There are those in the know (i.e. those people who have a heated towel rail in their bathroom) and those who aren’t in the know. The people in the know are all too familiar with the advantages of having a heated towel rail, particularly on those mornings when the temperatures struggles to rise. But if that’s not you, perhaps you need a bit more convincing to join their ranks. So here is our comprehensive look at everything you need to know about heated towel rails.
Different types of heated towel rails
There are in fact different types of heated towel rails. By far the most common is the electric towel rail, designed primarily to dry and warm your towels by heating the air inside the rails. They will also add some heat to your bathroom, but won’t heat the entire room. Depending on the unit, they can be hardwired to the mains power or plugged into a power point. They are generally simple and quick to install. When switched on the electric heated towel rail heats up reasonably quickly.
The other main type, although less common, is the liquid filled towel rail. They have an electric element that heats the liquid inside the rail. Again, they can be hardwired or plugged into a power point. As well as drying and warming towels, they will provide additional warmth to your room. They require more time, and therefore more cost, to install and set-up. They take longer to warm up than the electric towel rail.
For the remainder of this article we’ll focus on the electric heated towel rail, as this is the type most often use in Australia.
Are heated towel rails expensive to purchase?
Heated towel rails will obviously set you back a bit more than a standard towel rail, but not necessarily a lot more. Cost will vary largely depending on the size of the unit and the quality. You could buy a heated towel rail for as little as $200 or less or you could spend $1000 or more.
Like most things in life you do get what you pay for. Generally, it’s worth remembering that a heated towel rail is an investment in luxury that you will want to use for many years, so spend a little more and get a good quality unit that will last a long time.
Are heated towel rails expensive to run?
In a word, no. We looked at the question of heated towel rail running costs in a recent post. You may be surprised to know that running costs are very low. As little as 30 cents a day for most households. Luxury doesn’t need to cost a lot!
Is a heated towel rail left on all day?
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.
Most people don’t run their electric heated towel rails all day. If your towel rail is plugged into a power point, you can simply turn it on and off as it suits. If it’s hardwired, most units can be controlled with a timer. This provides the added advantage that you can set it, for example, for when you most regularly have a shower in the morning. Have it come on say an hour before your shower to enjoy a warm towel when you get out of the shower. And have it turn off a couple of hours later so that your towels will be dry. In most cases, these timers can be overridden when required.
What size heated towel rail should I purchase?
The size of the unit you buy will largely be determined by two main things – the size of your bathroom and the number of towels you use.
Firstly, the size of your heated towel rail should reflect the size of your bathroom. Put simply, if you have a large bathroom you should purchase a rail that has bigger dimensions; if you have a small bathroom a smaller unit will look best.
Plus, obviously, you need to consider how many towels will be in use. If you only have one bathroom that four people use, you’ll need a bigger towel rail than if it’s for an ensuite that only two people use. Overloading a heated towel rail is inefficient and can lead to towels not drying between showers.
Other considerations
Another key consideration when looking to purchase a heated towel rail is the style of your bathroom. Yes, all heated towel rails look great and there’s nothing wrong with the common chrome ladder style rail. However, there are other styles you can choose, such as the vertical beauty of the Gordon Heated Towel Rail.
It’s not only more efficient than most electric heated towel rails, it’s also more stylish. As we say, it will be love at first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth sight!
