Electric towel rail.

[ProDave]

I want a simple electric towel rail for an elderly customer. Back in the day I would have just bought a "wet" towel rail, inserted plugs in all but one port, and an electric element in one of the bottom ports. Job done. Turn it on from the wall switch outside the bathroom, it heats up. customer is happy.

But now I look they all say "central heating, not suitable for electric element"

And if you look at the electric versions, you find they have an awkward little control box on the heating element at the bottom, and you have to push buttons on that to make it do something. That is exactly what the customer has and wants it removed because she cannot just turn it on from the wall switch, you have to then fiddle with the silly controller.

Common sense says to me just ignore the "not suitable for electric element" and just do it the old way.

Thoughts please?

 

[binky]

screwfix have a reasonable range

https://www.screwfix.com/p/flomasta-towel-radiator-heating-element-white-150w/609tf

 

[johnb2713]

I want a simple electric towel rail for an elderly customer. Back in the day I would have just bought a "wet" towel rail, inserted plugs in all but one port, and an electric element in one of the bottom ports. Job done. Turn it on from the wall switch outside the bathroom, it heats up. customer is happy.

But now I look they all say "central heating, not suitable for electric element"

And if you look at the electric versions, you find they have an awkward little control box on the heating element at the bottom, and you have to push buttons on that to make it do something. That is exactly what the customer has and wants it removed because she cannot just turn it on from the wall switch, you have to then fiddle with the silly controller.

Common sense says to me just ignore the "not suitable for electric element" and just do it the old way.

Thoughts please?

Loads on here:-

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=electr...x=electric+towel+rail,aps,70&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

J

 

[Andy™]

plenty of them around. fitted one a few weeks as for a customer. they supplied it though so not sure where she got it from, but basically a towel rad with a simple element and switched from the other side of the wall in the hallway

 

[ProDave]

I am not doubting you can buy a "wet" towel rail, and a simple electric element with a 1/2" BSP thread that screws into the bottom. The issue is every one I have looked at so far says "central heating only not for electric element"

I have no doubt I could ignore that and it would work fine. I just wondered what everyone else thought.

Not all of those on the amazon link are a simple heating element, many have controls built into them that usually means fiddly little buttons at low level which is exactly what my customer does not want.

 

[Andy™]

this one came as a kit

i guess the main issue is it being pressurised. leave a bit of an air gap for water expansion and it'll be fine. ram it with water and it may have problems. maybe they mark them not for heating element only because people can't follow the instructions and complain the radiator has expended and leaked

 

[ProDave]

Yes standard practice to leave a gap for expansion of the water.

I wonder if this is fallout from the lousy EU regs on electric heaters like LOT20 (Why the hell are WE still abiding by that rubbish?) and "prohibiting" simple electric heating elements means they are not foul of those silly rules? It is the fact that most of the "electric" towel rails now sold do have those silly controls, and I have yet to meet a customer that actually wants that nonsense.

 

[johnb2713]

Not all of those on the amazon link are a simple heating element, many have controls built into them that usually means fiddly little buttons at low level which is exactly what my customer does not want.

No theyre not BUT many of them are:-

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Greenedhou...620&sprefix=electric+towel+rail,aps,77&sr=8-8

 

[Geoff1946]

The heater rating needs to be approximately matched to the size of the radiator. When I first fitted mine I put too high a wattage in and the rail was too hot.

 

[Fleeting]

I would never be so stupid as to purchase electrical items from random brands on Amazon. According to Companies House Greenedhouse was dissolved in 2014.

 

[johnb2713]

I would never be so stupid as to purchase electrical items from random brands on Amazon. According to Companies House Greenedhouse was dissolved in 2014.

I would never be so stupid to make such an incorrect statement, it's not the same Greenedhouse, how on earth do you think Amazon would selling product from a company dissolved 10 years ago, really .

The name is now part of:-
MANISSA LTD,
SUITE2B, NORTH SANDS BUSINESS CENTRE,
LIBERTY WAY,
SUNDERLAND,
Tyne and Wear,
SR6 0QA

In any event, if there was an issue, you could claim from Amazon.

I wasn't recommending this item anyway, just providing an example of a towel rail without controls.