You can imagine doing it, can’t you? Stepping out of that bath or shower, scooping up a toasty, comfy and oh-so inviting and cosy, big, fluffy towel from a newly installed towel rail to dry yourself off, while the towel rail itself – because it doubles seamlessly as a thoroughly effective and efficient radiator – has more than adequately warmed up the whole bathroom, ensuring you’re not cold as you leave the loving bosom of your bath or shower!

With varied shapes and sizes to choose from, towel rails (bought from a top radiator shop, either online or otherwise) are often space-saving and can look much more attractive than a standard radiator, becoming a feature of your bathroom. So, then follow our guide to the materials you need for the job, how to prepare your bathroom before work begins and the installation process – although, frankly, you’d be advised to rely on the services of a trained installation engineer for the latter work.

 

Preparing for the installation

Ideally, your new towel rail will replace the identical space of your former radiator. This way, there’s no need for the hassle of draining your system or taking up your flooring and skirting boards. It’s pretty simple; turn off your heating and isolate your old radiator before removing it from the wall. Your new towel rail will connect to the existing pipework.

If you purchase a new chrome towel radiator and you want chrome pipes to match, you will need to drain the current system before you make the necessary changes. And here’s a top tip; before mounting your new radiator, check that the wall brackets are sturdy enough to hold the weight of your new towel rail when filled with water.

Materials you’ll need

  • Pencil
  • Tape measure
  • Spirit level
  • Adjustable spanner
  • Pipe and cable detector
  • Power drill with masonry or ceramic tile bit
  • Screwdriver
  • Pipe wrench or water-pump pliers
  • Adjustable spanner
  • Pipe cutter
  • PTFE tape (Teflon tape)

 

 

Installing a towel rail

If you’re connecting a towel rail to the current pipework:

  1. Take your radiator off the wall and fit telescopic extending tails to the towel radiator inlet and outlet.
  2. Install a compression elbow joint to the telescopic extending tail on the radiator inlet.
  3. Cut your pipe to a length able to run from the new elbow to the existing radiator valve.
  4. Apply PTFE tape to the threads of the compression fittings.
  5. Replace the valve head and attach the pipework to the wall. Tighten all joints and nuts to ensure it doesn’t move out of place.

If you’re connecting new pipework to your towel rail:

  1. Drain the system and expose the pipes. Turn on your water and heating to check that there are no leaks.
  2. Use PFTE tape to seal the pipe threads, then remount the radiator.
  3. Cut into the hot water supply pipe using a pipe cutter and give it a good clean.
  4. Install a push-fit straight coupler and cut a length of pipe to extend the supply pipe as far as the inlet of your new radiator.
  5. Cut a carefully measured length of chrome-plated pipe and place it between the radiator inlet down to the supply pipe. Link the horizontal and vertical parts of the new inlet pipe and apply PTFE tape on the threads. Repeat the process on the opposite side.

So, now your installation is complete, which means you should be able to effectively, efficiently, safely and economically heat your bathroom and store, warm and dry out your towels as you see fit for many, many years into the future.

Just one more thing, though, be sure to clean your brand-spanking new towel rail using only warm, soapy water – for sure, don’t use any products that could damage the finish; you want your brand new, beautiful-looking heating and towel-warming-and-hanging device to remain looking that way forever, especially if it possesses that irresistible, glinting and glimmering chrome, gold or bronze finish, as so many top (and most popular) towel radiator units today do!