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UK diy (uk.d-i-y) For the discussion of all topics related to diy (do-it-yourself) in the UK. All levels of experience and proficency are welcome to join in to ask questions or offer solutions. |
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#1
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Electrically heated towel rail/radiator installation
So, it's a long story, but I went and bought a towel rail (1100mm x
500mm, HxW). The installation instructions, which I hadn't bothered to read beforehand, state that there must be a gap of 500mm on either side, and that it should be 600mm from the floor (apparently to prevent leg/foot burns). Is this regulated in some way, or can you put it lower down and closer to an adjacent wall? Ta. |
#2
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Electrically heated towel rail/radiator installation
I'd have thought it should have some kind of thermostat, surely? Can you not
set it so it has a lower temperature than would cause burns? Brian -- ----- -- This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from... The Sofa of Brian Gaff... Blind user, so no pictures please Note this Signature is meaningless.! "Grumps" wrote in message ... So, it's a long story, but I went and bought a towel rail (1100mm x 500mm, HxW). The installation instructions, which I hadn't bothered to read beforehand, state that there must be a gap of 500mm on either side, and that it should be 600mm from the floor (apparently to prevent leg/foot burns). Is this regulated in some way, or can you put it lower down and closer to an adjacent wall? Ta. |
#3
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Electrically heated towel rail/radiator installation
Grumps wrote:
So, it's a long story, but I went and bought a towel rail (1100mm x 500mm, HxW). The installation instructions, which I hadn't bothered to read beforehand, state that there must be a gap of 500mm on either side, and that it should be 600mm from the floor (apparently to prevent leg/foot burns). Is this regulated in some way, or can you put it lower down and closer to an adjacent wall? Ta. Whos gonna check it? Put it where you want it. Tim -- Please don't feed the trolls |
#4
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Electrically heated towel rail/radiator installation
On 10/03/2020 18:14, Brian Gaff (Sofa 2) wrote:
I'd have thought it should have some kind of thermostat, surely? Can you not set it so it has a lower temperature than would cause burns? Brian Is it likely to get any hotter than the 80°C of many traditional radiators or wet towel rails? SteveW |
#5
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Electrically heated towel rail/radiator installation
On 11/03/2020 03:19, Steve Walker wrote:
On 10/03/2020 18:14, Brian Gaff (Sofa 2) wrote: I'd have thought it should have some kind of thermostat, surely? Can you not set it so it has a lower temperature than would cause burns? Â* Brian Is it likely to get any hotter than the 80°C of many traditional radiators or wet towel rails? SteveW Well that's what I thought too. The whole story is... The bathroom currently has a smallish towel radiator that is part of the central heating system (combi boiler). It is mounted far closer to the floor than 600mm, and the pipes run vertically from the floor directly to the rad. Obviously, in summer when the heating is not on, then the towel rad will not get hot. I know I can convert this rad to operation with an electrical element too (a little plumbing I don't fancy doing), but I don't want to get into a situation where the element fails and I have to remove the plumbed-in rad just to change said element. Changing an element on an all-electric rad is simpler. So, for simplicity, I was just going to remove current plumbed-in rad and cap off the pipes, and then install this electric one. The house is going to be a rental property v.soon. |
#6
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Electrically heated towel rail/radiator installation
On Wednesday, 11 March 2020 07:58:09 UTC, Grumps wrote:
On 11/03/2020 03:19, Steve Walker wrote: On 10/03/2020 18:14, Brian Gaff (Sofa 2) wrote: I'd have thought it should have some kind of thermostat, surely? Can you not set it so it has a lower temperature than would cause burns? Â* Brian Is it likely to get any hotter than the 80°C of many traditional radiators or wet towel rails? SteveW Well that's what I thought too. The whole story is... The bathroom currently has a smallish towel radiator that is part of the central heating system (combi boiler). It is mounted far closer to the floor than 600mm, and the pipes run vertically from the floor directly to the rad. Obviously, in summer when the heating is not on, then the towel rad will not get hot. I know I can convert this rad to operation with an electrical element too (a little plumbing I don't fancy doing), but I don't want to get into a situation where the element fails and I have to remove the plumbed-in rad just to change said element. Changing an element on an all-electric rad is simpler. So, for simplicity, I was just going to remove current plumbed-in rad and cap off the pipes, and then install this electric one. The house is going to be a rental property v.soon. I'm not sure why you can't fit an element after closing the 2 valves on the current towel rail. I'm not aware of any wiring regs reason to not have a low towel rail, but the item should be suitable for the task & the mfr says it isn't, though why I'm not clear. There is also the safety assesment, but I'm not sure why that would flag a hazard in this case. NT |
#7
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Electrically heated towel rail/radiator installation
On 11/03/2020 08:33, Chris Hogg wrote:
On Wed, 11 Mar 2020 07:58:06 +0000, Grumps wrote: The house is going to be a rental property v.soon. In which case sticking to the regs might be important. If the tenant gets injured and you've not followed the regs, you might be liable. Are there building regs for rad positions? So the proposed location for this electric rad is in zone 3. There is already a fused spur timeswitch on the landing (so someone was thinking ahead). Now to wiring up the rad. Can I just clip the wire to the skirting and then poke it into the plasterboard cavity and connect to timer? I could hide the cable in some of clip-on trunking. Can't lift bathroom floor as it is tiled. |
