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Best material for a heated towel rail?

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Comments

  • courteen
    courteen Posts: 48 Forumite
    Hi all, just looking for some advice :j

    I'm looking for an electric towel rail but the only ones I can find are chrome and I'm worried that they are likely to rust. Would stainless steel be a better option?

    I'd recommend stainless steel. Had mine for about 10 years now and haven't had a single problem with it: http://www.astonmatthews.co.uk/heat/productdetails.asp?348,0,0,55,8. Buy cheap and expect to buy twice is what I say.
  • courteen
    courteen Posts: 48 Forumite
    Only just read that yours will be electric and the one I've suggested is plumbed whoops. Not sure if that company does electric ones, might need a route around.
  • "Chromed" items rust because they are (usually) cheap mild steel with a thin chrome coating. Any damage to the chrome finish and rust starts on the steel, burrows under the chrome plating and causes more of it to fall off, this causes more rusting, and so on.

    High quality bathroom fittings are made of chrome plated brass - which doesn't rust.
  • cyclonebri1
    cyclonebri1 Posts: 12,827 Forumite
    "Chromed" items rust because they are (usually) cheap mild steel with a thin chrome coating. Any damage to the chrome finish and rust starts on the steel, burrows under the chrome plating and causes more of it to fall off, this causes more rusting, and so on.

    High quality bathroom fittings are made of chrome plated brass - which doesn't rust.

    More likely copper in the case of chromed towel rails.

    I broke open one of the leaking ones I mentioned, the square section ends were plated mild steel, the tubes were chromed copper.
    I like the thanks button, but ,please, an I agree button.

    Will the grammar and spelling police respect I do make grammatical errors, and have carp spelling, no need to remind me.;)

    Always expect the unexpected:eek:and then you won't be dissapointed
  • I broke open one of the leaking ones I mentioned, the square section ends were plated mild steel, the tubes were chromed copper.

    Not good practice. Two dissimilar metals (copper and steel) in an electrolyte (tap water) will cause electrolytic corrosion as well as rust on the steel.

    Mixing stainless steel with brass or copper will cause (surprisingly !) some types of stainless steel to corrode too.
  • cyclonebri1
    cyclonebri1 Posts: 12,827 Forumite
    I agree, may not be good practice, but that's what it was.

    To be honest that wasn't my issue in that case, I merely whacked thing apart to see how badly the leaking joints had been soldered/brazed.
    I like the thanks button, but ,please, an I agree button.

    Will the grammar and spelling police respect I do make grammatical errors, and have carp spelling, no need to remind me.;)

    Always expect the unexpected:eek:and then you won't be dissapointed
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