Radiator/towel radiator

[scottygio]

I plan to swap my existing bathroom radiator with a towel radiator. A straight swap over i would have thought however the instructions for the towel radiator says the towel radiator should not be used in a direct central heating system because they contain inhibitor! Anybody understand this?

thanks

scott

 

[doitall]

A direct system doesn't contain inhibitor

More info on the boiler etc.

 

[Paul Barker]

I canot think of any material that a towel radiator can be made from which isn't compatible with modern inhibitors. I wold quiz the manufacturers about their stupidity.

 

[Nige F]

See if you can identify the country of manufacture from the instructions Bet it`s China and so is the printing ........like most goods today

 

[arasca]

I plan to swap my existing bathroom radiator with a towel radiator. A straight swap over i would have thought however the instructions for the towel radiator says the towel radiator should not be used in a direct central heating system because they contain inhibitor! Anybody understand this?

thanks

scott

hi
you can get more information from the fallowing site: www.towel-radiator.com

 

[marinareyna]

I’d check the wording with the manufacturer first. It sounds like the issue may be the type of heating system, rather than the inhibitor itself.
If the connections match, it may be a simple swap, but make sure the towel rail is actually suitable for your system before fitting it.

 

[fixitflav]

I’d check the wording with the manufacturer first.

Might be worth checking the dates on this thread!

 

[marinareyna]

Fair point! I missed that the thread was quite old. The advice still applies, though I’d always check the manufacturer’s current instructions before swapping the radiator.

 

[ChrisJP]

I canot think of any material that a towel radiator can be made from which isn't compatible with modern inhibitors. I wold quiz the manufacturers about their stupidity.

I think that's missing the point.
The new towel radiator is probably recommended to be used in a system with inhibitor in it, to limit corrosion. However, if the system is direct (that is: the domestic HW and radiator circuits are combined and not separate) then clearly an inhibitor can't be used. Using the towel radiator in such a direct system will work OK, but the life of it (before it corrodes & leaks) will be reduced, as indeed will the life of the other radiators in the circuit.

 

[fixitflav]

However, if the system is direct (that is: the domestic HW and radiator circuits are combined and not separate) then clearly an inhibitor can't be used.

Not with you. Normally the rad water and HW cylinder primary circuit are combined, and inhibitor can and should be used. What comes out of the HW taps is different. There are systems with a Primatic cylinder where the water is mixed and inhibitor can't be used (my brother has one) but my guess is these are rare.
But I doubt the OP is still interested!

 

[ChrisJP]

That was the point I was making.
There are still houses with combined domestic HW and radiator circuits which cannot have inhibitor in them. Of course, if the radiator circuit is self contained and separate from the domestic HW circuit and has its own header tank, then it can have inhibitor.
I inherited such a combined system when I moved into my current house many years ago. The radiator circuit was fed by a one way valve system inside the domestic HW cylinder. The only "advantage" of this that I could see was that it avoided the need for a separate radiator circuit header tank. I very soon threw this cylinder out and replaced it with a standard one with heater coil and a separate header trank for this circuit. Then I could add inhibitor to this circuit.
I was just suggesting that the instructions the OP was querying may have been written to deal with the combined situation.
But, I hadn't noted the date on this revised thread so, as you say, I doubt if the OP will still be interested!

 

[fixitflav]

I very soon threw this cylinder out and replaced it with a standard

I'm not surprised. I've tried to get bro to do the same but he CBA.