electric towel rail too hot

[EFLImpudence]

Yes, I thought it might be for such a reason.

As I said, you might as well turn it off, then.

 

[Lower]

A towel rail with an electronic controller such as the one in a previous post can be set hot enough to dry the towel over the course of the day without being burning hot.

But it won't heat your room.

 

[DonScruffy]

I dont need it to heat the room so im happy if i can just get it to dry items hanging on it and not burn anyone. Thats the perfect solution

 

[gman76]

My folks had the same issue with a 250W towel rail. After finding this (now discontinued) and overpriced product: https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/DX4124.html I installed a 400W rated dimmer switch in an adjacent cupboard & fashioned a scale on the front with a Dymo.
Works a treat.

 

[Mottie]

I want it to be on so i can use it for its intended purpose but i have a dog and toddler at home. I dont want either of them to burn themselves with it. So i want to be able to lower the temperature so it atleast wont burn them if they were to get to it.

Close the door to that room perhaps? Put a stair gate up if your bathroom is upstairs? Fire guard?

 

[Lectrician]

Yes, I thought it might be for such a reason.

As I said, you might as well turn it off, then.

The controller I have shown will allow a temperature to be chosen which is hot enough to dry and warm towels, but not cause burns. They will still heat a small bathroom at reduced heat too.

We have used these in many B&Bs with the controls both where people can access them, and also locked away. They have a memory, so if you set a heat on them and the supply is turned on and off, they recall where they were set. They are very successful where installed. They are manufactured for a purpose. You may think it pointless, but IMO, they are great and perfect for this issue.

 

[DonScruffy]

I think i will fit a new element ( cant do any harm and i doubt its ever been changed) and also a controller for added adjustment. This way i can use it "safely" in my situation and not worry about the boy or the dog.

Will do it at the end of the month and let you know how i get on, hopefully it will be warm enough to dry and maybe even heat the room slightly

 

[securespark]

Dunno if they still do, but Dimplex used to make a dimmer switch style controller.

 

[Lectrician]

Dunno if they still do, but Dimplex used to make a dimmer switch style controller.

It’s been replaced by the digital one I linked to at TLC, but it’s rebranded under loads of guises.

 

[JohnW2]

Will do it at the end of the month ...

That seems to give you just over 4 hours to get it done

Kind Regards, John

 

[Taylortwocities]

I think i will fit a new element ( cant do any harm and i doubt its ever been changed) and also a controller for added adjustment

You can get heating elements with thermostats built in. Like this.

Or even one with a remote control
Click

 

[SimonH2]

No one seems to be querying the original - in my view - misunderstanding.
I noticed that

My towel rail gets too hot to touch.

It is supposed to. It is a heating appliance.

Rubbish. It is intended to get warm or hot - being a heating device does not automatically mean it has to be too hot to touch. Even radiators intended for room heaters don't automatically have to be too hot to touch - look up LST (low surface temperature) radiators.

It could be faulty but 65 - 80° is too hot to touch.

Or it could just be working to spec - and yes, it is too hot to touch. The OP hasn't provided any details on the actual heater installed - it is possible that it already has a thermostat and he just hasn't found it - the solution may be as simple as turning it down.

If you want it able to be touched all the time, you might as well turn it off.

Rubbish. It can be "safe to touch" hot and still dry towels. I would suggest that most towel rails are useless at heating the room regardless - unless you fill them with some exotic fluid and run them at a hundred and silly ˚C I'm aiming at running ours in the bathroom at 40˚C or lower - some experimentation required as I haven't got the controls done for the new setup, and I think I might need a lower kvs mixing valve than the one I have installed (had to guestimate the size needed in the absence of any data to work with). It only needs a low heat output so that moisture in the towels will evaporate off over time.

 

[DonScruffy]

Rubbish. It is intended to get warm or hot - being a heating device does not automatically mean it has to be too hot to touch. Even radiators intended for room heaters don't automatically have to be too hot to touch - look up LST (low surface temperature) radiators.

Or it could just be working to spec - and yes, it is too hot to touch. The OP hasn't provided any details on the actual heater installed - it is possible that it already has a thermostat and he just hasn't found it - the solution may be as simple as turning it down.

Rubbish. It can be "safe to touch" hot and still dry towels. I would suggest that most towel rails are useless at heating the room regardless - unless you fill them with some exotic fluid and run them at a hundred and silly ˚C I'm aiming at running ours in the bathroom at 40˚C or lower - some experimentation required as I haven't got the controls done for the new setup, and I think I might need a lower kvs mixing valve than the one I have installed (had to guestimate the size needed in the absence of any data to work with). It only needs a low heat output so that moisture in the towels will evaporate off over time.

Thank you for your post.

Unfotunately the towel rail doesnt have a thermostat but i am aiming to replace the element with another which has a thermostat included ((https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B0154XGEEI/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_1?smid=A1WQZCA5DYXDT6&psc=1) any advice on this would be appreciated)

And hopefully once fitted i will be able to control the temperature and make it "safe" for use in my situation at home

 

[SimonH2]

Well it looks OK, and it claims to be made in the EU to EU and UK standards.

 

[DonScruffy]

That was my thinking. It claims to be made for what im looking for and seems like it will do it. Gonna order soon and fit then will let you know.
Thank you all for advice and opinions