Towel rail elements

[Allan29]

I have an existing water only towel rail, which I would like to convert to dual heat. Unfortunately, the installation would not readily accept the standard bottom fitting eectric element without major modification. Fitting an element at the top would be very easy, but pointless as the average 300 to 400mm element length would only heat the top third of the rail.

When I investigated about a year ago, I identified a 900mm long element, which would heat most of the rail (or at least enough to make the exercise worthwhile), but sadly did not buy one at the time. Now I can find no trace of such extra long elements.

Does anybody have any suggestions as to where such items might now be obtained.

Allan

 

[spacethegas]

im no expert on this, but why do you need one so long ?
is the towel rail 6ft high ?

 

[Allan29]

The reason is because hot water rises. My towel rail is about 1300mm high. Even a short 300mm element, correctly fitted at the bottom, would cause all bars to warm as the hot water rises and circulates around all available 'loops'. The same element at the top would cause circulation only of the top 300mm of the rail; just those bars adjacent to the hot element. Thus, the majority of the bars lower down will be cold. Likewise a 900mm mounted at the top should heat only the top 900mm of the towel rail; not perfect but possibly worth doing?

Allan

 

[spacethegas]

i see.

heat rises obviously. i was just thinking of bottom entry.

wouldn't top entry look a bit odd ?