ᐅ Towel Radiators with Underfloor Heating – Do They Get Warm?
Created on: 21 Sep 2020 20:26
B
Baugreenhorn
Hello everyone,
we are currently building our semi-detached house. We decided to install underfloor heating on all floors (except the basement).
The builder is definitely installing a towel radiator in the bathroom, connected to the heating circuit.
Now I’m wondering if it will actually get warm enough. The supply temperature for the underfloor heating is very low, so it seems this towel radiator won’t be suitable as a main heating source. Do you think it will at least be enough to keep towels warm or to dry them quickly?
I have a similar concern about the basement. We prepared standard radiators in both rooms down there. Will I be able to get them warm enough so that the rooms can at least be used occasionally for guests (in case of emergency)?
Thanks a lot! I’m curious to hear your opinions. The builder must have a reason for this setup, right?
we are currently building our semi-detached house. We decided to install underfloor heating on all floors (except the basement).
The builder is definitely installing a towel radiator in the bathroom, connected to the heating circuit.
Now I’m wondering if it will actually get warm enough. The supply temperature for the underfloor heating is very low, so it seems this towel radiator won’t be suitable as a main heating source. Do you think it will at least be enough to keep towels warm or to dry them quickly?
I have a similar concern about the basement. We prepared standard radiators in both rooms down there. Will I be able to get them warm enough so that the rooms can at least be used occasionally for guests (in case of emergency)?
Thanks a lot! I’m curious to hear your opinions. The builder must have a reason for this setup, right?
S
SebastianH.29 Sep 2020 14:21What type of radiator is recommended for the bathroom when you have underfloor heating? Is a radiator even necessary then? I wouldn’t install one just for "towel drying."
We haven’t had one and don’t have one now. I just see them as a waste of space and a dust collector. There is one in the current temporary apartment, but I have never turned it on. If the underfloor heating is properly designed, there is no need for an additional radiator. If you do want one, it should be electric.
I understand it like this: there is always one loop more in bathrooms because a higher room temperature needs to be reached. I believe 24 degrees Celsius (75°F) for bathrooms, while other rooms are around 21 degrees Celsius (70°F). If the spacing between the heating loops is too wide (for example, 15–20 cm (6–8 inches)), the heating output in the bathroom can already be insufficient.
I would like to question the "scheme" from @Dogma.
I claim the following:
- The water heating coil for the mechanical ventilation with heat recovery is not really necessary; it is significantly less efficient than underfloor heating and involves additional investment costs that do not pay off.
- If I understand correctly, there is a mixing valve, but the underfloor heating water eventually mixes with the radiator water, which is not ideal because radiators can contaminate the system.
- Although it is not as critical with gas as it is with a heat pump, a supply temperature of 45°C (113°F) is unnecessary, especially since the underfloor heating in a house built to current energy-saving regulation standards does not require this. The higher temperature is maintained only because of the towel radiator.
If someone worries that the bathroom might not be warm enough, it should simply be designed properly. If the room-specific heat load calculation shows that the bathroom does not reach the desired temperature at the specified supply temperature, then the pipe layout should be denser, and instead of a towel radiator, a few meters of pipe can be installed on the wall. In the end, this probably costs no more than the radiator plus the required mixing valve, and avoids the disadvantages mentioned above.
I claim the following:
- The water heating coil for the mechanical ventilation with heat recovery is not really necessary; it is significantly less efficient than underfloor heating and involves additional investment costs that do not pay off.
- If I understand correctly, there is a mixing valve, but the underfloor heating water eventually mixes with the radiator water, which is not ideal because radiators can contaminate the system.
- Although it is not as critical with gas as it is with a heat pump, a supply temperature of 45°C (113°F) is unnecessary, especially since the underfloor heating in a house built to current energy-saving regulation standards does not require this. The higher temperature is maintained only because of the towel radiator.
If someone worries that the bathroom might not be warm enough, it should simply be designed properly. If the room-specific heat load calculation shows that the bathroom does not reach the desired temperature at the specified supply temperature, then the pipe layout should be denser, and instead of a towel radiator, a few meters of pipe can be installed on the wall. In the end, this probably costs no more than the radiator plus the required mixing valve, and avoids the disadvantages mentioned above.
Dogma schrieb:
I remember it was always suggested to have someone involved because bathrooms require a higher room temperature. I think 24 degrees Celsius, other rooms were around 21 degrees Celsius. If the spacing between the heating loops is too large (for example 15–20cm (6–8 inches)), then the heating output in the bathroom can already be too low.You can forget about that with a heat pump. A 3-degree Celsius (5°F) temperature difference isn’t possible. Anyone who wants that definitely needs an electric backup heater. But I don’t really understand why anyone would need such a high temperature permanently in the bathroom. We just run a small electric fan heater.P
pagoni202029 Sep 2020 15:00face26 schrieb:
I question the "setup" suggested by @Dogma.
I would say:
- The water heating coil for the mechanical ventilation system is not really necessary, significantly less efficient than underfloor heating, and adds extra investment costs that don’t pay off.
- If I understood correctly, there is a mixing valve, but the underfloor heating water eventually mixes with that of the radiator, which isn’t ideal because radiators cause contamination.
- Even though it’s not as critical with gas as it is with a heat pump, 45°C (113°F) supply temperature is unnecessary, especially since the underfloor heating does not require this in a house built to current energy-saving regulations. This temperature is mostly maintained because of the towel radiator.
If someone is worried the bathroom won’t be warm enough, the system should just be properly designed. If the room-specific heat load calculation shows the bathroom doesn’t reach the desired temperature at the specified supply temperature, then pipes can be laid closer together and instead of a towel radiator, a few meters of pipe can be installed on the wall. In the end, this probably won’t cost more than the radiator plus the required mixing valve, without the mentioned disadvantages. Some time ago, underfloor heating plus one towel radiator each was installed here, all rather makeshift based on what I have since read here. That’s why a properly sized system is being installed in the house (at least that’s my attempt), or there will be a classic radiator heating system. The underfloor heating here is annoying and uncomfortable, and regarding towel radiators... they just don’t work. You can fiddle with the valve for hours with no result.
It’s a bit of a special case here, so for the new build, definitely no towel radiators will be installed, or only ones with electric heating elements—meaning independent of the underfloor heating.
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