How should a towel radiator be plumbed in

[kevinsmbuk]

I am in the process of fitting a towel radiator to our bathroom. We have a conventional system boiler with tank in the loft and hwc.

Should i be teeing off the hot water circuit or the central heating circuit or is it literally down to preference. What's the norm?

 

[Madrab]

Did you not already have a rad in the bathroom?

Depending on the size of the pipework that feeds your other radiators you would normally take branch the supply from the main central heating pipes. When you say a system boiler, is there no small tank in the attic? Or is it a sealed system that has a red expansion vessel and a gauge set at around 1-1.5bar?

 

[Tigercubrider]

Mine (I think) is plumbed into the pipes from the boiler to the hot water cylinder.
So it gets warm even in summer, with the hot water, and has a thermostatic valve as a control.
Just to state the obvious, it's the water that fills the heating coil, not the hot water from the taps.

 

[kevinsmbuk]

Did you not already have a rad in the bathroom?

Depending on the size of the pipework that feeds your other radiators you would normally take branch the supply from the main central heating pipes. When you say a system boiler, is there no small tank in the attic? Or is it a sealed system that has a red expansion vessel and a gauge set at around 1-1.5bar?

There was an electric towel heater, but it was not working. Makes sense for the heater to work off of water that is already being heated by the boiler.

Yeah cold water header tank in loft, no pressure vessel.

 

[kevinsmbuk]

Mine (I think) is plumbed into the pipes from the boiler to the hot water cylinder.
So it gets warm even in summer, with the hot water, and has a thermostatic valve as a control.
Just to state the obvious, it's the water that fills the heating coil, not the hot water from the taps.

Yeah it seems to be the way to do it, yes I understand the hot water heating circuit not the actual domestic hot water.

 

[flameport]

Should i be teeing off the hot water circuit or the central heating circuit

Either or none.
Depends on whether you want it to only work with the heating, only work with the hot water, or work with both.

 

[Mottie]

OP. Do you have an additional radiator in the bathroom or will this towel heater be the only source of heating in the bathroom?

 

[kevinsmbuk]

Either or none.
Depends on whether you want it to only work with the heating, only work with the hot water, or work with both.

I would ideally come after the pump and before 3 port valve but it's in the garage next to the boiler on the other side of the house and this is upstairs too!

I guess that leaves the other two options. The hot water cylinder coil pipework is nearby, if I wanted to take off that would it be just teeing off the flow (top pipe going into cylinder and then) teeing off the return after it comes out of the cylinder? Obv under floorboards.

The central heating rad pipework is not so nearby, but I could get to it fairly easily.

The Mrs seems to want to use the towel rad as a heater to take the edge off upstairs, be better on the CH circuit in this case wouldnt it? If so is it just a case of a t coming off any of the radiators?

 

[kevinsmbuk]

OP. Do you have an additional radiator in the bathroom or will this towel heater be the only source of heating in the bathroom?

No just the only source.

 

[Mottie]

I think you’ll definitely need it on the heating circuit then.

 

[Madrab]

he Mrs seems to want to use the towel rad as a heater to take the edge off upstairs

Unfortunately, if it's a chrome towel warmer (rad), then it won't take the edge off of very much I'm afraid, the heat output of these rads are extremely low. Especially with towels on them.

 

[Mottie]

Unfortunately, if it's a chrome towel warmer (rad), then it won't take the edge off of very much I'm afraid, the heat output of these rads are extremely low. Especially with towels on them.

Depends on the type. Our one chucks out a fair bit of heat.

Mind you, this is how it normally looks.

 

[kevinsmbuk]

Unfortunately, if it's a chrome towel warmer (rad), then it won't take the edge off of very much I'm afraid, the heat output of these rads are extremely low. Especially with towels on them.

Yeah I'm starting to think that it's about 927 btu from memory

 

[kevinsmbuk]

Depends on the type. Our one chucks out a fair bit of heat.

View attachment 188031

Mind you, this is how it normally looks.

View attachment 188032

Haha that's a biggie! You have a TRV on yours too, mine just has straight chrome tails

 

[Madrab]

Yeah I'm starting to think that it's about 927 btu from memory

That'll be less than 300w then, not a lot of heat at all .... of course if the room is really small then it may take the chill off but it would need to be really really small