Comparison Elna Zmeyka S 500x550 vs LARIS Zmeevik 25 400x500

— Water. In towel heaters of this type, heating is provided by hot water passing through the structure (the same principle works the curved pipes familiar to many, standard installed in the bathrooms of city apartments). Hot water can be supplied from both hot water and heating systems. The main advantage of water models is the minimal cost of operation - they have little impact on the overall water or heat consumption, and you do not have to pay more than the amount that usually goes for this purpose. At the same time, the installation of this type of towel rack is associated with serious difficulties - it will require making frames in the pipe, the choice of installation locations is quite limited, and sometimes it is impossible to change the location of the connected device. In addition, water models are less amenable to adjustment than in the electrical, and directly dependent on external water supply: when the water temperature drops, the efficiency of the towel rail falls, and when you turn off the heating or DHS it turns into a regular hanger.

— Electric. As the name suggests, heating in such models is carried out through the operation of an electric heating element. This greatly enhances installation capabilities and ease of operation: an electric towel rail can be hung wherever there is a socket nearby, it can work at any time of the year and is not dependent on the availability of heating...or DHS. In addition, the design often includes temperature adjusters, on/off timers and other additional features. The main drawback of such devices is the high cost of operation - the heater consumes quite a lot of energy, which affects the electricity bills accordingly.

— Water/electric. Devices combining both types can be executed in several variants. The simplest and most common case is when one model is available in two different versions, which almost do not differ in appearance, but have a different type of power supply; this will allow you to choose the optimal type. There are also combined towel warmers, in which the electric heater is combined with the water circuit: in the presence of hot water, they work as water, and in the fall of the temperature turns on the heater, compensating for the lack of power. Such models are very versatile and more economical than pure electrical, but they are expensive.

— Glass ceramic. Glass ceramic towel dryer belongs to the category of electric. In contrast to traditional electric models, glass-ceramic towel heaters are built into a decorative front plate. This makes it possible to heat the entire plate rather than the bar during operation. Heaters of this type are often used to provide additional, and in some cases primary, space heating. Glass ceramic type towel dryers have high efficiency, but at the same time increase energy consumption. In addition, many modern models can additionally be equipped with a timer, thermoregulator, decorative print, etc.

The design of the towel rail determines primarily its appearance, but can affect more practical aspects - for example, the installation features. The most popular modern designs include serpents (incl. M-shaped and P-shaped a/href and" (including volumetric), protrusions in the direction of, and angular constructions. In addition, there are original designer solutions. They are all described below.

— P-shaped coil. Type of coils described above, in which the main (leading) pipes are bent in the form of the letter «P». Most often, between the «legs» of this letter there is an additional coil from pipes of a smaller diameter - thus, with small dimensions the towel rail provides many «seats». However, there are also maximally simple models, without additional coil.

— M-shaped coil. Coils (see above), in shape resembling the letter M, laid to the side. In essence, it is a version of the classical S-shaped coils, having three bends: two to one side and one, between them, to the other.

— Ladder. The design of such towel rail is based on two vertical elements (tubes or bars), between which are located horizontal jumpers-crossbars, on the manner of steps of the usual stairs (hence the name). Modern models - «ladders» are very diverse, ca...n have different width and height, differ in the number of crossbars, equipped with additional shelves for drying (more about all this see below), etc. At the same time, the price of such devices is quite low. Of the drawbacks of the ladder it is worth noting that the towel hung on this design is likely to close several bars under itself - this makes it difficult to simultaneously dry several towels (although it increases the speed of the process by contacting the tissue at once with several heated bars).

— Volumetric ladder. Type of ladder (cf. above), in which the jumpers are not located directly between the vertical tubes, but are displaced relative to them forward and/or backward. The simplest variant of the three-dimensional ladder is one row of crossbars moved forward; this slightly increases their useful length at the same width of the entire structure, but on this the key differences with the normal ladder end. There are more complicated variants, with the arrangement of the jumpers in two vertical rows - for example, one row is directly between the tubes, and the other is forward or one is offset forward and the other is backward. These towel warmers are very useful if you need to dry several towels at the same time, but they are usually quite expensive.

— Side protrusions. This design can be called «one-way ladder»: it also combines vertical elements and horizontal jumpers, but the jumpers are fastened only on one side - the second is located «on weight». This gives the towel warmer an original look. However, in water models of this design is quite difficult to ensure efficient water circulation, so the «protruding» design did not get widespread.

— Corner. As the name suggests, models of this type were originally designed to be installed in the corner of the bathroom. This requires appropriate design features; they can be different in different models. Note that there are options for both «normal», internal angle, and external, protruding.

— Designer. This category includes all towel warmers with original appearance and not belonging to any of the above categories. An indispensable element of their design is only the presence of horizontal jumpers (so that, actually, there was where to hang towels), but the options for their mutual arrangement, connecting each other and with a support, etc. are limited only by the imagination of designers.

