If your room does not have a heating radiator, then installing a heated towel rail is a good solution. This will solve several problems at once: firstly, you can heat the room, and secondly, dry towels, bathrobes or some clothes. Agree, it sounds very tempting. Let's figure out how to choose an electric towel warmer. Consumer feedback and useful expert advice should play a decisive role. After all, what can be more valuable than previous experience?
A bit of general information
Before you go directly to reading customer reviews and professional advice, you need to determine for yourself what the heated towel rail will be like. Here you need to solve a number of problems: installation location, power, dimensions, design, energy consumption, as well as the level of heat saving and other points. All this is extremely important for a successful choice. By the way, pay attention to the fact that this device will not be superfluous if you havecentral heating. When it is turned off, the need for drying towels is unlikely to disappear, therefore, at least for this simple reason, it is advisable to think about installing the unit. The only weakness of the device - specifically in our case - is the dependence on the mains. But if the light is not turned off for a long time, then we will not take this moment into account.
First, let's define the look
At present, there are several types of units on the market - an electric heated towel rail for a bathroom with a heating cable, as well as a unit with a liquid filler. The first option can be found in systems such as "warm floor". Such a heated towel rail is not afraid of anything, of course, except for a power outage for a long time. The second option, more common due to its advantageous technical characteristics. The principle of operation is extremely simple: there is a closed circuit (sealed), inside which ordinary water, antifreeze or other liquid with a high heat transfer coefficient circulates. It's hard to say for sure which is better. For example, an electric heated towel rail for a bathroom with a heating cable has a lower cost, but also cools down much faster than a liquid appliance. But on the other hand, in such a device it is not necessary to achieve the tightness of the circuit, which is simply necessary for the normal operation of the liquid heated towel rail. Now let's move on.
Electric towel warmers: with or without thermostat?
Today there are models on sale that haveconstant temperature, that is, it cannot be changed. For example, the coolant operates in the range of 50-70 degrees Celsius. In the best case, a special sensor is installed in such a unit, which puts the device into energy-saving mode when the required air temperature is reached. But such a heated towel rail is very expensive and structurally complex. It is much easier to purchase a device with the most common thermostat. You can set the same range of 50-70 degrees yourself. If you are cold or need to dry something urgently, set it to the maximum. If this is not necessary, then to save electricity, transfer to a minimum. For this simple reason, we can say with confidence that electric heated towel rails with a thermostat are more preferable, although they are 50-10% more expensive due to the design complexity.
Heat saving, energy consumption and power
All these parameters are extremely important, and we already talked about this at the very beginning of the article. If we talk about power, then a rotary electric towel warmer with a heating cable consumes about 100 watts, which is very small, but its power is not at the highest level. Much more productive liquid devices. Modern heated towel rails with oil or antifreeze can have a thermal output of up to 2 kW, but in this case their energy consumption will be quite large. If you don't know what to choose, proceed as follows. If you only need to dry towels, then choose the cable option,if the heated towel rail will be used as the main heating device in winter, then this is definitely a liquid coil. Heat saving is better for “wet” heated towel rails, but they heat up much more slowly than “dry” ones.
Design and installation
If earlier the consumer could choose only classic coils, which differed from each other only in size and filler, today everything is somewhat different. Currently, there are models in the form of geometric shapes, ladders, etc. But most experts recommend paying attention not to the shape, but to the number of horizontal tubes. The more of them, the better the heating will be. Convex tubes should also be preferred, since it is very convenient to dry on them. For small spaces, the best electric towel warmers are those that can slide in and out. This is good because if you are not using the device, you can move its side parts and save space. Another good solution for a small bathroom is heated towel rails with an extra shelf where you can put a few more towels. Also, do not forget about the mobility of the device. For example, liquid electric heated towel rails with a temperature controller are most often installed on the wall, and cable ones can be mounted on the floor. The latter can be moved to any place where there is an outlet.
Basic rules for mounting and connecting the device
The main advantage of electric towel warmersis that, unlike water, there is no need to cut into the pipeline, even if you use a liquid device. This is due to the fact that the device is powered by an outlet. If water circulates through the pipes, then at the bottom of the unit there is a heating element, which heats the coolant. But do not forget that, when carrying out installation, you are dealing with high voltage, most often it is regular 220 volts. Therefore, before performing work, pay attention to the quality of the wiring. So that after the first voltage drop in the network it is not necessary to repair the electric towel warmer, an RCD is installed, as well as grounding. By the way, experts recommend bringing the outlet outside the bathroom, as in conditions of high humidity there is a risk of a short circuit. Although in fact, almost all of us have sockets in the bathroom. In principle, this cannot be called the main point. Most importantly, do not install the outlet on a cold wall. Condensation will form there, so it may short out.
