Power consumption
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.
Thermostat
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.
Display
The presence of
the display on the body of the towel heater allows you to see more clearly the set temperature or timer settings. This solution improves the comfort of use of the device, but also affects its total cost.
Power cable
The location of the cable on the towel rail housing allows you to choose the right model, so as not to invent with the connection of the device to the socket.
— Left. The electrical wire is placed on
left side of the body, which allows a neat and concise installation of the towel rail on the wall, on the right side of the plug.
— Right. The power cable is removed via
right side of the housing. This wiring arrangement is advisable to choose when the towel rail will be mounted to the left of the outlet.
— Hidden.
Hidden cable liner involves connecting to the power grid behind the false wall or by means of electrical communications hidden in the wall. In this case, the heater terminal box itself is most often placed closer to the center of the housing. As a rule, the towel rail with the option of a hidden connection has a short wire without a plug at the end. But there are models that are not normally equipped with a connecting wiring - in this case, it is necessary to connect the end of the cable hidden in the wall to the terminal box heater. Also on the market there are models that support both connection options: both hidden and classic (using a conventional power plug), which allows the user to determine which option will be the best for him.
Number of jumpers
Number of jumpers - horizontal elements - provided in the design of the towel rail. It is on them are placed towels and other things designed to dry; however, there are models in which not every jumper is suitable for this. The fact is that horizontal elements can be placed in groups, inside which the distance between them is so small that it is very difficult, if not impossible, to place a towel there. In such groups, only the upper bridge supports, and the rest play the role of additional heating elements, increasing the heating area and, accordingly, the efficiency of drying the fabric. This feature is quite common in models with more than 10 jumpers.
It can be said that, in theory, the more jumpers - the more things can be hung on the towel rail; however, in practice, this moment largely depends on the design of a particular model, And the more horizontal elements there are, the more likely they are to be grouped. Also, it is worth paying attention to the width of the towel rail, according to this criterion you can conventionally divide them into
broad and
narrow.
