Towel Rail Radiators

ray o

I am getting my bathroom refurbished soon and am planning to change from a standard radiator to a towel rail radiator. My concern is that the heat from the new rad will not be sufficient to keep the wife happy.

I have checked the BTU (room is 6ft x 6ft and will have outter wall insulation) and the rad i'm getting is 1600 which is supposed to be enough. However I would like to guage other peoples experiences with towel rail heaters...are they reliable in their BTU ratings?

I can't afford to get this wrong...my better half is a cold creature so I could end up having to install a wife heater (wall mounted electric blow heater) at some point in the future and I don't want one of those yokes on my nice new wall.

Any advice appreciated.

Buford T Justice

I've heard mostly bad reviews of them. I was considering the same for my house but I was told to go with a regular rad and a separate towel heater if I wanted one,

Just me though

Davy

They are just really for heating towels. Bare in mind the output changes on the finish you use, be it white or chrome etc.

If you are totally redoing the bathroom, put decent insulation on the external walls, and maybe put a devimat on the floor for extra comfort for her

ray o

Davy wrote: »

They are just really for heating towels. Bare in mind the output changes on the finish you use, be it white or chrome etc.

I presume the chrome is the better output?

Carlow52

D1gger wrote: »

I presume the chrome is the better output?

No the chrome is c 25% less:

see here http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055143259
and
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055155844

Outkast_IRE

ya in my experience i wouldnt expect it to heat a good size bathroom well

Joey the lips

Towel raidiators..... Have been asking the questions years.... Although i am a convert as i have 2...

The best solution i can give is this... If you have a standard 500 x 400(w) single panel rad in your bathroom then a 500 x 800(h) towel rail will just meet your heat requirements.. However if you have a 500 x 400 double panel rad you will need a 500 x 1200 towel rail

White is more efficient but chrome looks better....

No matter what one you use just remember..... Towel rails are to heat towels just before you shower... If you leave the towel on it all day then it will reduce its heat output...

ntpm

Towel radiators by definition are only good enough to keep towels nice and warm.
Have you considered putting in an electric towel rail?

I have done this and people seem are happy with them.

ray o

Thanks for the replies - I'm encourgaed by what Joey came back with. The plan was to use a 500 x 1200 so happy to hear that.

It is not planned to be used as a towel heater - its primary function is as a radiator so there will be no towel blocking the heat.

I suppose I could cover myself by wiring a cable to a single gang box high on the wall with a blanker plate. Not ideal but it could save me alot of grief in the future.

GreeBo

I disagree that a towel rad is by definition to only keep towels warm. They are designed to hang towels off, but they do output heat. I have one in my main bathroom and its fine. The bigger problem is cold tiles (but we use a mat)
I would go with a devi-type matt under the tiles and you wont notice any coldness in the room.
Heating a bathroom is a bit pointless anyway, unless you want it to be moldy you will have an extractor fan and/or open window most of the time anyway...

youtheman

I've recently updated both my en-suite and and bathroom (though they would be classed as 'small' rooms by most standards anyway). I replaced a traditional radiator with a towel radiator in both rooms. No problem with getting enough heat output.

I would say if your room is small and well insulated and draught free then you should have no problem.

GreeBo

youtheman wrote: »

I would say if your room is small and well insulated and draught free then you should have no problem.

Other than mould, damp and peeling paint.
A draft free bathroom is a mistake. Your best bet would be a humidifier onto your HVAC with heat recovery....but good luck getting that in Ireland.

DoneDL

Towel rails are just that but if you like a warm bathroom consider a decorative radiator with chrome rails screwed to the wall for your towels. The price of these rads is ridiculous and you should be able to find a decorative rad for a similar price.

paddy147

Im gonna go against you all here.

I just had a new plumbing and heating system installed in my house.Ive got a heated towel rad in both the main bathorrm and the ensuite,and theres some heat off them indeed.Oh and they are chrome too.

So Ive no problems with them.:D

Joey the lips

paddy147 wrote: »

Im gonna go against you all here.

I just had a new plumbing and heating system installed in my house.Ive got a heated towel rad in both the main bathorrm and the ensuite,and theres some heat off them indeed.Oh and they are chrome too.

So Ive no problems with them.:D

You have not gone against me... In fact you have went with me. I am all for them.

DoneDL

paddy147 wrote: »

Im gonna go against you all here.

I just had a new plumbing and heating system installed in my house.Ive got a heated towel rad in both the main bathorrm and the ensuite,and theres some heat off them indeed.Oh and they are chrome too.

So Ive no problems with them.:D

Wait for winter proper, then post again.

paddy147

DoneDL wrote: »

Wait for winter proper, then post again.

Oh Im looking forward to winter allright,as my entire house (all walls,ceilings,attic/roof space) were stripped back bare and are now all insulated to the hilt with insulated plasterboard and rolls of insulation and extratherm boards that I got in from the UK for a fraction of the cost of what it costs over here.Combine all that with new tripple glazed windows,Stovax Riva 66 stove,new energy effiecent heating system and I will be sung as a bug in a rug,but without big heating bills.

So yeah,roll on winter time indeed.:D

youtheman

I'm in the same boat. Got the cavity walls pumped with bonded bead, plus the attic up to the current regulations (both grant assisted). Built a new extension. The old part had just 1" insulation on the inside, the extension has insulated slabs in the cavity, 80 mm insulation on the inside, 25 mm insulated slab in the ceiling, Rafterlock between the rafters and 300 mm rockwool on top of that. The builder said I'd be able to heat the room with a candle.

Plus I've zoned the heating (4 zones), and got the gas boiler serviced, and fitted solar hot water heating.

I can't fu*king wait for the winter !!!!!.

tommy21

In my opinion disaster. Our bathroom is fairly small and yet it is a poor copy of the old style one which we removed (a mistake) - couldn't tell you its rating though so maybe that';s it.