Electric towel rails are connected to your mains electrical supply and are powered by electricity rather than gas-powered hot water. This type of electric heated towel rail usually contains an electric element which, when switched on, heats up the liquid inside the rails.

How does an electric towel rail?

Electric towel rails are fitted with an electric element and filled with a water inhibiting fluid. The element heats up the fluid and the towel rail is heated by a process known as convection.

How does an electric towel warmer work?

The electric towel warmers operate independently from the heating system. They contain electric-powered low watt elements. Some use a dry element which heats wire installed in the tubes of the rails while others use a wet element in order to heat the oil or water inside the towel rail.

How heated towel rails work?

You plug the towel rail into the power point, and the electricity heats up the liquid in the rails, which in turn dries the towels. Hydronic rails use a liquid as well. The rails are hollow, and the unit is connected to the hydronic heating system in a house. This pumps hot water through the rails, heating them up.

Are heated towel rails a good idea?

If you're looking for a little extra comfort during the winter and a space saving storage option for your towels, then heated towel rails are definitely worth it! With a range of colours available, these rails are also a great way to tie a space together.

Electric Towel Rail – Consumer Guide to Buying, Operating & Installation

Can you leave an electric towel rail on all the time?

Can you leave a heated towel rail on overnight? A towel rail can safely be left on all the time, however you may need to think about the environmental impacts and the cost. If no one is using the bathroom in the middle of the night, then it might be wasteful to leave it on.

Do heated towel rails use lots of electricity?

Most heated towel rails are very effective in heating and drying your towels. In other words, they don't use a lot of electricity to perform their job. To provide a bit more detail, the typical heated towel rails consumes 100 to 200 watts of electricity per hour.

Does an electric towel rail need a thermostat?

So, to circle back to our initial question, do electric towel rails have thermostats? Mostly, yes. Many towel rails come with some form of thermostatic control, offering more advanced and convenient heat management.

How long does it take for an electric towel rail to heat up?

Whilst centrally heated rails may take 20 minutes or more to heat up fully, an electrically heated towel rail with timer can generally reach its desired temperature in less than 5 minutes. This means that, by the time you've finished your shower, your towels are guaranteed to be warm.

How do you control a heated towel rail?

The most common method for adjusting temperature will be to adjust the knob by turning clockwise to turn off - I.e. cool or anti clockwise to open and up the heat. Turning the knob could be difficult, and so pliers might be required.

Are electric towel rails expensive to run?

Electric heated towel rails are operated like any other electric heater, being turned on and off with the flick of a switch. These rails avoid the issue of having to switch on the rest of your central heating, however they can be expensive to run due to the power requirements of the heated element within.

Do heated towel rails need to be plumbed in?

Differences between Electric and Standard Heated Towel Rails

As previously mentioned, unlike standard heated towel rails, electric heated towel rails do not need to be plumbed into a central heating system. They do not need to be connected via pipework as they do not rely on hot water to get hot.

Do heated towel rails warm the bathroom?

These towel rails are designed to be as low energy as possible with the sole purpose of warming and drying the towels. This means they are very energy efficient and will do an excellent job in warming and drying the towels but they is not going to add heat to your room.

Do electric towel rails need valves?

Straight valves should be used when the inlets are at the bottom of the towel rail and the pipes are protruding from the floor. Angled valves will be needed if the water needs to be diverted at a 90-degree angle. This is often the case when pipes and valve inlets are situated at the side of the radiator.

Does a heated towel rail replace a radiator?

Not only do they provide just as much heat as a regular radiator, but also allow you to keep your towels dry and fluffy. While a traditional heated towel rail requires more vertical wall space than a standard radiator, they can help you save on space by combining your radiator and towel rail into one item.

Why is my electric towel rail not getting hot?

The entire towel rail gets warm but not hot enough.

Thermostatic element should be set to maximum temperature and turned on for at least 24 hours. If the towel rail is still not hot to touch the element is probably undersized (there may not be an alternative because the next size up may be too big).

Should you leave heated towel rail on all the time?

You can certainly leave your heated towel rail on all day if you want. It's perfectly safe to do so, your towels will be dry and warm at any time of the day and your bathroom will enjoy a little added heat. While it will cost you more to run, it will still be much less than a takeaway coffee a day.

How much does it cost to run a heated towel rail?

Heated towels are luxurious, and using a heat towel rail can cost up to $170 a year to run*. When considering using your heated towel rail, here's some great tips to save on power: Buy timers for towel rails so that they come on automatically at set times of the day.

How long does it take a towel warmer to heat a towel?

They'll usually take between 20–40 minutes to reach maximum heat, depending on the air temperature within the room and the size of the towel warmer.

How do you turn off an electric towel rail?

To turn off your towel radiator, first turn off the central heating and allow the towel radiator to cool down. Then adjust the valve, turning it in the direction it would normally be turned to reduce the heat. When it can't be turned any more, the radiator should be turned off.

Are electric towel rails expensive to run UK?

These heating rails are effective and cost only a fraction more than it does to use the electric towel rails. Using this formula, it would be safe to estimate the average cost to run an average towel rail heater for 24 hours at a cost to you of £ 0.23 per 24 hour day.

Should towel rail valves be fully open?

If they're not leaking now and the radiator is getting hot, I'd leave them alone where they are or fully open them as Terry says. It's unlikely they will affect the balancing of the system (ie whether all the radiators in the house heat up evenly).

Can you have an electric towel rail in a bathroom?

Today's modern heated towel rails are designed to keep both you and your bathroom feeling wonderfully warm, especially during the cold winter months. Electric towel rails are a safe, efficient, and cost-effective heat source designed especially for bathrooms.

Do heated towel rails have thermostats?

A towel rail will emit heat according to the temperature you have set on your thermostat and the BTU output capabilities of the rail. Though this is the standard method of how heated towel rails switch on and operate at temperature, there are variations which we will explore below.

Do heated towel rails have timers?

Most heated towel rails do not come with a switch on the actual unit itself, but Kenner Electrics can install your heated towel rail on a timer that can be programmed with winter and summer settings, so you don't have to remember to turn it on and off! How would you prefer to control your heated towel rail?