Towel rails are a perfect addition to any bathroom regardless of the size or shape of a bathroom. Unlike a radiator they need less space as their space requirement is vertical rather than horizontal. Not only does a towel rail keep the bathroom a comfortable temperature, but it warms the towels ready for use, and dries them after a bath or shower to avoid musty damp towels left in a bathroom. Towel rails can either be added on to the gas central heating circuit as a new heated towel rail or replacing a radiator or even fitted as a separate electric towel rail. They also come in a dual fuel option so that you can still have use of the towel rail in the summer when the gas central heating is switched off, and in winter have the towel rail coming on as part of the circuit without paying an extra cost of heating up another appliance.
Yes. If you have a dual fuel towel rail or a towel rail on the gas central heating circuit, these can be converted to an electric only towel rail. You will not need to buy a new towel rail. You can use the existing heated rail but will need to purchase an electrical element kit which comes with blank plugs. For an electric towel rail to work, it needs to be filled with internal liquid that is confined to the rail. The element works similar to a kettle heating the water inside the rail. You will need an electrician to hardwire the electric towel rail in to the wiring circuit of the house.
The cost of fitting an electric towel rail is dependent on the work involved. If you have a heated towel rail on the central heating circuit and you are wanting to convert it to electric only or dual fuel. Perhaps in the bathroom there is no radiator or towel rail and you are wanting a new one set up and installed. Or you might want to remove an old gas radiator to replace it with an electric heated towel rail. Whatever the set-up of the bathroom, installing an electric towel rail shouldn’t involve more than a couple hours of labour, especially if you have already purchased the towel rail.
Do not leave it to the electrician to supply the towel rail for you, rather do this first as there are numerous style electric towel rails to consider and colours, painted vs chrome.
Space-saving, eco-offering, modern features such as WiFi or a standard timeless towel rail are all options to consider. Then deciding what would suit the space in terms of height and width of the towel rail. So it is essential you have chosen the best towel rail to suit your home, before getting the electrician to arrive and fit it.
|
Cost to fit an electric towel rail |
Per |
Average cost |
|
Replacing a gas radiator with an electric towel rail |
Per hour |
£140 |
|
Replacing a gas radiator with an dual fuel towel rail |
Per hour |
£150 |
|
Replacing an electric towel rail with like for like |
Per hour |
£80 |
|
Installing an electric towel rail in new location |
Per hour |
£160 |
Yes, most electric towel rails have a thermostat and some sort of a timer. A common feature nowadays on modern electric towel rails is bluetooth or wifi enabled so that you can control the temperature and on / off settings of the towel rail remotely. The timer allows you to have the electric towel rail running for the duration needed to dry a towel and dry out some moisture from the bathroom.
It seems the preferred choice is a dual fuel towel rail rather than electric or gas only. This means that in winter months when running the gas central heating circuit, the towel rail will be on the circuit and come on when the system is timed to come on. In summer months, when the heating is switched off, the towel rail will be able to be operated via the electrical element and be used to dry towels or even help dry an emergency clothes wash! To convert an existing gas central heating towel rail, all that is needed is a conversion kit that includes, angled radiator valves, T-piece and a heating element. A professional electrician will be needed to hardwire the element to the correct wattage and make the power source safe for use in a bathroom.
Often heated towel rails are just on the gas circuit as this has been easy when upgrading the central heating and swapping a bathroom radiator for a towel rail . Also as towel rails are mostly needed in the colder months to heat a bathroom or dry a towel, it makes sense to have them working off the central heating circuit.
Some modern newbuilds are doing away with gas and only having electric radiators, so these opt for the electric towel rail. If a bathroom is in a location where it tends to stay musty or damp, having an electric heated towel rail is an advantage to get warmth in the bathroom, regardless of the season.