# Boring radiator question.



## Beebo (30 Sep 2019)

We are looking to buy a heated towel rail, with an off set look. Like in the photo.

My concern is will the ends of the rails get hot, as the flow and return are next to each other.

Anyone with any knowledge?


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## slowmotion (1 Oct 2019)

Send an email to the manufacturer and ask them how the surface temperature of the radiator is evened out. There may be internal piping to spread the flow and return water. They may just rely on heat conduction along the surface of the pipe.


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## Lozz360 (1 Oct 2019)

I would have thought there would be internal pipes to ensure an even temperature spread. In fact I would be very surprised if there wasn’t. I don’t have particular knowledge of this one though.


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## PeteXXX (1 Oct 2019)

If you know the model you are buying, maybe look at the manufacturer's blurb? 
I'd be surprised if the temperature wasn't evened out.


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## Phaeton (1 Oct 2019)

We have something similar due to heat transfer the whole thing gets warm, it looks like ours that it is ceramic coated they take a little longer to warm up, but they stay warmer longer


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## Dave7 (1 Oct 2019)

We replaced a small rad in the bathroom with a chrome towel rail.......similar in overall shape to the one you show. It did not give out enough heat (basic error).
After some research I found out the white coated rails give out 50% more heat than the identical one in chrome, so we swapped it this summer.
Worth checking if you haven't already done.


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## sheddy (1 Oct 2019)

Ask to see a photo from the back. 

Time saved on towel hanging will be offset by increased drying time, but the towel will dry eventually...


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## Levo-Lon (4 Oct 2019)

Yes, the water is pumped as in any rad.
Flow will be one way so it heats evenly.

Have you considered electric? 
Better in summer as you dont need the boiler to heat


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## Phaeton (4 Oct 2019)

meta lon said:


> Have you considered electric?


But very expensive when you do use them


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## Levo-Lon (4 Oct 2019)

Phaeton said:


> But very expensive when you do use them



Depends i spose on watt output.
But i see your point.

I was going to fit one in the bathroom as it doesn't have a window, but we decided not to bother.


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## Phaeton (4 Oct 2019)

Mate of mine was talked into fitting underfloor heating under the tiles in the bathroom, absolutely lovely getting out of the shower/bathroom onto a warm floor. Problem is you could play a 78 on the electric meter when it's switched on.


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## palinurus (4 Oct 2019)

Dave7 said:


> We replaced a small rad in the bathroom with a chrome towel rail.......similar in overall shape to the one you show. It did not give out enough heat (basic error).
> After some research I found out the white coated rails give out 50% more heat than the identical one in chrome, so we swapped it this summer.
> Worth checking if you haven't already done.



Also- and this may not apply to a soft-water area- every splash that gets on ours leaves a chalky mark. At first I'd be forever polishing the thing, now I just leave it looking crap.


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## Salty seadog (4 Oct 2019)

palinurus said:


> Also- and this may not apply to a soft-water area- every splash that gets on ours leaves a chalky mark. At first I'd be forever polishing the thing, now I just leave it looking crap.




Well that's Watford for you. This season at least....


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## twentysix by twentyfive (4 Oct 2019)

Hope the different arms are properly balanced. Could be just the one at the top gets hot............... Depends on the internal pipe routing. Series or parallel sort of question.


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## keithmac (6 Oct 2019)

Phaeton said:


> Mate of mine was talked into fitting underfloor heating under the tiles in the bathroom, absolutely lovely getting out of the shower/bathroom onto a warm floor. Problem is you could play a 78 on the electric meter when it's switched on.



I was talking about this a few days back (electric bills). 

Mate at work had a Smart meter fitted and the installer was surprised to see the amount of electricity being used, they went round the houses checking and it turned out to be his bathroom underfloor heaters.

Said it had cost him a fair wedge on top of a normal bill.

Heard it said a few times electricity is nigh on 4 times as expensive as gas for heating..


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## ColinJ (6 Oct 2019)

keithmac said:


> Heard it said a few times electricity is nigh on 4 times as expensive as gas for heating..


I am currently (forgive the pun!) using a small electric convector heater just to take the chill off this room, costing me about £2/day in electricity. In the cold of last winter it was costing £4-5/day to heat the whole house by gas.


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## slowmotion (6 Oct 2019)

meta lon said:


> Yes, the water is pumped as in any rad.
> Flow will be one way so it heats evenly.
> 
> Have you considered electric?
> Better in summer as you dont need the boiler to heat


I teed the bathroom towel radiator off the gas boiler circuit that heats the hot water cylinder. As others have pointed out, peak rate electricity is ruinously expensive.


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## Levo-Lon (7 Oct 2019)

slowmotion said:


> I teed the bathroom towel radiator off the gas boiler circuit that heats the hot water cylinder. As others have pointed out, peak rate electricity is ruinously expensive.




That's fine if you have a hot water tank.

If its a combi you'd need to turn everything off or heat the house..

Granted leccy is costly but a good option for some situations.
All the apartments at work have leccy towel rails and it doesn't seem too bad.
There water filled and can be on for an hr or all night.

300w element so like a multi bulb room being lit for a few hrs.
But i guess its all down to the personal situation.

It would be a leccy one for me if we have one.


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## rogerzilla (7 Oct 2019)

It used to be common to plumb radiators with 8mm or 10mm microbore pipe with both flow and return at the same bottom corner. There was a bit of pipe protruding into the radiator from the flow side which sort of forced a circulation.


View: https://youtu.be/yVoAblQvHLs


Having dismantled a few of these, the pipe can be longer than in that video - up to a foot.


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## ColinJ (8 Oct 2019)

rogerzilla said:


> It used to be common to plumb radiators with 8mm or 10mm microbore pipe with both flow and return at the same bottom corner. There was a bit of pipe protruding into the radiator from the flow side which sort of forced a circulation.
> 
> 
> View: https://youtu.be/yVoAblQvHLs
> ...



I think one of my radiators has been connected up 'the wrong way round'. I get awful water hammer from it when the thermostatic valve tries to shut down the flow through it. A quick Google suggested that some old thermostats are unidirectional and don't work properly in the reverse direction! Bloody annoying because I have to either shut it off altogether, or turn it to maximum so the valve never kicks in.


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## Globalti (13 Oct 2019)

That towel rail will have galleries to ensure the water flows right through.


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## MrGrumpy (19 Oct 2019)

rogerzilla said:


> It used to be common to plumb radiators with 8mm or 10mm microbore pipe with both flow and return at the same bottom corner. There was a bit of pipe protruding into the radiator from the flow side which sort of forced a circulation.
> 
> 
> View: https://youtu.be/yVoAblQvHLs
> ...




Very similar to my old house, remember having an issue with heat in one radiator and it was the small plastic pipe not sitting home correctly and more or less short circuiting the water flow. Also don't think you could fit thermostat valves neither to these. Anyway moved house and we have normal radiators and thermostatic valves.


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