Electric oil heated towel rail: types, classification, characteristics, operating instructions, installation instructions and owner reviews

What are the benefits of electric heated towel rails?

Electric heated towel rails differ favorably from their water counterparts in that they are not tied to the room - they can simply be unplugged and moved to another room.

To connect an electric heated towel rail, you do not need to connect pipes, install shut-off valves, or ensure that the seals at the connection points are sufficiently tight so that when the hot water is turned off, water does not flow out at the connection points of the heated towel rail. You just need to hang this heating device on the wall and plug it into a power outlet.

Also, as a plus, you can write down the wealth of design solutions of such heated towel rails, which allows you to choose a model that best suits a bathroom in high-tech, Provence, country or modern style.

Selecting a dryer

There are several features that you need to pay attention to when choosing such an electric drying device.

A fairly important role is played by the type of elements that will be used for fastening, as well as the design of the structure itself.
A very important and basic parameter is, of course, the power of the installation. For example, a 200 W dryer is sufficient for 1 square meter of room.
There are two connection methods that are also worth considering. There is a hidden and an open method. The first one is the safest.
Electricity consumption. Since power is required for operation, it is best to choose an electric oil heated towel rail with a thermostat. "Sunerzha" is a company that produces fairly economical models in this regard.
It is worth choosing oil-based devices also because their heating temperature is very high (about 70 degrees Celsius), the heating process itself is carried out quite quickly, but they cool down for quite a long time.
In some cases, it is very important to pay attention to the presence of additional functions, for example, the presence of a timer or switch can be very important.

Disadvantages of electric heated towel rails

But besides the advantages, such heated towel rails also have their disadvantages. The main one is electricity consumption. And if the operation of a water heated towel rail costs us free, then we will have to pay for the operation of an electric one. Sometimes it turns out to be quite large sums. Another disadvantage is the fact that hot water has never killed anyone, while electric shocks happen all the time. And not all of them end in a successful outcome. This becomes even more relevant in the bathroom, where in a small enclosed space with high humidity we are most often without clothes, standing barefoot on a damp floor, which makes the likelihood of receiving an electric shock in the event of a breakdown on the body of an electrical appliance significantly increases.

Execution

For the manufacture of the body, ordinary or stainless steel is used, less commonly there are models using copper, brass or aluminum for this purpose. Using them allows you to achieve increased heat transfer and efficiency.

The disadvantage is that, other things being equal, devices made using non-ferrous metals are inferior in cost.

Steel models have different colors, which makes it easier to match the chosen bathroom interior style. The durability of paint coatings on budget models leaves much to be desired. In this sense, polymer coatings are in an advantageous position. The leading positions in terms of service life are held by chrome and polished ones.

As for the external shapes, here you can easily select the model you need for a given interior. Classic options are available, made in the form of a coil and having a different number of sections. In addition, M-shaped, U-shaped, ladder and perforated plate devices are offered.

Another degree of design freedom lies in the choice of a fixed or rotating model.

Internal structure of an electric heated towel rail

The internal structure of electric heated towel rails of different brands is almost the same. In a nutshell, all electric heated towel rails consist of heating elements that heat the coolant that fills the heated towel rail. The coolant can be water, from which oxygen has been completely removed to prevent corrosion, mineral oil, or a solid material - graphite. In modern expensive models of heated towel rails you can find devices for temperature control, timers and program control units. Heated towel rails in the entry-level price range usually only have a plug for plugging into a socket and a switch button. Of course, modern heated towel rails with programmable controls are much more convenient to use.

What is the body made of?

An electric heated towel rail can be made from a square/rectangular, oval or round pipe. In order for the “towel” to serve for a long time, the thickness of the pipe wall must be at least 2 mm. Then the welds will be reliable.

If we talk about appearance, then products made from profiled pipes (rectangular or square cross-section) look more decorative and unusual. Models in a modern style are made from this material; they are also suitable for interiors in the style of minimalism and hi-tech. In such cases, the place for them is chosen “in plain sight”, and they serve more for decoration.

