advertisement


Alexa controlled duel fuel heating element?

keiron99

keiron99

pfm Member
We're getting a new bathroom installed.

We've decided to get a dual fuel towel rail / radiator (I never knew such things existed until a few days ago!). Now I'm thinking it would be great if we could control it via Alexa.

I've searched online, but not been able to find any Alexa compatible heating elements. Some are apparently controllable via WiFi, but that doesn't necessarily mean it can be controlled by Alexa, does it?

(I just want to be able to bark at my echo dot "towel rail on" 10 mins before I get in the shower. We are also getting electric underfloor heating and I'm pretty sure I can control that with the Alexa compatible Meross thermometer, one of which I already use on our central heating boiler.)

Any help would be appreciated.
 
keiron99 said:
We're getting a new bathroom installed.

We've decided to get a dual fuel towel rail / radiator (I never knew such things existed until a few days ago!). Now I'm thinking it would be great if we could control it via Alexa.

I've searched online, but not been able to find any Alexa compatible heating elements. Some are apparently controllable via WiFi, but that doesn't necessarily mean it can be controlled by Alexa, does it?

(I just want to be able to bark at my echo dot "towel rail on" 10 mins before I get in the shower. We are also getting electric underfloor heating and I'm pretty sure I can control that with the Alexa compatible Meross thermometer, one of which I already use on our central heating boiler.)

Any help would be appreciated.
Click to expand...
You'd be better off fitting a thermostatically controlled element and just leaving it on, it won't do much in a hour too dry damp towels. If you are really bothered fit a Fused Spurs time clock.
 
Dual fuel? Presumably some kind of solid fuel source and electric?

Towel rails, or sometimes a small radiator on a landing, are usually fitted to back boiler type solid fuel systems on an uncontrolled loop to dump excess heat as the boiler cannot be "turned off" - it always chucks out heat while lit, no matter what any controlled circuit may demand.

Towel rails that run at over 40C or so are fooking dangerous, IMO. Far too large a chance of serious burns.
 
I would just get a thermostat controlled electric towel rail. Low power, low cost, keeps your bathroom warm, towels dry and stops everything going mouldy if you ensure there's a little air leak into the room.
 
Ian G said:
You'd be better off fitting a thermostatically controlled element and just leaving it on, it won't do much in a hour too dry damp towels. If you are really bothered fit a Fused Spurs time clock.
Click to expand...
Please excuse the many typos, I really should have parked up 🙄
 
Ian G said:
You'd be better off fitting a thermostatically controlled element and just leaving it on, it won't do much in a hour too dry damp towels. If you are really bothered fit a Fused Spurs time clock.
Click to expand...
is that a clock that comes out of White Hart Lane?
 
I don’t know what duel fuel means in terms of a radiator but you can get smart tvr’s that can be controlled by Alexa etc
 
I like the idea, that, if you need heat, you don't have to ask someone to use it.
I was on my own, in someone's house once, servicing their gas fire. I asked alexa for a blow job, it replied " I'm sorry I don't understand"

That the story of my life:D
 
garyi said:
I don’t know what duel fuel means in terms of a radiator but you can get smart tvr’s that can be controlled by Alexa etc
Click to expand...

It means it's heated by both the heating system and when that's off by an electric element.
 
stevec67 said:
I would just get a thermostat controlled electric towel rail. Low power, low cost, keeps your bathroom warm, towels dry and stops everything going mouldy if you ensure there's a little air leak into the room.
Click to expand...
Thanks. But since I already have a towel rail there plumbed into the central heating, I don't see a reason to NOT get dual fuel? In the winter, it'll operate like any radiator (which is essentially what it is) and in the summer, when the heating's off, I can switch to electric.

It seems, after extensive research (ie Googling), there isn't really much on the market; certainly none that I can find with reviews.
 
keiron99 said:
Thanks. But since I already have a towel rail there plumbed into the central heating, I don't see a reason to NOT get dual fuel? In the winter, it'll operate like any radiator (which is essentially what it is) and in the summer, when the heating's off, I can switch to electric.

It seems, after extensive research (ie Googling), there isn't really much on the market; certainly none that I can find with reviews.
Click to expand...
Easy solution then, in the summer open a window to dry your towels!
 
In our (now sold) holiday pad in Cornwall we had a towel rail heated either by the gas fired boiler or an electric element with thermostat that was installed when the flat conversion was performed around 20 years ago. In the Winter we used the gas boiler and central heating for the rail and in the summer just switched on the electricity.

DV
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


advertisement


Back
Top