Comparison MARIO Elektra HP-I 500x950 vs Instal Projekt Viking Electro 530x1000

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» a...re very diverse, can 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 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.

Possibility to turn towel rail around the vertical axis, usually on the left or right side. This function allows you to change the position of the structure if necessary. So, for hanging towels are most convenient to deploy the jumpers at an angle to the wall, so that they are available from both sides; and hanging everything you need, you can turn them close to the wall, so that the towel rail does not take up excess space.

In some models (usually electric, see. «Type») the jumpers can be rotated not all at once, but separately, or in groups.

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.

The country of origin of the brand under which the product is marketed.

Most often, the state where the manufacturer's headquarters is located is indicated as the country of origin. On the domestic market, there are mainly heated towel rails manufactured by companies from Italy, Poland, Russia, Ukraine and the Czech Republic. It should be noted that the production itself may be located in other countries; manufacturers use this trick for advertising purposes, in the expectation that some countries look more "solid" to the consumer than others. However, national stereotypes have almost nothing to do with reality: the quality of products depends not so much on the country of manufacture or the country of origin of the brand, but on how carefully the company controls its production. Therefore, you should pay attention to this nuance first of all if you fundamentally want or do not want to support a manufacturer from a certain country. And when choosing by quality, it makes sense to focus not on “nationality”, but first of all on the overall reputation of the brand.