The bathroom, like all others, has its own interior and style. Recently, vintage-style furniture elements have been inspired by fashion trends. This applies to door handles, furniture fittings, and the bathroom is no exception. The faucet in gold, copper or brass is a perfect replica of the vintage. This also applies to the heated towel rail.
Brass towel rack
The brass device, in addition to its beautiful appearance, also has a number of other characteristics. The thing is that brass is an alloy consisting of copper and zinc in a ratio of 2/1. Also in the composition there are additives: nickel, lead, tin, manganese and aluminum. Depending on the amount of additives in the alloy, brass acquires different colors and characteristics.
It is very important to purchase a water heated towel railbrass, made only according to the standards of DSTU GOST 15527. These standards meet the requirements for plumbing parts and items.
Brass is highly resistant to corrosion. It is due to this property that it is the most common material in the manufacture of plumbing: coils, taps, mixers, etc. All characteristics of brass depend on its composition and the amount of impurities and additives in the alloy.
Pros of use, according to owners
Brass towel warmers, in addition to corrosion resistance, have high thermal conductivity, which speeds up the drying time of things. The thermal conductivity of brass is four times higher than the thermal conductivity of stainless steel, which is often used to make towel warmers. This is easy to check by looking at reference books on the compositions of metals and alloys. Brass is a much more thermally conductive alloy than steel or stainless steel. When choosing which towel warmer is better - brass or stainless steel, these qualities of brass should be taken into account.
Based on excellent heat transfer characteristics, it is not necessary to choose a coil with a large working area, this will save a lot of space in the bathroom. Even a small brass towel warmer will successfully cope with drying clothes. Also with bathroom heating.
In addition to good thermal conductivity and corrosion resistance, brass towel warmer copes well with leakage currents. This unpleasant phenomenon is due to the fact that neighbors in the riser may have grounding on pipesor faulty wiring in the apartment or neighbors. This will eventually lead to the appearance of electrochemical corrosion on the pipes. The steel coil and pipes will quickly deteriorate in this case, and the brass coil is not affected by stray currents.
Brass towel rail for apartment
The choice of heated towel rails today is very large. In the stores of building materials and plumbing, the assortment includes coils from a variety of metals, both foreign and domestic. The only problem is that towel warmers from foreign manufacturers are not suitable for installation in apartment buildings.
All heating devices should be selected, taking into account the characteristics of the water supply system. Foreign products are designed for lower pressure than is supplied to high-rise buildings in our country. The second reason is that they are simply not designed for frequent pressure drops. These factors lead to shortened coil life. Imported appliances are suitable only for private houses where there is an autonomous water supply and heating system.
Russian-made brass towel warmers are:
- from one pipe (monotube);
- soldered from several pieces of pipes (polypipe).
Before buying such products, it makes sense to check with the seller the data of the selected model. So, the increased water pressure is better maintained by a coil with a smaller body diameter. Polytube coils withstand a pressure of 2.37-4.3 Pa, monotube coils - 5.7-7.9 Pa.
Brassproducts withstand temperatures up to 110 degrees Celsius.
The service life of brass coils can safely be called 10 years. Russian and Ukrainian manufacturers indicate a warranty period of 2 years. Chrome-plated brass towel warmer will last even longer, because due to the coating it is more resistant to corrosion, and another plus is its appearance. It is suitable for bathrooms where additional fittings, faucets and taps are white or metallic. The brass nickel-plated heated towel rail also has its own characteristics: increased service life and a specific shade of the material.
Type of heated towel rails and their connection. Water heated towel rails
By type of heating, heated towel rails are:
- water;
- electric;
- mixed (combined).
The first ones function due to hot water in the heating system of the apartment. In a private house, the coil can be connected to heating or water supply.
Water heated towel rails are the most popular. Although drinking water circulates in them, the environment is still quite aggressive and can cause corrosion. Therefore, a brass chrome-plated water heated towel rail is perfect, it looks great and has a high degree of corrosion resistance.
The downside of using water coils in apartments is that they run on hot water, and in the summer, preventive maintenance is often carried out, and the water is turned off for a certain period.
Installation
The most common way to install a water heated towel rail is to mount it with union nuts, the so-called American women and gaskets made of paronite, rubber or fluoroplast.
When installing a water heated towel rail, you should take into account the various schemes for connecting the device to the hot water supply. They are:
- with bottom connection;
- right hand;
- left hand;
- diagonal connection.
Electric Towel Warmers
They are mains powered and don't need a water supply. Such a coil can be used as a heater and placed in any of the rooms of the apartment. Such coils consume no more electricity than one light bulb. The temperature of the pipes is about 60 degrees, i.e. they are safe. Inside the heated towel rail there is a heating element or heating element. This type of coils is convenient in that it can be turned off at any convenient time. When installing an electric heater, all safety precautions must be observed, namely, the cable and socket must be at least 60 cm away from taps and showers.
Combined coils
They can be both water and electric. Such a heated towel rail is easy to switch to another type. Usually it is used in the summer as an electric one, and in the winter as a water one, since there is apartment heating. Installation also requires compliance with the rules and regulations for the installation of electrical appliances.
When purchasing a coil, you need to make sure that it is complete andthe presence of documents attached to it, such as:
- technical data sheet;
- hygiene certificate;
- certificate of quality from the manufacturer;
- installation instructions;
- recommendations for using the device;
- warranty filled on the day of purchase.
Features of towel warmer care
In order for the coil to not lose its appearance over time and remain like new for a long time, it needs proper care.
Appearance will quickly deteriorate if:
- use the device for other purposes and do not wipe dust;
- the material is of poor quality, and externally the heated towel rail may darken from moisture;
- if you constantly dry textiles on it, the surface will soon rub off.
The heated towel rail made of chrome-plated brass pipes, which meets all the standards of this type of appliance, will retain its appearance for a long time if you take care of it and follow the recommendations.
Despite the fact that most manufacturers of brass coils give a two-year warranty on their products, the average life of such products is approximately 10 years.
When comparing the prices of heated towel rails, brass appliances tend to be slightly cheaper than stainless steel products, but slightly more expensive than steel models.
