Every time winter rolls around do you find yourself wishing that you had a heated towel rail in your bathroom?
This recent customer review sums it up perfectly:
“In my bathroom we did have a radiator, but I found myself always struggling to find somewhere to dry my towels as I don’t have a particularly large bathroom. So, I had a lack of space and a need to both dry my towels and heat the bathroom, it isn’t hard to put two and two together and realise that a heated towel rail was the best option for me! We eventually bought one from NWT and had it fitted, and I’ll be perfectly honest in saying that I’d never go back to having a normal radiator in my bathroom, its fab!
If you’re considering making the change like I did then you may be a bit confused as to what type of heated towel rail is best for your bathroom. They come in many different shapes and sizes, with styles to suit pretty much any taste and we found a huge choice through the on-line website” – Katie, London
So what do I need to know when choosing a heated towel rail?
The first big decision is what installation is best for you:
Centrally Heated: As the name suggests this type of heated towel rail are heated through your central heating system, much like a radiator. The downside to this is that during the summer months when you don’t really turn your heating on the heated towel rail will be useless for drying your towels, aside from being somewhere to hang them.
Electric Towel Rails: This type doesn’t rely on your central heating to work, instead being wired up to your household electrical system. All you need to do with these is turn it on whenever you need it, which warms up the heating element; much more convenient and we have a Thermostatic element option for that extra control!
Dual Fuel Heated Towel Rails: The best of both worlds! During the winter they can be heated through the central heating system, while at any other time of year they function by using electricity. So, it saves you the expense and discomfort of turning on your central heating, while it will also save electricity by using the central heating during the winter. Winner!
What is this BTU you talk of??
If, like a lot of new installs or replacements, your towel rail is going to take the place of your radiator then you need to work out which towel rail you’ll need that will generate enough heat to keep your bathroom nice and warm. The surface area of your towel rail will affect the amount of heat it gives out, so our BTU calculator will help you make your decision!
BTU stands for British Thermal Units, and you should work out the watts equivalent too (BTUs divided by 3.41)
** 1 watt equals 3.412 BTU per hour
So what design options do I have?
The Ladder Rail: This is the most popular design of heated towel rail on the market, and it’s not hard to see why. Also, you’ll easily find one that will fit your bathroom no matter the size: (600mm to 1800mm in height & 300mm up to 900mm in width) It’s easier to hang towels on rails that are further apart, but if you have more rails with smaller gaps the better the heat output. The actual horizontal tubes also come in different sizes, with our thicker 22mm tubular rails producing greater heat outputs as well as improving the overall look. They can be straight in design or add a bit of chic with a gentle curved version.
Designer: Our Designers always seem to be trying new and unique ways to shape heated towel rails and as such you have a wide range of unique styles to choose from. These include waves, spirals, loops, rings, coat hangers & racks. Some of the shapes make it difficult to hang many towels on, so if you’re heading down the designer route you’re more likely interested in how it looks in your bathroom than its usability. We also have a greater range of colour choice in our designer range with the new addition of a textured matt black finish which is already proving extremely popular for an ultra modern finish!
Traditional: These models tend to have a Victorian era look about them, with the chunky white vertical sections and chrome frames. If you’re going for an overall traditional look in your bathroom then these are a perfect fit. The biggest selling point is the heat outputs as these are unrivalled in their performance and ideal for the larger bathroom.
For anymore advice on which design or install is best for you don’t hesitate to get in touch!