The working capacity of the towel warmer - simply put, the amount of heat it receives when working normally. This parameter is only relevant for water models (and for water-based combination devices). For electric heaters, the power consumption is given (see below) with a similar value.

The thermal power is important in light of the fact that the towel rail often plays the role not only of the dryer, but also of the heater for the bathroom. If the ceiling height in such a room is standard 2.5 - 3 m, you can use such a formula to evaluate the effectiveness: on 1 m2 of area at least 100 watts of thermal power is needed. For example, the smallest modern models give out less than 300 W, this is enough only for the smallest bathrooms (or for use as an auxiliary heating source). The indicator in 300 - 600 W is considered relatively low, 600 - 900 W - average, - 1200 Wat can exceed the largest thermal power models, greater than larger ones"/list/88/pr-11658/">1200 W.

When choosing on this indicator should take into account two points. Firstly, the thermal power is specified for a certain water temperature (usually of the order of 60 °C or 75 °C); if the temperature is different, the actual capacity of the towel heater will differ from the declared. Therefore, it is worth choosing a device with a certain reserve in power. Secondly,...in combined models (cf. «Type») the power of the electric heater is added to the thermal power of the water heater, and the overall efficiency of the device will be determined by the sum of these capacities.

The maximum power consumed when operating an electric towel rail (or combined model when operating from an electrical grid; see «Type»). As a rule, this value corresponds to the operating thermal capacity of the electric heater, so that it is possible to estimate the overall efficiency of such devices from the power consumption. In addition, energy consumption and network load depend on this indicator.

As a rule, manufacturers select the power consumption depending on the size of the towel bar - to ensure it is sufficient for heating and effective drying. This requires relatively little energy. But in the role of a heater for the bathroom is more convenient to use water heaters - they are easier to achieve high power (and such heating is cheaper). Therefore, electric heaters in modern models have low power - the devices more than 150 W are rare, and the most low-power devices do not reach and 50 W.

The highest operating temperature of the towel bar. The features of this parameter depend on the type of device (see above). For water models, the maximum water temperature (or other coolant) is specified here, at which the device can be guaranteed to operate indefinitely for a long time without risk of damage. Usually this value is not less than 95 °C, and in some models may exceed the boiling point of the water and reach 105...110 C. This is usually more than enough for rooms with central heating and hot water supply, but if the heating is provided autonomously, It is necessary to specify separately the range of operating temperatures in the contours and make sure that the selected towel rail will fit them.

In the case of an electrical model, maximum operating temperature means the highest temperature to which the device can heat up. Usually, when it is achieved, the heating is automatically switched off and turned on only when the temperature is significantly lower. In this case, the usual values are 60...70°C, which is comparable to the standard water temperature in the district hot water supply systems - this temperature ensures efficient drying and at the same time does not create a risk of being burned by accidental touch.

The controller allows you to change the heating intensity and, accordingly, the temperature of the towel bar. This function is found exclusively in models with electric heaters - electric and combined (cf. «Type»), as it is technically difficult to implement in the water circuit.

In any case, the thermostat provides advanced device management capabilities. The specific capabilities of such management may vary. The simplest regulator provides only a change in power; in other words, the user must manually select the required power to reach the desired temperature. More advanced models include thermostats capable of automatically maintaining a set temperature.

Towel rail controls can be represented by mechanical, electronic or touch programmers.

— Mechanical. Rotating handles or buttons directly connected to the control elements of the towel rail, in particular, a thermostat or thermostat for changing the heating intensity. This control is extremely simple and inexpensive, but its possibilities are very limited, and the accuracy of adjustments is lower than in electronic systems. Mechanical controls can be mounted on both the plug and towel rail.

— Electronic. Button control via electronic circuits. Although it is more expensive than mechanical, it provides more possibilities and increases the accuracy of temperature adjustments.

— Touch. It’s a kind of electronic system where the controls are not buttons, but sensors that respond to touch. The touch panels look more modern and have no protruding parts, making them less polluted and easier to clean. Touchscreen programmers are usually equipped with expensive models of towel warmers.

Method of drawing water to water or universal (cf. «Type») towel rail. Division in this case goes to where «look» connecting pipes:

— Vertical. In such models, the nozzle located at the top of the structure is directed upwards, the bottom, respectively - downwards.

- Side. In this case, both pipes are oriented to the side (right or left).

— Side or vertical. Combination of the above two variants in one model. Most often occurs in the form of two modifications, one of which allows only lateral connection, the second - only vertical.

This parameter does not affect the functionality of the towel rail, but the ease of connection can significantly affect. Therefore, when choosing between the two described options should be based on how to fit the design of the desired size into the interior of the bathroom and on which side it is most convenient to bring water.

The distance between the axes of the main pipes connecting the towel rail. This parameter is critical in the selection of water towel rail and its frames into existing pipes. To ensure a neat design after installation, the spacing between the towel rail and the pipe in the wall must be the same. If the figures match, you will not need to use accessories in the manner of plumbing knees, adapters, adapters, etc. The classical dimensions for the interaxial distance are 400 mm, 500 mm and 600 mm.