There’s no denying heated towel rails are snazzy looking, especially when you’re going to replace an old, once white but has seen better days panel radiator with something that looks the part.
Before buying a heated towel rail though, is there anything that someone should know? Are there any underlying problems that make them difficult or work with, or do rails only work with certain pipes and bathrooms?
Here are the six things you need to know before buying heated towel rails.
1: They’re not the traditional radiator shape
By default, almost all radiators are classified as horizontal radiators. This means that the radiator is longer than it is taller. Towel rails are exactly the opposite and are classed as a vertical radiator. When you are shopping around for one, make sure it’s a vertical model, as some companies make horizontal style towel rails.
You wouldn’t want to buy the wrong shape and have a radiator you can’t do anything with.
2: Heated towel rails sometimes can’t take towels
While the design makes it look like a towel rail can hang a towel no problem at all (it’s in the name after all), make sure you get a towel rail that has adequate space to hold a towel in. Some designer rails have very narrow slats where you’d have a hard time even getting a letter through.
If this happens to you and you want to avoid towels on the floor anytime you go in the shower, shop around for towel and robe hooks that you can screw in.
3: It’s cheaper to buy online
Radiators aren’t something you’d ever really think about buying online. It’s the kind of item you visit a hardware or DIY superstore to look at. Much like everything we buy these days, you can bag a better deal if you look online.
One great example is UK based online-only towel rail supplier Trade Radiators. They ship radiators and towel rails for free all over the UK, so no one ever has to worry about getting a measuring tape out to see if the radiator will fit in the car on the drive home.
Speaking of measuring tapes….
4: You might be measuring for your rail all wrong
It might seem a little too obvious, but incorrectly measuring the space and height you have for a towel rail can happen all too easily. How does it even happen?
People forget about the pipes and start measuring from the floor. You must measure the height from where the pipes end. Usually, it’s only about 6 inches off the ground, but if you get it wrong you could end up with a radiator that won’t fit.
5: You don’t need pipes.
See everything I just said about the importance of pipes? Forget about it!
If you’re buying a towel rail because you lack space or you need to get a radiator to fit in a central area because that’s where the pipes come in the room, you can ditch the whole thing and go electric instead.
Electric towel rails only need to be wired up or plugged in to get to work. Many people don’t know that you can get electric rails for pretty much the same price. When you’re weighing up whether to rip up the floor and get pipework carried out, over having a radiator you can plug in and leave, it’s safe to guess the scale will tip one way.
6: They don’t need special cleaning
Be wary of any sites that say you need a special cleaner to keep your rail in tip-top condition. Most towel rails are made from steel before having a specific finish sprayed on, and it will usually be done by hand. Whether you’re getting a shiny chrome rail or want a trendy black finish, you don’t need to have any protective work carried out.
Most rails just need a light dusting and little shine every once in a while; nothing else.
Hope this was helpful!
I hope you get some useful information from this short piece on shopping for towel rails. Hopefully, you find the right type for your space and don’t fall foul of any simple mistakes.