#8
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Electrically heated towel rail/radiator installation
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#9
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Electrically heated towel rail/radiator installation
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#10
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Electrically heated towel rail/radiator installation
Grumps wrote:
On 11/03/2020 03:19, Steve Walker wrote: On 10/03/2020 18:14, Brian Gaff (Sofa 2) wrote: I'd have thought it should have some kind of thermostat, surely? Can you not set it so it has a lower temperature than would cause burns? Â* Brian Is it likely to get any hotter than the 80°C of many traditional radiators or wet towel rails? SteveW Well that's what I thought too. The whole story is... The bathroom currently has a smallish towel radiator that is part of the central heating system (combi boiler). It is mounted far closer to the floor than 600mm, and the pipes run vertically from the floor directly to the rad. Obviously, in summer when the heating is not on, then the towel rad will not get hot. I know I can convert this rad to operation with an electrical element too (a little plumbing I don't fancy doing), but I don't want to get into a situation where the element fails and I have to remove the plumbed-in rad just to change said element. Changing an element on an all-electric rad is simpler. So, for simplicity, I was just going to remove current plumbed-in rad and cap off the pipes, and then install this electric one. The house is going to be a rental property v.soon. I really cant understand why the radiator needs to be so high or far from adjacent walls compared to a wet radiator. Seems like over-kill from a H&S POV. I wouldnt be too hasty about ditching the plumbed in radiator though. The output of a heated towel rail regularly covered in towels is a *lot* lower than a proper radiator. Tim -- Please don't feed the trolls |
#11
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Electrically heated towel rail/radiator installation
On Wednesday, 11 March 2020 09:23:07 UTC, Grumps wrote:
On 11/03/2020 09:11, tabbypurr wrote: On Wednesday, 11 March 2020 07:58:09 UTC, Grumps wrote: On 11/03/2020 03:19, Steve Walker wrote: On 10/03/2020 18:14, Brian Gaff (Sofa 2) wrote: I'd have thought it should have some kind of thermostat, surely? Can you not set it so it has a lower temperature than would cause burns? Â* Brian Is it likely to get any hotter than the 80°C of many traditional radiators or wet towel rails? SteveW Well that's what I thought too. The whole story is... The bathroom currently has a smallish towel radiator that is part of the central heating system (combi boiler). It is mounted far closer to the floor than 600mm, and the pipes run vertically from the floor directly to the rad. Obviously, in summer when the heating is not on, then the towel rad will not get hot. I know I can convert this rad to operation with an electrical element too (a little plumbing I don't fancy doing), but I don't want to get into a situation where the element fails and I have to remove the plumbed-in rad just to change said element. Changing an element on an all-electric rad is simpler. So, for simplicity, I was just going to remove current plumbed-in rad and cap off the pipes, and then install this electric one. The house is going to be a rental property v.soon. I'm not sure why you can't fit an element after closing the 2 valves on the current towel rail. The current piping runs vertically from the floor, through a rad valve, then into the rad. This is the same position as where the element needs to go, so I'd have to add a right angle somewhere to allow the pipe to enter the rad horizontally. I'm not aware of any wiring regs reason to not have a low towel rail, but the item should be suitable for the task & the mfr says it isn't, though why I'm not clear. There is also the safety assesment, but I'm not sure why that would flag a hazard in this case. NT What happens when the element fails? You can't just unscrew it 'cos all the water will gush out. So you have to remove rad, invert, then replace. This must be the same for the all-electric rads too (which may be filled with oil). Close valves, place tray under where the element is. Loosen element, and once rad empty, change it. NT |
#13
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Electrically heated towel rail/radiator installation
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#14
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Electrically heated towel rail/radiator installation
The 600mm above the floor seems a bit ridiculous it, would put the top out the radiator almost 6 foot off the floor. The 500mm side spacing might be to allow replacement of the element but I would imagine it would only be to one side assuming you have a choice which side the element is fitted. Maybe that is the reason for the vertical height if like many towel radiators the openings for the valves are positioned vertically?
Richard |
#15
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Electrically heated towel rail/radiator installation
In article ,
Grumps wrote: So, it's a long story, but I went and bought a towel rail (1100mm x 500mm, HxW). The installation instructions, which I hadn't bothered to read beforehand, state that there must be a gap of 500mm on either side, and that it should be 600mm from the floor (apparently to prevent leg/foot burns). Is this regulated in some way, or can you put it lower down and closer to an adjacent wall? Ta. I'd want it high enough so bath towels don't reach the floor, and air can circulate round them too? -- *Vegetarians taste great* Dave Plowman London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound. |
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