Installing a heated towel rail in the bathroom

The heated towel rail is a simple and convenient thing in your home, without which it is difficult to imagine your life. They are very common and in demand. We can say that this is another pipe in the bathroom, which is always hot and gives heat. It is designed for drying garments that dry quickly due to high temperature. If you are doing repairs, you need to decide how to properly connect the heated towel rail.

Types and purpose

This functional accessory is installed in the bathroom. It can be of various shapes and sizes in the form of a snake or a ladder. The material from which it is made is stainless steel. Such a heater will help you:

• warm the room for the comfort of staying in it;
• eliminate high humidity, create a cozy microclimate;
• prevent the formation of mold and mildew;
• make the interior of the room better, decorate and complement it;
• directly dry things: towels, baby clothes, underwear, etc.

Heating is due to the circulation of hot water through its pipes. It is mounted on the wall and crashes into the hot water system. There are two connection methods:

1. To the heating system.
2. To the hot water system.

The first option is suitable only for those whose dwelling is equipped with an autonomous heating system. Indeed, in the case of connecting a heated towel rail to a centralized heating system, you will encounter the following problems:

• it will be difficult to replace or install a new device during the heating season;
• he will warm the room only at the beginning of the heating season.

But the water in the water pipe is constantly. That is why most people embed towel warmers precisely into the water supply pipes. But here, too, there is one nuance: if for any reason there is no hot water in the house, the device will please only your eye. Therefore, the best option would be to connect to an autonomous type heating system. Then you can control the heat in your home.

In addition to the water towel, in the market you can find electrical appliances. In this case, there is hot water or not, you can plug it in and dry your things. Its advantages are:

1. Different design, size, power.
2. Easy to install. It is enough to fix it on the wall and plug it into the socket.
3. It is not tied to the pipeline, so you can install it wherever there is a socket.

Tip! It should be noted that the electrical device will seriously affect the meter readings. Therefore, you will have additional costs for electricity.

Materials and tools for work

To properly install the towel, you need the following materials and tools:

• brackets for fastening the product;
• polypropylene pipes O 23 or 32 mm;
• welding machine for propylene pipes;
• connecting fittings and couplings made of polypropylene;
• knife for working with polypropylene;
• ball valves, 2 or 3 pcs. (depending on the chosen connection scheme);
• tees;
• adjustable wrench.

The order of performance of work:

1. If you had an old heated towel rail, you must dismantle it.
2. Install a jumper (bypass) and ball valves.
3. Weld polypropylene pipes.
4. Install and connect the heated towel rail.

Having prepared, you can begin to work.

Disassembly work

To remove the old device, you need:

1. Shut off the water supply.
2. Unscrew the threaded connection and remove the appliance if it is not an integral part of the water supply pipe.
3. In the case when the heated towel rail is welded to the pipe or the thread “stuck”, cut it with a grinder.

Tip! When you cut the pipes, calculate the time that their length should be enough for further threading on them to connect a new device.

At the stage of repair work, you need to prepare a place. Preliminary on the wall, mark where it will be installed and check the channels for the supply pipes. After that you can proceed to the next stage.

Installation of jumpers (bypass) and cranes

In unforeseen circumstances, such a jumper can save you. For example, at the junction of the device formed a leak, and it becomes more and more. What to do? Turn off the water in the riser? Shut off all taps and wait for the flow to be fixed? This is not always convenient and possible, for example, in the winter. Or you just need to replace it, which again will lead to the overlapping of water in the house. It is especially difficult when you are connected to a centralized heating and water supply system.

In order not to fall into such a situation and not have inconveniences, you need to set a jumper. This is a simple pipe of the same material as the rest of the water supply, which cuts in front of a heated towel rail. At the ends of the device are installed ball valves, which, if necessary, can be closed. Then the water will not flow into it, but will be able to circulate freely throughout the system, without breaking the pressure and without the need for it to shut off. To remove air from the system, one additional tap should be installed on the bypass. Embed the jumper can be on the proposed scheme.

Choice of pipes for connection

It is better to carry out the connection using polypropylene pipes, as pipes from it are the most suitable and optimal option. Common materials for connection are:

• steel;
• copper;
• polypropylene.

Steel pipes can corrode, are heavy. If it is not always possible at home to cut the threads in existing pipes, then in order to perform the installation, you will need skills in working with the welding machine,

Copper pipes are much better, as they do not rust and are fairly reliable. But they are expensive, and they need to be mounted by soldering. Again, we come back to the fact that steel pipes will first need to cut the thread for fittings for soldering.

Therefore, we stop at polypropylene pipes, which do not corrode, are cheap and have less weight. Due to reinforcement with special fibers, such products are durable and resistant to elevated temperatures. The good news is that there are many different fittings that provide an easy connection to metal pipes. Installing them is easy.

It is enough to solder the pipes to the fittings and couplings using a special welding device and screw the threads on the pipe. You can learn how to use such a device in 20–30 minutes, after which you can make reliable connections. And in order not to buy the device, it can be rented at a store selling plastic pipes and other building materials. The price of this service is 400 rubles per day. Moreover, you can take it from your friends and even ask for their help.

Assembly work

Your main task is to bring water from the pipes to the appliance, whether it be water supply pipes or heating systems. Below are some wiring diagrams that you can use for your chosen method.

Based on what type of connection you choose, you need to prepare the fittings - angular or straight, thanks to which you can connect the pipe with the thread on the heated towel rail. They need to be connected to the pipes by welding.

The order of performance of all works is as follows:

1. The first thing you need to turn off the water in the riser. For tenants of a multi-storey building, it is necessary to coordinate this with the organization responsible for the water supply.
2. Put 3 taps, 1 on the lintel and 2 at the entrance and exit from the towel warmer. Thus, it can be easily replaced or repaired in the future.
3. Attach brackets or fixtures for the instrument to the intended location. Consider the limiting distances that must be maintained between the lining and the heated towel rail. For pipes with a diameter greater than 23 mm, this distance should be 50 mm, for pipes with a diameter less than 23 mm - 35 mm.
4. It remains to connect the pipes with welded fittings to the device. To seal the joint, use flax underwrap. Tighten the connection carefully so as not to disrupt the thread.
5. Now it remains to check the connections for tightness. Run water into the system and see if there are any leaks.

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