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https://www.askthetrades.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl DIY Forum >> Electrical Questions >> Heating an airing cupboard https://www.askthetrades.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1340314691 Message started by Created_One on Jun 21^st, 2012, 10:38pm

Title: Heating an airing cupboard
Post by Created_One on Jun 21^st, 2012, 10:38pm

We are building a house, it will have underfloor heating throughout, but during the summer I would still like to be able to have a warm airing cupboard even if the house isn't warm, and the underfloor heating is off. What is the safest option? Thank you. [smiley=reading.gif]

Title: Re: Heating an airing cupboard
Post by scotspark on Jun 21^st, 2012, 11:08pm

tubular heater or towel rail

Title: Re: Heating an airing cupboard
Post by thescruff on Jun 22^nd, 2012, 8:27am

Agreed with the above a tubular heater is the best bet.

Title: Re: Heating an airing cupboard
Post by big_all on Jun 22^nd, 2012, 12:58pm

could work out quite expensive to run day and night a 100w heater can use 1kw a day at around 12-15p

an airing cupboard will be the average temperature off the house day and night without any heat input

Title: Re: Heating an airing cupboard
Post by Lectrician on Jun 22^nd, 2012, 2:33pm

A 2ft 80watt tubular heater could be used with a thermostat.

At 18p a unit, that's 35p per day, assuming it's running for 24 hours solid (no thermostat switching in/out). That's £127.75 per year, or £10.65 for an average month.

I don't have anything in my airing cupboard, and all seems OK to be honest.

Title: Re: Heating an airing cupboard
Post by big_all on Jun 22^nd, 2012, 4:08pm

Lectrician wrote on Jun 22^nd, 2012, 2:33pm:

i was assuming a thermostat otherwise it may cook the contents ::)

Title: Re: Heating an airing cupboard
Post by CWatters on Jun 23^rd, 2012, 11:56am

Insulate the walls of the airing cupboard well!

Just to play the devil... Why is it called an "airing" cupboard when it's usually totally sealed and has no air circulation? How does the water vapour get out?

The answer IMHO is that they work by heating the clothes and the air so that the air will hold more water vapour and prevent it condensing back onto the clothes. It escapes when you open the door potentially contributing to condensation on cold surfaces/windows elsewhere in the house.

When we built our house we installed a whole house vent system with heat recovery (MHRV). We noticed that this has considerably improved the speed with which clothes and towels dry. For example they dry very quickly on a rack in a bathroom which has an extract vent. I believe this demonstrates that you don't need the airing cupboard to be warm...just well ventilated.

Title: Re: Heating an airing cupboard
Post by CWatters on Jun 23^rd, 2012, 12:07pm

Presumably you are using a Combi boiler so no stored hot water tank to heat the airing cupboard?

A Combi boiler might be the right choice but there are other ways to get mains pressure hot water. You can get mains pressure from a stored hot water system such as a Megaflo. They might also give you better flow rates than a combi. How many bathrooms/showers in the house?

Modern stored hot water tanks are better insulated than they were in the past but should still leak enough heat for an airing cupboard I would have thought.

Title: Re: Heating an airing cupboard
Post by scotspark on Jun 24^th, 2012, 5:40pm

a stat on whetever you use would be sensible but guys he said its only for when heating is off not all year