Turn off bypass radiator and use towel rail

[petebob796]

I have a Worcester CDI 42 classic combi boiler and TRV's on all radiators except one downstairs and a 6ft high approx towel rail in our upstairs bathroom.

I believe the downstairs radiator was setup like this with the intention of it being the bypass its in the hallway but its now behind a door so heating a small cupboard like a sauna so it seems a waste. The thermostat is a wireless one and usually sits in the living room so isn't run by this radiator.

Can I simply turn this radiator off and use the towel rail as the bypass radiator which would be a much better place for the heat to go for me. My concerns are:
Will a towel rail provide enough flow as a bypass or must it be something bigger?
Does the location in the system matter for the bypass?

I know I could get an automatic bypass fitted but think the towel rail is a reasonable compromise with wife acceptance factor if it isn't going to cause any boiler issues.

 

[BigSnoopy01]

It will work, maybe to well so may need to be balanced down a little. If you have the thermostat in one room normally it would be better to take the trv head of this rooms rad.

 

[muggles]

You should really have a proper automatic bypass valve fitted to the system, then you wouldn't need to worry about such things

 

[dilalio]

Did the roomstat used to be in the hallway, before you went wireless?
If so, it's likely that this is the reason why that rad is not fitted with a TRV. I would swap the thermos in the living room to go on the hallway rad, if that's where you have the stat. And, yes, you can use the towel rail as the bypass, fully opened, if your pipework suits!