Go to Forum Home Building Services Heated towel rail

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    • #30345
      Anonymous

        I have a customer with a bathroom in a damp basement. He wants a heated towel rail in there to avoid smelly mouldy towels. There's already a radiator in there, linked to the combi boiler (which will probably die and be replaced by a condensing model in a year or so). All the rads in the flat have thermostatic controls fitted. He wants to fit an electric towel rail, and has found one that's only 60w. I think it would probably be more efficient to replace the radiator with a plumbed-in rail, and just shut off all the other rads in the flat in summertime. Anyone got an energy consumption comparison?

      • #32178

        Drying towels in damp cellars…. you may need to think of ventillating.   small fan controlled by a humidistat?  solar chimney?
        Yes, I agree with Chris, running one rad will be very inefficient. Running a water filled towel rail; even worse because it will have a very low thermal capacity, the boiler will cut-out in no time.   
        The electric rail option is probably best. 
        But if you decide to consume 60W of electricity, then it could be worth considering a dehumidifier, however, they are a bit high-tech. and expensive.

      • #32179
        Nick Grant
        Participant

          I guess for a flat you will stick with combi when replacing otherwise if adding a storage tank I was thinking towel rail can come on even in summer when water heats say 2x per day or on own timer.

          We have thermal store and wood/solar and a towel rail is only 'rad' we have. Comes on when tank is up to temp.

          Lateral thoughts include drying towels outside bathroom and opening window in summer when heating off – is there a window?

          My main reservation with electric towel rail would be if it was left on all the time (only a light bulb as manufacturers say! – 1.4kW.h/day), don't imagine any stat would cut out with only 60W input.

        • #32180
          Anonymous

            No window, and no real space for a solar chimney. I guess the 60w towel rail on a timer is definitely the best option. Humidistat is also a good idea. Can anyone recommend a good humidistat? I know basic cheap ones can be bloody awful. Passivent do one – anyone roadtested it?

          • #32181
            Nick Grant
            Participant

              Sorry Dan for my contribution to the complication. With the heat recovery I was thinking general damp reduction rather than just airing towels and quickly solving your specific problem.

              How about a dual fuel electric/water towel rail for flexibility?

              Can the extractor fan be rigged to give some trickle vent given lack of a window?

            • #32182
              Anonymous

                You mean rigged so it's constantly on but at low speed, and consuming low power, with the ability to run at full speed when needed? The result being a constant airflow which can reduce damp?

                I'm really interested in the analysis of overall energy consumption for different ventilation systems, if you have any figures; particularly with a view to working out optimal solutions for retrofitting in older properties. Would you say that standard humidistat extractors should be avoided wherever possible?

              • #32183
                Nick Grant
                Participant

                  Dan

                  I'm in over my head, had hoped some of the energy people would chip in!

                  When I said rig the vent I just meant jamming the shutter open a bit without the fan on if that is possible! (Shut the door so only bathroom gets cold) Only because you say there is no window or other vent. Variable speed only really possible with DC (low energy) fans or larger ac fans with special controller and I think that is OTT for what you describe.

                  If it is a damp old house with no insulation etc as I suspect then its a different situation to new build or well insulated and I'd tend to let plenty of air through and only try and heat it prior to a shower – that's what I grew up with – bathroom effectivly outside – no attempt to keep it warm all day.

                  Now I live in a warm dry house the Baxi makes sense for us and has worked fine for last 2 years. We chose the baxi because of the low power fan, especially on trickle. As I said b4 we don't dry wet towels in the bathroom though but then it isnt heated (unless the thermal store is over temp and the towel rail dump kicks in).

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