

Tuesday 5th August 2008
quotequote all
I'd be curious about this one too. My bathroom radiator/towel rail is always on, with or without the central heating being on.

Deva Link

26,934 posts

276 months

Tuesday 5th August 2008
quotequote all
igiveup said:
Mine is set up so it comes on with either the Hot Water or the Heating.
Mine is too - it used to be standard practice to set it up as the bolier bypass. Nowadays they often to use a dedicated bypass valve instead.

Dogwatch

6,385 posts

253 months

Tuesday 5th August 2008
quotequote all
ln1234 said:
Why would you want your hot water and towel radiator to mix? Unless you don't mind taking showers with rusty hot water!
Think I'd want to give a good kicking to any plumber who set that up. It should have been incorporated in the hot water primary circuit which circulates between the tank and the boiler, not the indirectly heated water which comes out of the taps. Sticking it in the radiator circuit is more usual because of our long hot summers....... rolleyes

JRM

2,065 posts

263 months

Tuesday 5th August 2008
quotequote all
I have EXACTLY the same problem when I had my heating re-done and towl rails put in and was furious, but it would have meant laying secondary pipes through the whole house to have them on with the hot water - which is obviously what you want so that towels can dry.

As someone else said you can get electric element instered into the towel rail that work off an independant timer, but it's very annoying.

I guess the only solution for summer would be to turn all the radiators off at the valve and then have the heating and hot water always on at the same time, with the thermostat set very high. Less of a problem in winter anyway.

King Herald

23,501 posts

247 months

Tuesday 5th August 2008
quotequote all
ln1234 said:
Why would you want your hot water and towel radiator to mix? Unless you don't mind taking showers with rusty hot water!

If you are so way inclined, most towel radiators have an option of an electric thermostat, which can be used for the summer months to heat the towel rail.
Surely only one lot of hot water goes through the actual boiler bit, so if you pipe that through the towel rad it will heat whenever anything is being heated?

GreenDog

2,261 posts

223 months

Tuesday 5th August 2008
quotequote all
King Herald said:
ln1234 said:
Why would you want your hot water and towel radiator to mix? Unless you don't mind taking showers with rusty hot water!

If you are so way inclined, most towel radiators have an option of an electric thermostat, which can be used for the summer months to heat the towel rail.
Surely only one lot of hot water goes through the actual boiler bit, so if you pipe that through the towel rad it will heat whenever anything is being heated?
No heating and hot water are separate - Have you seen the colour of the water in your radiators ? Wouldn't fancy bathing in that.

Gretchen

19,809 posts

247 months

Tuesday 5th August 2008
quotequote all
Simpo Two said:
Bah, we didn't buld an Empire by having nancyboy hot towels you know!
Exactly.

I've got one, I don't use it, it doesn't even make the towel luke warm, what's the point in a warm towel anyway? For people who are too lazy to vigourously rub.

I went somewhere recently where they had a 'body dryer' WTF is that about?


JRM

2,065 posts

263 months

Tuesday 5th August 2008
quotequote all
Gretchen said:
Simpo Two said:
Bah, we didn't buld an Empire by having nancyboy hot towels you know!
Exactly.

I've got one, I don't use it, it doesn't even make the towel luke warm, what's the point in a warm towel anyway? For people who are too lazy to vigourously rub.

I went somewhere recently where they had a 'body dryer' WTF is that about?
It's meant to dry the towels after a shower, not keep them warm for you rolleyes

Gretchen

19,809 posts

247 months

Tuesday 5th August 2008
quotequote all
JRM said:
Gretchen said:
Simpo Two said:
Bah, we didn't buld an Empire by having nancyboy hot towels you know!
Exactly.

I've got one, I don't use it, it doesn't even make the towel luke warm, what's the point in a warm towel anyway? For people who are too lazy to vigourously rub.

I went somewhere recently where they had a 'body dryer' WTF is that about?
It's meant to dry the towels after a shower, not keep them warm for you rolleyes
So it's for dirty people who don't provide a clean towel each time? Magic.


EdT

5,240 posts

315 months

Tuesday 5th August 2008
quotequote all
Ours is the same - warms up with heating not water. Shame!

anonymous-user

85 months

Tuesday 5th August 2008
quotequote all
It used to work that way with older systems with gravity hot water I believe.
I recently changed mine to a combi-boiler, so in the same boat as you..
But I got a new bathroom rad with an additional electric element / timer, to heat it for a while to dry towels & all that, when heating is off.

JRM

2,065 posts

263 months

Tuesday 5th August 2008
quotequote all
Gretchen said:
JRM said:
Gretchen said:
Simpo Two said:
Bah, we didn't buld an Empire by having nancyboy hot towels you know!
Exactly.

I've got one, I don't use it, it doesn't even make the towel luke warm, what's the point in a warm towel anyway? For people who are too lazy to vigourously rub.

I went somewhere recently where they had a 'body dryer' WTF is that about?
It's meant to dry the towels after a shower, not keep them warm for you rolleyes
So it's for dirty people who don't provide a clean towel each time? Magic.
So you wash a towel every time it's used? So as I shower twice a day I'd be washing 14 towels a week? I don't think I own that many!