A heated towel rail in the bathroom is a good thing. It raises room temperature and reduces humidity.
There are different connection schemes, but the installation technology itself is the same. Depending on the type of eyeliner, the necessary tool is selected.
Standard equipment: telescopic brackets, transition angles, gaskets.
This article will discuss which gaskets are used during installation and repair. What types of connections are there for connecting a heated towel rail to hot water. What is an "American" and what are its modifications.
Rubber gaskets
Rubber has a high degree of strength and resistance to stress.
However, its main drawback is fragility. With constant contact with water, such a gasket is compacted, becomes solid and begins to pass water. Therefore, when replacing pipes or joints, the rubber pad for the towel rail is replaced with a new one.
But, despite the fact that rubber loses its elasticity over time, products from it are in great demand due to availability, cheapness and ease of use.
In order to quickly eliminate the leak in the future, you should buy spare gaskets for the heated towel rail in advance.
What gaskets, other than rubber, can still be used for installation and repair?
Paronite gaskets
Paronite is able to withstand a high pressure of 64 bar and a temperature of up to 200 degrees. Made of asbestos-based synthetic rubber material. It is mainly used for sealing flanged pipe connections.
PTFE gaskets
They are mainly used in the chemical industry, as they are neutral to aggressive environments.
The advantages of fluoroplastic are resistance to high temperatures, increased elasticity and environmental friendliness. These qualities are ideal for use in the bathroom.
A teflon pad for a heated towel rail is a good option.
Silicone gaskets
They are similar in quality to rubber, but surpass them in quality and durability. And they are more expensive.
Silicone fakes made of PVC appeared on the market. A fake is revealed simply - the product needs to be set on fire. Silicone will smolder, PVC will flare up immediately.
Gaskets withstand temperatures up to 350 degrees and a pressure of 500 bar. But the durability of silicone in closed systems without air access and at high temperatures above 150 degrees is much reduced.
Ideal for use as a towel rail pad.
How to choose the size of the gasket
The dimensions of the gaskets are indicated on the packaging in three parameters - the thickness, outer and inner diameters are indicated.
When replacing the gasket, look in the technical documentation and see the dimensions of the joints. Or take the product with you and show it to the seller.
If it is impossible to do both, then you will have to buy several sets of gaskets and choose what suits you.
American fitting
This design is invented in order to join the fixed threaded joints of two adjacent pipes.
Depending on the location of the pipes, the connection can be angular or straight. It received the nickname "American" by the name of the producing country - America.
The towel rail gasket is installed on the fitting connection, with which it is connected to the water supply.
"American" are available in two versions - with and without gasket. Inside fittings without seals, cones are used. They provide tightness due to a very tight fit.
Handle them carefully: you must not exert extra effort, especially since such fittings can be twisted by hand.
Experienced plumbers advise using tapered so as not to mess with rubber seals, which often have to be tightened or replaced.
When replacing a pad for a heated towel rail, "American" is completely disassembled. This is the only way to determine the condition of all gaskets and replace them with new ones.
Along the way, the rubber seals of the entire structure are changing. So the rules prescribe: disassembled joints must not be assembled using old gasket material.
Gasket replacement
When the cause and location of the leak are established, you can begin to work on troubleshooting.
Replacing the towel rail gasket begins with turning off the water. It is dangerous to loosen the nuts on the joints without shutting off the water supply to the apartment and without relieving the pressure. You can get serious burns with boiling water.
Shut-off valves for water supply are usually located next to water meters.
After the water supply has been stopped, the nuts connecting the heated towel rail to the eyeliner are carefully loosened. It is necessary to wait until water merges from it.
After the water has stopped flowing, the nuts are completely unscrewed and the dryer is removed from the brackets.
Then, the fitting is unscrewed from it, and after inspection, you can begin to replace damaged rubber gaskets and threaded seals.
To remove the insert from the "American", a special hex key is used.
After replacing all seals, the heated towel rail is placed in the opposite order on the brackets and connected to water.
It is better to use flax in combination with hermetic paste as a winding on the thread of the liner.
Tip of experienced plumbers: for easier connection to a water pipe, it is better to use fittings of the Italian company FAR.
At installation and installation it is possible to do without "American women". This method is shown in the video.
Another way is to connect directly to the riser. In this case, only a direct fitting is required. But the layout and location of the eyeliner does not always allow you to do this.
This option is much simpler and faster. It looks like this.
Heated towel rail "Sunerzha"
The company "Sunerzha" produces reliable heated towel rails made of high quality stainless steel, withstanding pressure at 25 atmospheres and temperatures up to 105 degrees.
You can choose the right design, which is suitable for any layout of the bathroom. Simple fittings make gaskets easy and quick to change.
The Sunerzh heated towel rail is popular in the market because of ease of connection and reliability.
Conclusion
The issues that were discussed in this article are the connection to the riser, replacing the gasket for the heated towel rail, and which ones are better to choose gaskets for installation.
If the layout of the bathroom allows, it is better to choose a lateral connection to the riser. In this case, direct fittings can be used.
If the "American" is a flat gasket, then it periodically has to be tightened and replaced. Better to put cone "American".
When disassembling and assembling, all rubber seals require replacement, regardless of their degree of wear.
If a leak is detected, it is better not to delay the repair. If there is no time or confidence - you need to call a professional plumber. Hot water may break out of a faulty connection at any time.