How to connect a heated towel rail to a hot water riser and a heating circuit with your own hands

The device for drying hygiene items and removing excess moisture in the bathroom is simple to design and install.In order to install it, you do not need fundamental knowledge in the field of engineering communications construction.

However, you should clearly know how to connect a heated towel rail. After all, the result of your own efforts or the work of hired plumbers should please you for many years, do you agree?

In the article we presented, all options for installing a substation and possible complications during its connection are discussed in detail. Verified and systematized information will be a reliable help for home craftsmen who want to do the work themselves, or who want to control the actions of workers.

We have outlined in detail the specifics of connecting an important household appliance in old and new bathroom layouts. The problems of private home owners have not been left unattended. The information we offer has been tested in practice, supported by visual materials and video instructions.

Specifics of installing a heated towel rail

General connection principle any kind heated towel rail remains unchanged: water is supplied to one end, and its outflow occurs at the other. Installation of a substation requires mandatory consideration of points dictated by the installation features.

When connected to a hot water or central heating system, it becomes part of the pipeline.If the connection is made incorrectly, then the problems that arise will affect not only the individual apartment, but also all the others located along this riser.

The heated towel rail is connected to centralized and autonomous heating or hot water supply systems, hung on the wall and/or installed on the floor

To avoid electrolytic corrosion, it is recommended to use parts made of the same material. The exception is plastic pipes; plumbing fixtures made of any material will fit them.

Better for our water supply choose a heated towel rail, issued to domestic manufacturers and complying with regulatory documents. You need to be careful with imported models - most of them are designed for different standards.

The range of heated towel rails includes rotating options, the connections of which are equipped with movable mechanisms with sealing seals. Models can be loaded up to 5 kg

Heated towel rail, shaped like a ladder, is connected to the pipeline using several methods - vertical, diagonal, lateral. The main thing is to maintain an interaxial distance of 50 cm.

When connecting to an existing system, you need to take into account its parameters. The distance from the riser to the newly installed unit should not exceed 200 cm, otherwise significant heat loss cannot be avoided.

Ideally, when the system pipes and heated towel rail They match in diameter, but if they still differ, then the connection is made through adapters.

The pipes of the device may be larger in diameter than the pipes of the existing circuit, but in no case smaller.This will prevent the creation of excess hydraulic pressure and ensure normal coolant circulation in the system.

A selection of photos will familiarize you with the features of connecting a substation to hot water systems:

So that the device, if necessary, can be easily dismantled, move to another wall To connect it to the riser, you must use detachable couplings with American-type internal threads. It is necessary to strive to reduce the number of adapters, because... Leaks may form at the places where they are installed.

Joints should be sealed with special compounds or winding, and it’s not worth saving on this. Connections with regular metric threads are sealed winding from linen. It is better to seal tapered threads using FUM tape. Twisting should be done with a slightly perceptible interference, excessive efforts are unacceptable.

Selecting taps and fitting, take an interest in their electrochemical compatibility, so that it does not happen that upon contact they will create a galvanic couple. A connection made of steel and brass has this property. Rapid corrosion occurs and the unit becomes unusable.

The use of an adapter called American allows you to fix the structure when the diameters of the taps and pipes in the system do not match

If the plumbing fixture is part of the riser, then no shutoff devices can be installed on it. To be able to turn off heated towel rail without shutting off the entire riser, it is necessary to include a bypass in the system - a jumper connecting the outlets from the riser towards the device.

Ball valves are installed after this jumper. When the connection pipes are embedded in the riser, it itself acts as a bypass.

In order for the device to be dismantled for repairs without turning off the system and draining water from it, it is better to include a bypass in the installation diagram of the heated towel rail

Connection PS To DHW or central heating

Connection heated towel rail to the risers of central networks can be done in different ways.

The tactics of work depend on the modification of the coil:

1. Top connection. Water enters from above, and the return is located below.
2. Bottom connection. The coolant enters on one side and exits on the other.
3. Diagonally. Inlet from above, outlet from below on the opposite side.
4. At the bottom of the device in the center.

Regardless of where the substation is connected - to the system FGP or to the central heating riser, similar schemes are used.

The photo shows the main stages of installing a heated towel rail.It can be used as visual instructions when doing work with your own hands (+)

Installation heated towel rail in the boner

To embed heated towel rail in a bathroom located in an apartment in a multi-storey building, it is necessary to turn off the hot water on the riser. The task is made easier if the unit can be dismantled by simply unscrewing the nuts connecting it to the common pipe. The main thing is that the connecting pipes of the new device have similar dimensions.

