Warm dry towels - controlling an electric towel rail.
 

We've had a gert big ladder towel rail installed in our bathroom with
an electric element in addition to the central heating connection so
that we could have dry towels in Summer when the CH was off.

After looking at various timeswitches I think I've found the perfect
solution and thought it worth sharing.

The electric element is now connected to a 0-2 hour delay timer from
TLC. This is switched by an architrave press switch
http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/EK320A.html
http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/MKK4848P.html

Get out of shower, use towels, hang on rail, press button. Rail heats
up for an hour or so (I haven't fine tuned the timing yet) and the
towels are dry for the next time you want to use them. Cheaper than a
timer and used only when needed so efficient. Towels stay dry and
dont get smelly so need washing less often.

anthony james wrote:

We've had a gert big ladder towel rail installed in our bathroom with
an electric element in addition to the central heating connection so
that we could have dry towels in Summer when the CH was off.

After looking at various timeswitches I think I've found the perfect
solution and thought it worth sharing.

The electric element is now connected to a 0-2 hour delay timer from
TLC. This is switched by an architrave press switch
http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/EK320A.html
http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/MKK4848P.html

Get out of shower, use towels, hang on rail, press button. Rail heats
up for an hour or so (I haven't fine tuned the timing yet) and the
towels are dry for the next time you want to use them. Cheaper than a
timer and used only when needed so efficient. Towels stay dry and
dont get smelly so need washing less often.

I hope you have studied the electrical zones if that is a 240V
switch you are contemplating fitting.

Chris
--
Chris J Dixon Nottingham UK


Have dancing shoes, will ceilidh.

"Chris J Dixon" wrote in message
...
anthony james wrote:

We've had a gert big ladder towel rail installed in our bathroom with
an electric element in addition to the central heating connection so
that we could have dry towels in Summer when the CH was off.

After looking at various timeswitches I think I've found the perfect
solution and thought it worth sharing.

The electric element is now connected to a 0-2 hour delay timer from
TLC. This is switched by an architrave press switch
http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/EK320A.html
http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/MKK4848P.html

Get out of shower, use towels, hang on rail, press button. Rail heats
up for an hour or so (I haven't fine tuned the timing yet) and the
towels are dry for the next time you want to use them. Cheaper than a
timer and used only when needed so efficient. Towels stay dry and
dont get smelly so need washing less often.

I hope you have studied the electrical zones if that is a 240V
switch you are contemplating fitting.


I used a http://tinyurl.com/4meee on the last one I installed.

Adam

"ARWadsworth" wrote in message news:QhKZc.179
I used a http://tinyurl.com/4meee on the last one I installed.

That would have been even better and just goes to show i should have
asked first. I made a decision to ignore the electrical regs and put
the switch in - it can be taken out of circuit in future and there's a
fused spur outside the shower room.

Talking to our electrician the UK regs now seem so over the top as to
be laughable - as i understand it you cant even have a ring main
running THROUGH a bathroom so each of the electrical devices in a
bathroom now needs to have a fused spur outside the room with only the
load wire running to the appliance.

I was in Switzerland recently. It's a pretty tightly regulated
society with very high construction standards and while we were there
we visited some friends in a stunning high-spec 'executive' apartment
in Zurich. The fuse box for the apartment was in the shower room wall
with a metal door and the lightswitch was inside the room. I dont
think the bathroom light switches had an integrated socket (most of
the others did) but i'm sure there were a couple of sockets in the
bathroom anyway.

In the UK I can have a plug socket as close as i want to the sink in
the kitchen where i'm washing up but cant have a light switch in the
same room as a toilet? If you're stupid enough to dry your hair in
the bath you're probably stupid enough to run an extension lead from
the next room to do it.

the kitchen where i'm washing up but cant have a light switch in the
same room as a toilet? If you're stupid enough to dry your hair in

Where in the regs does it say that ?. Whats a pull switch then ?

Dave
--

Some people use windows, others have a life.

"anthony james" wrote in message
m...
"ARWadsworth" wrote in message
news:QhKZc.179
I used a http://tinyurl.com/4meee on the last one I installed.

That would have been even better and just goes to show i should have
asked first. I made a decision to ignore the electrical regs and put
the switch in - it can be taken out of circuit in future and there's a
fused spur outside the shower room.

Talking to our electrician the UK regs now seem so over the top as to
be laughable - as i understand it you cant even have a ring main
running THROUGH a bathroom so each of the electrical devices in a
bathroom now needs to have a fused spur outside the room with only the
load wire running to the appliance.

I was in Switzerland recently. It's a pretty tightly regulated
society with very high construction standards and while we were there
we visited some friends in a stunning high-spec 'executive' apartment
in Zurich. The fuse box for the apartment was in the shower room wall
with a metal door and the lightswitch was inside the room. I dont
think the bathroom light switches had an integrated socket (most of
the others did) but i'm sure there were a couple of sockets in the
bathroom anyway.

In the UK I can have a plug socket as close as i want to the sink in
the kitchen where i'm washing up but cant have a light switch in the
same room as a toilet? If you're stupid enough to dry your hair in
the bath you're probably stupid enough to run an extension lead from
the next room to do it.

Look at

http://www.niceic.org.uk/downloads/NL139supp.pdf

Adam

In message , Dave Stanton
writes

the kitchen where i'm washing up but cant have a light switch in the
same room as a toilet? If you're stupid enough to dry your hair in

Where in the regs does it say that ?. Whats a pull switch then ?

And anyway, you can have a wall switch in a room with a toilet surely?

It's when the room contains a bath/shower that it might be a no-no.
--
Chris French, Leeds