The bathroom, like all others, has its own interior and style. Recently, elements of furniture in a vintage style have been inspired by fashion trends. This applies to door handles, furniture fittings, and the bathroom was no exception. The faucet in gold, copper or brass color perfectly copies the vintage. This also applies to heated towel rails.
Brass heated towel rail
The brass device, in addition to its beautiful appearance, also has a number of other characteristics. The thing is that brass is an alloy consisting of copper and zinc in a ratio of 2/1. Also in the composition are additives: nickel, lead, tin, manganese and aluminum. Depending on the amount of additives in the alloy, brass takes on different colors and characteristics.
It is very important to purchase a water brass heated towel rail, made only according to the standards of DSTU GOST 15527. These standards meet the requirements for sanitary fittings and items.
Brass is highly resistant to corrosion. Thanks to this property, this is the most common material in the manufacture of plumbing: coils, taps, mixers , etc. All the characteristics of brass depend on its composition and the amount of impurities and additives in the alloy.
Pros of use, according to owners reviews
In addition to corrosion resistance, brass towel rails are characterized by high thermal conductivity, which speeds up the drying time of things. The thermal conductivity of brass is four times higher than the thermal conductivity of stainless steel, which is often used to make heated towel rails. This is easy to verify by looking at the reference materials for the composition of metals and alloys. Brass is a much more thermally conductive alloy than steel or stainless steel. When choosing which heated towel rail is best - brass or stainless steel, it is worth considering these qualities of brass.
Based on the excellent heat-conducting characteristics, it is not necessary to select a coil with a large working area, this will significantly save space in the bathroom. Even a small brass heated towel rail will successfully cope with drying clothes. And also with heated bathroom.
In addition to good thermal conductivity and corrosion resistance, the brass heated towel rail copes well with leakage currents. This unpleasant phenomenon is due to the fact that the neighbors in the riser may have grounding to the pipes or faulty wiring in the apartment or at the neighbors. This will eventually lead to the appearance of electrochemical corrosion on the pipes. The steel coil and pipes quickly deteriorate in this case, and the brass is not affected by stray currents.
Brass heated towel rail to the apartment
The choice of towel warmers today is very large. In the stores of building materials and plumbing, the assortment contains coils from a wide variety of metals, both foreign and domestic. The only problem is that heated towel rails of foreign manufacturers are not suitable for installation in multi-apartment buildings.
All heating appliances should be selected, taking into account the features of the water supply system. Foreign products are designed for lower pressure than is supplied to the high-rise buildings of our country. The second reason is that they simply are not designed for frequent pressure drops. These factors shorten the life of the coils. Imported appliances are only suitable for private homes where there is an autonomous water and heating supply system.
Brass towel warmers of Russian manufacture are:
- from one pipe (monotube);
- soldered from several pieces of pipes (polytube).
Before buying such products, it makes sense to check with the seller for the data of the selected model. So, the increased pressure of water withstands the coil better with a smaller body diameter. Polytube coils withstand pressure of 2.37-4.3 Pa, monotube coils - 5.7-7.9 Pa.
Brass products withstand temperatures up to 110 degrees Celsius.
The service life of brass coils can be safely called 10 years. Russian and Ukrainian manufacturers indicate a warranty period of 2 years. The brass chromed heated towel rail will last even longer, since due to the coating it is more resistant to corrosion, and its appearance is another plus. It is suitable for bathrooms where there are additional fittings, a mixer and taps in white or metallic colors. Nickel-plated brass heated towel rail also has its own characteristics: extended service life and a specific shade of material.
Type of heating of heated towel rails and their connection. Water towel warmers
By type of heating, towel warmers are:
- water;
- electric;
- mixed (combined).
The first function due to hot water in the heating system of the apartment. In a private house, the coil can be connected to heating or water supply.
Water towel warmers are the most popular. Although drinking water circulates in them, the medium is still quite aggressive and can cause corrosion. Therefore, a brass water-based chrome heated towel rail is great, it looks great and has a high degree of corrosion resistance.
The disadvantage of using water coils in apartments is that they work from hot water, and in the summer, prevention is often carried out, and the water is turned off for a period of time.
Installation
The most common way to install a water heated towel rail is to install it using union nuts, the so-called American women and gaskets made of paronite, rubber or fluoroplastic.
When installing a water heated towel rail, various schemes for connecting the device to a hot water supply should be considered. They are:
- with bottom supply;
- right approach;
- left-hand drive;
- diagonal connection.
Electric heated towel rails
They work from the network, and they do not need water supply. Such a coil can be used as a heater and placed in any of the rooms of the apartment. Such coils consume no more electricity than one light bulb. The temperature of the pipes is about 60 degrees, i.e. they are safe. Inside the heated towel rail there is a heating element or heater. This type of coil is convenient in that it can be turned off at any convenient time. When installing an electric heating device, all safety precautions must be observed, namely, the cable and outlet must be at least 60 cm from taps and showers.
Combined Coils
They can be both water and electric. This heated towel rail is easy to switch to another type. Usually it is used in summer as an electric one, and in winter as a water one, since there is heating of apartments. Installation also requires compliance with the rules and regulations for the installation of electrical appliances.
When purchasing a coil, you need to make sure of its completeness and the presence of documents attached to it, such as:
- technical certificate;
- hygiene certificate;
- quality certificate from the manufacturer;
- installation instructions;
- recommendations for the operation of the device;
- warranty completed on the day of purchase.
Features of towel warmer care
In order for the coil to not lose its appearance over time and stay like a new one for a long time, it needs appropriate care.
Appearance will quickly deteriorate if:
- not use the device for its intended purpose and do not wipe it from dust;
- poor-quality material, and externally the heated towel rail may darken with moisture;
- if you constantly dry textile things on it, then the surface will soon be wiped off.
A towel rail made of chrome-plated brass pipes that meets all the standards of this type of appliance will retain its appearance for a long time if you look after it and follow the recommendations.
Despite the fact that the majority of brass coil manufacturers give a guarantee for their products for two years, the average life of such products is approximately 10 years.
If you compare the prices for towel warmers, brass appliances, as a rule, are slightly cheaper than stainless steel products, but slightly more expensive than steel models.