When an old-style device is welded to the hot water riser, it is more difficult to disconnect it. The best solution is when connected heated towel rail with your own hands, replace the riser too - partially or completely. The second option is preferable. Pieces of old pipe left in ceilings pose a potential hazard.

The riser along with the old unit is cut out using a grinder, then the pipe threads are cut from the neighbors above and below, a new riser is connected and taken out to your room.

Usage polypropylene pipes with the same diameter is preferable to steel ones. They are cheaper, lighter, do not corrode, are resistant to high temperatures, and durable.

To seal the threaded collapsible connections of heated towel rails as well as other types of plumbing and heating appliances, it is better to use durable natural options: plumbing flax and thread made from it

There is a lot of choice fittings For teaching staff pipes that welded into the riser to go to the thread and connect heated towel rail.

Used for soldering special soldering iron. Many people install a box to hide the wiring behind it without changing the connection diagram.

Self-installation PS simple configuration

The dryer is assembled, shut-off valves are installed on the supply line using detachable connections, then they are tried on a pre-marked place on the wall, horizontal and vertical are checked, and the brackets for fastening the PS are fixed.

Before installing a heated towel rail, think carefully about all the points: determine a place for it, study the installation diagram, draw a rough sketch (+)

The connection is made using the following technology:

1. Install a bypassusing pipes or tees. In the places where it is connected to the device, one valve is installed.
2. Fasten heated towel railusing brackets or other fasteners.
3. Connect the device to the valvesusing bushings or fitting connections.
4. Open taps slowly and fill the unit with water.

The bypass in this scheme performs an important function - it ensures the same temperature of the supplied coolant in all apartments located along the riser.Ball valves allow you to turn off the device at will or even remove it completely, install a thermostat on it, maintaining the set temperature.

Bypass is an important component of the substation connection diagram. It is necessary to provide for its installation at the very initial stage of installation (+)

Many, trying to optimize the circulation of the coolant through the dryer, make it offset or choose a pipe for it with a diameter 1 order of magnitude smaller than the liner. Professionals consider this approach unjustified. In a device with a simple configuration, good circulation is observed even with a direct bypass.

This phenomenon can be explained using the laws of physics: cooling liquid in heated towel rail , has a higher specific gravity compared to the hotter coolant, so it rushes down.

By analogy with the connection diagrams for the DHW network, insertion into the heating circuit is carried out both with and without a bypass. The use of a tap that shuts off the flow depends on whether the heated towel rail is being installed in a multi-storey or private house (+)

As a result, the cooled liquid is pushed into the central pipe from the lowest point of the unit. Liquid with a higher temperature from the riser enters the upper point heated towel rail and the cycle repeats. Cooled water here acts as a perpetual motion machine.

Some people recommend installing shut-off valves on the bypass to shut off the flow of water. But this contradicts the rule that in a multi-storey building, not a single apartment owner should have any opportunity to shut off the central riser on his own and deprive everyone of hot water.

Another thing is a private house, here the owner can put the faucet wherever he wants, but if the system is properly balanced and there are thermostatic devices, then there is no need to install a tap on the lintel.

A not very aesthetically attractive open pipe connection can be hidden:

Shut-off valves in front of the substation are needed to control its operation. Both ball and 2-position, multi-turn options are suitable for this purpose. They are of little use for removing air pockets.

While the products are new, this can be done by unscrewing the nut, but because of this, the seals quickly become unusable. If, although there are threads on the taps, there are none on the pipes, then they should either be cut or a suitable fitting should be welded.

Installation in a new building heated towel rail into the heating system is easier, but it will only be warm during the heating season. Installation in SGV more effective.

Technology for working with the “ladder” model

Connection diagrams can also operate on natural circulation heated towel rail A “ladder” to the riser, the most commonly used, well-proven connections are lateral or diagonal.

For these schemes, neither the direction of coolant supply in the riser nor the coolant circulation speed plays a role; airing systems in the event of a water supply failure.

The heated towel rail “Lesenka” is distinguished by high heat transfer and decorates the room. With a little experience, you can install it yourself (+)

The connection sequence is the same as in the case of a simple configuration PS.

