Pitfalls when connecting a heated towel rail

Hello, friends. Frankly, the case that I had to face is unlikely to be repeated for someone else. Do not expect any practical benefit here and now. However, I am sure that my story in the future will certainly help in solving non-standard problems. A minute to read. Go.

Installation of a heated towel rail. Plumbers came, soldered the hot water riser, added a bypass and taps. Temporarily put on and secured a towel. Before leaving, they gave the order: "bring the tiles on the walls flush with the couplings."

No sooner said than done. The tiler came in and did his part. Even the towel was fixed in the position in which it was. Marked and hit the holes that were on the wall before the cladding. Well done! Nothing foreshadowed trouble.

It's time to regularly pack the American women on the heated towel rail. The only thing that was forgotten was decorative reflectors. I bought it in addition - not a problem. But it so happened that they did not fit. The overhang is too large. The American enters the clutch for a couple of turns. There is a second option for reflectors - flat. But between them and the wall there is a gap in the finger. What to do?

Plumbers offer to re-solder the couplings. Sink them a little deeper into the wall so that they become flat cups or extend them slightly to install reflectors of the second type. We must again call the plumber from the house management, block the riser, disconnect the neighbors from heating, pay for the alteration. And the most unpleasant thing is to change the tile in which the mounting holes are drilled. I went the other way.

The task is to find a reflector for a 1 ¼ ”pipe, with an outer diameter of over 80 mm and 15-20 mm away from the wall.

Although the craftsmen said that they did not find suitable reflectors, first of all I walked through the plumbing rows of the market. I went through all possible decorative cups: for heated towel rails, mixers, siphons, heating radiators. There is nothing. Went to the ranks with an electrician.

Wait to twirl your finger at your temple. Remember what chrome spotlight housings look like? I had to climb the display case with a barbell, which greatly amused the seller of light bulbs. The success was close, but there was no suitable size.

On the way home, another idea came to my mind - there are decorative cups on the stainless steel railing posts below that cover the fasteners. Googled at home - bingo! There are decorative elements with a diameter of 86 mm and a height of 20 mm. True for a 38 mm pipe. But why should we slightly modify them with a file?

On the right is the factory reflector. Left - modified with a file.

As a result, a few hours spent helped to avoid rework. There is only one conclusion - to try to look for solutions outside the scope of the problem itself. I don't expect likes. And if you want to see what else is on the channel, the subscription page here. Thanks for reading!