About Sunerzha products
This manufacturer sells towel warmers of the middle price range. The range includes a huge number of devices of various performance, design, heat transfer, etc. All this allows you to make the choice more comfortable and correct. Distinctive features of this company are not only the unique design of products, but also its high quality. Among the range you can find both classic and other solutions. This suggests that if your bathroom is decorated creatively, then you stillyou can find something suitable. It is safe to say that the guarantor of the quality of domestic production is Sunerzha. An electric heated towel rail from this company will last a very long time. You can find not only liquid products, but also cable products.
Small review of Sunerzha products
This manufacturer produces several lines of heated towel rails, including Stratum, Khord, Arkus, etc. For example, Stratum can be safely attributed to the high price range. The unit from this line will cost about 30-40 thousand rubles. Such a high cost is not even due to performance, but rather, the high cost of the material of manufacture. Tempered glass, black chrome, gold plating, etc. are used. Therefore, Stratum is more suitable as an aesthetic element of room design, and not as the main bathroom heater. But Arkus heated towel rails are classic and will fit almost any design. Their distinctive feature is that these units have a large number of horizontal shelves. For example, "Arkus" with dimensions of 600 x 400 has a power of 300 watts and has 12 shelves, on each of which you can put something for drying. The cost of such a unit ranges from 18,000 to 25,000 rubles. We can say that if you want to buy quality for money, give preference to Sunerzha. An electric heated towel rail of this company, regardless of the price, will be excellentdry and heat.
What are consumers saying?
So we got to the most important part of the review. Many today purchase liquid devices due to their advantageous technical characteristics. Although it cannot be said that cable heated towel rails are unpopular. They are in great demand for small rooms, in country houses and cottages. This is due to the fact that such a unit can be put in the “anti-icing” mode. The device will operate at minimum power, but will still protect the room from freezing. Most buyers of cable heated towel rails recommend purchasing units with a power reserve (10-15%). It is better to heed this advice and do just that. The electric cable heated towel rail reviews are mostly positive, although, as practice shows, it depends on the choice of the manufacturer.
Liquid electric towel warmer: customer reviews
With what people say about one species, we figured it out, now I would like to talk about the second. Liquid, they are also “wet”, heated towel rails have more negative reviews, but this is due to a more complex design. For example, the manufacturer LARIS produces high-quality products. Despite the low cost (4-6 thousand rubles), the products have an attractive appearance and high quality. The operating temperature of almost all units ranges from 50-70 degrees Celsius. But the manufacturer "Warm World" has somewhat lesspositive feedback from consumers. Most likely, this is due to the fact that the company produces budget-type products. "Which electric towel warmer is better?" - you ask. It all depends on your needs and capabilities. Sometimes it makes sense to buy an inexpensive but high-quality product from Sunerzh or LARIS.
What to look for when buying?
Despite the large amount of theoretical knowledge, you will have to deal with practice. This will happen when you arrive at the store. But before you go to buy something, you need to take measurements, this will narrow the search for a suitable model. Always pay attention to the location of the heating element, it should be lower. If the heating element is located at the top, then with a lack of fluid in the circuit, it can simply burn out. When choosing liquid devices, an important point is the tightness of the system. It is difficult to determine by eye, take a closer look at the integrity of the weld. Mechanical damage is simply unacceptable here. In principle, it is quite simple to choose an electric heated towel rail. Which one is better when choosing between two almost identical models? The answer is simple: the one for which there is more demand.
A few more important points
I would like to say a few more words about how not to make a mistake when buying. First, don't pay attention to products with a big discount or a small starting price. This suggests that this product is either not in demand or defective. More or lessdevices costing more than 3,000 rubles are considered reliable. Do not forget to ask about the configuration, as this point is often overlooked. In the future, you will have to buy fasteners yourself. And in general, when buying an electric heated towel rail, read the reviews, consult with friends and acquaintances. So you can discover a lot of new and useful things, and for free.
Conclusion
That, in principle, is all that can be said about what “dry” and “wet” electric towel warmers are, how to choose products and what to look for when buying. At present, it is not at all necessary to give preference to European brands. The domestic manufacturer supplies the market with very high-quality and at the same time affordable products. Nevertheless, defective products come across from almost all popular manufacturers. But the point is different: will there be problems when returning under warranty? In any case, purchase only high-quality electric heated towel rails. You already know how to choose them.