For the scheme to work, you need to take into account some features:

1. Place the riser outlet located at the top at the level of the substation or above its top point, and the one below is equal to or below its bottom point.
2. Ensure that the supply pipes are strictly horizontal or make a slope of 5-10 mm along the entire length. If this condition is not met, air locks may occur. If you have chosen bottom feed, then using a pipe of a smaller diameter for the bypass is unacceptable.
3. Choose pipes with a diameter of at least 25 mm, if they are polypropylene, at least ¾ inch - steel, ball valves 3/4″ With smaller diameters, uneven heating will be observed - hotter on top and colder on the bottom.
4. Place plastic pipes in insulation, if you plan to wall them up in the wall.

If you installed a narrowed bypass or displaced it, then natural circulation will work in combination with forced circulation. This scheme has a significant drawback: it is completely inoperable with the lower connection; only the upper option is acceptable.

There are also positive aspects: with top feed it works stably, not becomes airy, heated towel rail can be removed from the riser at an arbitrary distance.

Lateral and diagonal substation connection schemes are approximately equal in efficiency (+)

If you decide to make a bottom connection, then be prepared for the fact that this method is less effective, but it also has some advantages: the direction of water supply in the central riser does not matter, it becomes possible to hide the pipes under the bathtub.

The main disadvantage is the mandatory presence of a tap Mayevsky to release air. A prerequisite for the operation of the circuit is the installation of a lower outlet below the substation housing.

If desired, the bottom connection can be converted into a side connection. To do this, 90° angles are mounted on the inlet and outlet pipes. The working cross-section of the adapters should not differ from the diameter of the pipes in a smaller direction, otherwise the performance of the system will be impaired. Reverse modernization - converting the side connection to the bottom connection is impossible.

If all the pipes are embedded in the wall, you can install a substation with a side connection. This design looks aesthetically pleasing (+)

Inserting a substation into a centralized heating system

If you want to install a towel dryer in winter, then this idea is unlikely to yield anything. In this case, you will have to stop heating and remove coolant from the system, so you will have to wait until summer.

But even then the work is complicated by the fact that the heating system must be emptied and its supply must be shut off. For all this you need to obtain permission from the services Housing and communal services.

It is also difficult to check the performance of the PS in the summer. Defects, in the form of leaks at welds and threaded connections, will manifest themselves only after the heating is connected.This fact once again testifies in favor of the mandatory installation of taps after bypass.

Connection heated towel rail in a country house

The conditions of a private home are more favorable for installing a dryer. With an autonomous supply system, the water here is cleaner. You can buy imported PS that is afraid of sediment accumulation.

Usually in such a house a fairly large room is allocated for a bath, which expands the boundaries of the choice of unit in terms of size and shape. And connection work does not require permission from neighbors.

Regardless of where you are going to connect the heated towel rail - to the heating system or to the domestic hot water supply, you cannot do without inserting the device into the pipes

The connection diagram itself is similar to that used in an apartment building. It must be remembered that the device should be connected exclusively along the flow of water. For line lengths up to 50 cm, place the pipes horizontally; for larger lines, make a slope along the entire length.

Maintain the distance between the wall and the water pipe. If the pipeline diameter is 4-5 cm, choose a distance from 5 to 5.5 cm. When the diameter is less than 2.3 cm, this gap is reduced to 3.5 cm.

Considering the temperature deformations to which hot pipes are subject, it is impossible to fasten the PS to the supports by welding; the fastening must be free.

Typical mistakes of independent craftsmen

When, with a side or bottom connection, the lower outlet is located above the extreme point of the PS, a stagnation zone is formed between the bottom of the device and the connection point of the lower outlet.

This is a consequence of the fact that the cooled liquid, having dropped down, cannot get back into the riser due to the pressure on it from a column of hot water with a lower specific gravity.While the permissible height difference between the bottom outlet and the bottom heated towel rail is not exceeded, the device works, and then the circulation in it stops.

Circulation will also stop if there is a bend formed by the upper pipe. Only a sidebar can make such a scheme work crane Mayevskyto periodically release accumulated air. Sometimes a loop is made in the upper pipe, laying it behind the ceiling trim, and the lower pipe is walled into the floor.

Air will accumulate at the top, and the cooled water in the unit will be blocked in the lower loop located in the floor. The movement of the coolant will stop completely.

In order to release the air formed when the coolant boils or brought into the heating system during its filling, air vents are installed (+)

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

The process of installing the device in a new building before finishing work:

Video about errors in choosing and connecting a heated towel rail:

Connection diagram heated towel rail can't be called complicated. It is quite doable for a home craftsman. But by neglecting the rules and even minor nuances, you can get yourself into a lot of trouble.

Do you have anything to add or have questions about the technology for connecting a heated towel rail? Please leave comments on the post. The contact form is located in the lower block.