bathroom towel rail said to be on the hot water circuit

[eddiebrown424]

Hi All,

Attended a job today and was informed that the bathroom rail was on the hot water circuit. it is a large communal boiler in a block of flats with no valves or stopcocks in the flat. I tried draining but obviously couldnt without stopping the system filling. There is a pump in the kitchen and both bathroom but no other isolation and I cant even freeze the pipe.

Any ideas

eddie

 

[Mike Jackson]

But you only needed warm towels when you bathed. You're looking at things from a modern perspective. When this sort of thing was being done central heating was a rarity so a rad that got warm once a week so you had warm, dry towels when you got out of the bath was a real luxury. I would imagine that most of the ones that I came across had originally had a solid fuel back boiler heating a direct cylinder and when heating was put in the bathroom towel rail was left as it was.

 

[stevetheplumber]

have to agree to disagree on this one mike on solid fuel they were used as a het sink and plumbed on to the primaries even if the cylider was direct there was always a cicuit

 

[Mike Jackson]

I don't understand what you're disagreeing with though. I've seen, worked on and nearly flooded houses that have towel rails piped in this manner. It's never struck me as good practice or a good idea but if I've come across it there is a possibility that it has been done elsewhere. It may have been a practice that was strictly regional.

 

[eddiebrown424]

Hi Mike

Thanks for that.

I have isolated at the pump there is only lots of air coming out of the air vent. The rd was still draining through the valves after 40 mins although the pressure had dropped. I tried to explain that it could form part of another circuit and that it is impossible to isolate and that i didn't know how much water that this circuit held. Also explained that without stopping the circuit getting fed (if it wasn't the hot water circuit isolated at the pump) it may not be possible to isolate it. the boss got quite annoyed and said that he would sort it out by leaving the current valves (as stop ends which i thought was not good practice as the rad has 2 TRVs which i thought had frost controls. He may be able to put decorators caps on but again I thought that without further investigating this may impact on another part of the circuit. I bought a lockshield and a straight TRV as the new pipework will enter the rad from below (as opposed to through the wall) and l Obviously I couldn't see how he was going to attach 2 new valves without moving the rad which the customer says he cant do. Also I wasn't sure if 2 TRVs would impact on the rad working properly. Anyhooooo I think that it is time to look for a company that wants to do the work right and a more team focused boss.

Cheers again for all the advice.

Eddie

 

[plumber0808]

that has never been common practice as it wouldnt work

It would work with the secondary return after the towel rails as it will be on a constant circuit. I have never seen it done though, as said there can't be many of them about.
would be a great strip out.

two trv's? i think clint has visited. :cowboy:

 

[eddiebrown424]

It would work with the secondary return after the towel rails as it will be on a constant circuit. I have never seen it done though, as said there can't be many of them about.
would be a great strip out.

two trv's? i think clint has visited. :cowboy:

yehaa 2 trvs on every rad.

Eddie

 

[tolly]

Ive seen this a few times on old blocks of flats in London that have a communal DHW system with a circulated secondary return. Normally they've tee'd one side of the towel rail into the dhw and the other side is tee'd into the secondary return giving you the circulation.

 

[WHPES]

Never seen what Mike has drawn. Usual for the return on the rad to go back to the cylinder but the water never flows through the radiator to get to the taps.

Bear in mind that if you plumb a new towel rail into the hot water side it must comply with the following to meet regulations:

1, made of brass or copper
2, have thermostatic control