Hello,

How do I match a heating element to a towel radiator? If the rad. is
rated at 200W, do I fit a 200W element? OTOH if the radiator emits
heat as fast as the element supplies it, does this mean the radiator
will never heat up?

I had a 400W element in a 400W radiator but it took 20 minutes or so
to warm up, so you had to plan in advance to switch it on. I think
rapid warming by a bigger element would be useful.

What prevents the element from boiling the water if it is left on
forever? Did I read that they have a thermal cut out and that if
triggered they have to be sent back to the manufacturers to be reset
or have I misunderstood?

Mine are plumbed into the CH so I guess any problems of prolonged
heating any expansion and excess heat would be absorbed by the rest of
the system but I presume you have to be very careful if it is a stand
alone radiator?

"Stephen" wrote in message
...
Hello,

How do I match a heating element to a towel radiator? If the rad. is
rated at 200W, do I fit a 200W element? OTOH if the radiator emits
heat as fast as the element supplies it, does this mean the radiator
will never heat up?

I had a 400W element in a 400W radiator but it took 20 minutes or so
to warm up, so you had to plan in advance to switch it on. I think
rapid warming by a bigger element would be useful.

What prevents the element from boiling the water if it is left on
forever? Did I read that they have a thermal cut out and that if
triggered they have to be sent back to the manufacturers to be reset
or have I misunderstood?

Mine are plumbed into the CH so I guess any problems of prolonged
heating any expansion and excess heat would be absorbed by the rest of
the system but I presume you have to be very careful if it is a stand
alone radiator?

I have recently fitted one. I went for 1200W as I wanted fast heating. This
was probably a mistake. We have it on a timer (you will need this anyway).
To avoid using a timer in the bathroom I wired the towel rail to a j/b and
fed this from outisde the bathroom, where the timer is situated.

The element "kettles" the water in the towel rail and this is audible in the
bedroom (next door and because it's connected to the heating system). Of
course it has a thermostat and turns on and off (they all do/should) - at
that power it is cycling on and off noisily early in the morning. This is
only a problem in summer of course.With hindsight, as it comes on with a
timer anyway, 1200W is too much, we would have been better with ~500W. The
towel rail is about 500x800 overall size.

HTH


--
Bob Mannix
(anti-spam is as easy as 1-2-3 - not)

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
Stephen wrote:

Hello,

How do I match a heating element to a towel radiator? If the rad. is
rated at 200W, do I fit a 200W element? OTOH if the radiator emits
heat as fast as the element supplies it, does this mean the radiator
will never heat up?

Of course not!

The only way the radiator can emit heat is by being *hotter* than the
surroundings. So you reach a state of equilibrium where the heat generated
by the element is emitted into the room - and in which the radiator is
substantially above room temperature.
--
Cheers,
Roger
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In , Stephen wrote:


What prevents the element from boiling the water if it is left on
forever? Did I read that they have a thermal cut out and that if
triggered they have to be sent back to the manufacturers to be reset
or have I misunderstood?


I'm pretty sure ours have proper thermostats inside them. I can hear
them clicking on and off while they're switched on, once the rail has
got up to temperature.

--
Roger Morton