Various styles and options

You don’t always want to attract attention to a heated towel rail. In this case, round pipes are ideal, and even painted in a neutral color (white, gray) or the color of the walls. Most often, ordinary steel is painted, but many manufacturers can also paint stainless steel to order. There are practically no painted brass or copper models. They are a decoration in themselves. And they buy them precisely for their bright and memorable appearance.

An electric heated towel rail can be made from:

black (structural) steel;

of stainless steel;

copper and its alloys - brass, bronze.

The most inexpensive option is structural steel. The inside is coated with an anti-corrosion compound, and paint or a layer of spraying (chrome plating, nickel plating) is applied on top. Such models are mainly made of the “dry” type - with a cable or a dry heating element. But there is also a liquid type.

More traditional forms - different types of “ladders”

Stainless steel products are more durable. They can last 10 years or more. But subject to mandatory grounding (to eliminate the possibility of electrocorrosion). Some manufacturers suggest covering the inside of the pipes with a layer of polymer (Sunerzha) to prevent corrosion. A good solution, but it raises the price significantly. But the service life is longer.

Some consider copper or brass electric heated towel rails to be the most decorative. One can argue here, but there really are interesting models. True, the price is completely immodest. If we talk about practical aspects - caring for a heated towel rail - then it is the copper and brass ones that require the greatest and most careful care. Their surface must be polished regularly using special products. Otherwise, in conditions of high humidity, it becomes very unsightly.

Installation instructions for an electric heated towel rail

An electric heated towel rail should be installed in the bathroom strictly following electrical safety rules in wet areas. The installation location must be selected taking into account the degree of protection of the heated towel rail from moisture. In general, it is advisable to adhere to the distances shown in the figure below and choose zone No. 3 to place the electric towel rail (all images are clickable, click to enlarge):

When placed in zone No. 2, the heated towel rail must have splash protection. Approximate distances from the floor and furniture to the electric heated towel rail are shown in the figure below:

1. Adhering to the recommended minimum distances from the floor, walls and curtains, you should attach the electric heated towel rail with its supporting part to the wall and press it. 2. Mark the mounting locations. 3. Depending on the wall material, select the drill and dowels as shown in the picture below:

Connecting an electric heated towel rail to the network

The device must be connected to a permanently installed outlet in accordance with the NFC-15-100 standard.

The heating device should not be located directly under the socket. Connecting the wires to the socket should be carried out strictly in accordance with the factory instructions for the electric heated towel rail, so as not to confuse the phase and neutral. In the junction box, all connections must be carefully made, depending on the presence or absence of a software unit.

The figure below shows the connection diagram for the Campa electric heated towel rail (click to enlarge the image):

Controlling the software unit of an electric heated towel rail

If there is a program block, your heated towel rail can operate in different modes. The settings are shown on the screen (click to enlarge):

Programmable heated towel rails can operate using manually adjusted multi-tariff thermostats. The following functions can be supported:

All modes are set by pressing the corresponding buttons on the control panel. *** As you can see, there is nothing complicated about connecting an electric heated towel rail to the network and installing it on the wall in the bathroom and you can easily perform all the necessary operations yourself.

Reviews and conclusions

Reviews of electric oil heated towel rails are quite good. They are most convenient for people who live in multi-storey buildings. Drying clothes in the house both in summer and winter is quite inconvenient, and it takes a long time to dry. That is why such devices, which are able to quickly heat up and dry things, were highly rated. In addition, since apartments do not have the opportunity to provide their own heating, purchasing a sufficiently powerful device can serve as a replacement for a heater. Thus, two problems can be solved with one purchase, which is also highly appreciated by customers.

Based on the foregoing, we can conclude that electric oil heated towel rails are quite multifunctional devices that are suitable for almost everyone.