Towel rail or radiator?

Canucklehead

paulmapp8306 wrote: »

Umm.

Towell rails are for drying towells NOT for heating the room.

room heating .

Stelrad would disagree.

cyclonebri1

Canucklehead wrote: »

Stelrad would disagree.

And I would too, the heat when not heating towels or from the towels goes to the room, simple physics.

It's not even a case of effiency, it's about the radiant surface of a towel rail against that of a "radiator", ;)

A.Penny.Saved

The material that a towel rail is made of does affect it's heat output, just looking at the BTU specs shows this. Stainless Steel>White steel>chrome for the same sized radiators.

I have been trying to decide on whether to get a towel rail or radiator for my bathroom. It has one solid outside wall so a high heat output is needed, so either a very tall towel rail or a single panel double convector rad.

Drying towels is okay but heat output is the most important.

Has anyone tried putting a rail above a regular radiator? How well would that dry a towel? They don't need drying in 5 minutes flat.

paulmapp8306

cyclonebri1 wrote: »

And I would too, the heat when not heating towels or from the towels goes to the room, simple physics.

It's not even a case of effiency, it's about the radiant surface of a towel rail against that of a "radiator", ;)

The fact that a towell rail CAN heat a room, does not mean that is what its designed to do, nor its prime purpose.

If you get enough heat from a towell rail then great, but with towells on them most of the heat is soaked up (even if the towells are dry).

The prime purpose of towell rails - and their reason for existance is to dry/warm towells. Radiators and under floor hearting systems are designed to heat a room - not items in that room (which is why drying towells on a radiator - or on a rail in front of a radiator can lead to cold bathrooms - the radiators are not designed to heat the room with towells in front of them).

cyclonebri1

paulmapp8306 wrote: »

The fact that a towell rail CAN heat a room, does not mean that is what its designed to do, nor its prime purpose.

If you get enough heat from a towell rail then great, but with towells on them most of the heat is soaked up (even if the towells are dry).

.

Eerrr, I think thats what I said.

But to refute what you say and to quote simple physics again, "energy cannot be lost".

If it goes into the towells, eventually it "comes out" and heats the room, remember storage radiators??

And in my earlier example I detailed that I actually doubled up on the size of towel rail compared to radiator.

Given what I have just stated the energy that isn't realeased into the room by either inefficient towel rails or the fact that they are insulated by towels, is simply returned to the central heating system, ie, No loss

grizzly1911

paulmapp8306 wrote: »

or on a rail in front of a radiator can lead to cold bathrooms - the radiators are not designed to heat the room with towells in front of them).

Disagree on that one as the majority of the heat rises away from the towel if it is on a rail in front of it.

Accept that you don't want drape wet towels or clothing over radiators, unless you wabnt condensation.