You step out of the shower and grab a towel. When you do, you realize that it’s still damp from the last time you used it. Now you’re going to have to try to dry yourself off with a half-dried towel.
You’ve got a busy life that involves taking a shower every morning and every night. You don’t have the time to wait for the towel to dry during the day.
We recommend installing heated towel rails. There’s nothing better than burying your face into a warm towel at the end of a hard day. It’s like having a spa right in your own home.
Are you not convinced yet? Check out this guide to learn if heated towel rail installation is right for you.
Types of Heated Towel Rails
So, how do towel warmers work? It’s a device that heats up and dries your damp towels. You could argue that a dryer can do the same thing, but there’s a problem with that.
You’ve got to be careful not to overdry your towels, or they’ll lose their fluffy texture. Even if you keep your heated rail on all the time, it will absorb the moisture out of your towels without destroying their delicate fibers.
You’ll have three different types of towel rails to choose from. These are hydronic, electric, and liquid-filled.
Hydronic Towel Rail
Hydronic rails do more than keep your towels nice and toasty. They will spread heat around your entire bathroom. For the rail to work, you’ll need a hydronic heating system in your house to connect it to.
It will heat things up by pumping hot water through the towel rail. How long it takes to get started depends on if you have the boiler going ahead of time. They can climb up to temperatures of 55 or so.
Electric Heated Towel Rail
Electric towel rails don’t get quite as hot as hydronic ones. They only reach temperatures of 35. That doesn’t mean your towels will get any less dry.
You see, your towels act as an awesome insulator. They absorb the heat that the device puts out, which allows them to reach that ideal 55-degree temperature.
The rails plug right into your wall. You won’t need any additional plumbing system to make them work. They only take a few minutes to get hot too.
Electric towel rails don’t cost too much to operate. If you want to capitalize on your energy savings, you can buy a rail that works on a timer.
You can go to Qbicheating.co.uk to weigh your electric rail options. For now, we’re going to move onto liquid-filled towel rails.
Liquid-Filled Towel Rail
Liquid-filled towel rails are like a hybrid of electric and hydronic ones. Liquid pumps through them, but you won’t need a plumbing system.
They’re prefilled with liquid that heats up when you plug the device into the wall. As the rail gets hotter, it will spread warmth around your bathroom.
Liquid-filled towel rails can reach temperatures of 55 degrees without getting any hotter once you place towels on them.
Towel Rail Styles
Now that you know what a towel rail is and what your options are, it’s time to pick a style. You can choose between a wall-mounted, bucket style, or freestanding system. All three have their own advantages to bring to the table.
Wall-Mounted
Wall-mounted warmers work just like you think they would. They adhere to the wall. They work great for tiny bathrooms that don’t have a lot of floor space.
You can use your vertical space instead. They come with everything you need to handle the installation yourself. The only time you’ll need to call in an electrician is if you buy a hard-wired model.
Bucket-Style
These warmers have the appearance of a bucket. You place your towels in them, and they heat them up nice and evenly, so you’ll never have to worry about random cold patches.
They’re also pretty simple to use. All you have to do is plug them in and wait for them to heat up.
The drawback is that they don’t warm the room itself. They also don’t have the same aesthetic allure as the wall-mounted and freestanding models.
Freestanding Warmer
If you have the floor space in your bathroom, we recommend freestanding warmers. There’s a reason why they’re the ones all the spas use.
They can bring a luxurious touch to any bathroom. Freestanding rails are plug-and-use. That means if you need to move yours to another room, you can.
Do keep in mind that you get what you pay for. Cheap models may seem like a good deal, but they’re usually pretty lightweight. You’ll struggle to prevent yours from tipping over every time you grab a towel.
Benefits of Having Them
The biggest benefit of warmers is that they can keep your towels dry. That’s not the only thing that they have to bring to the table, however. There are many reasons why you should consider investing in one.
They Keep Your Towels Dry
Damp towels gather bacteria at a rapid rate. It’s also never pleasant to reach out for a towel only to be met with cold dampness. That’s the main purpose of the warming rails.
They dry your towels. Do you know that feeling of stuffing your face in warm sheets that just come out of the dryer? Having a warming system will give you that feeling every time you step out of the shower.
They Warm Up the Bathroom
Many warming rails don’t stop at heating your towels. They have the potential to keep your bathroom toasty on a chilly day. We will say that not all models can do this.
You’ll need to buy one that’s large and powerful enough to get the job done. Again, bucket-style dryers can’t heat a bathroom. It’s also important to note that even a powerful towel rail will struggle to heat a huge master bathroom.
They’re for More Than Towels
Towel warmers don’t only work for towels. You can drape your bathing suit across them after a dip in the pool. Some people use them to dry their delicate clothing items that can’t go in the machine.
After a day out in the snow, you can use a towel warmer to dry your mittens, scarves, and even jackets. Talk about multipurpose!
They’ll Reduce Your Laundry Load
Nobody likes doing laundry. The less you have to do, the better. That’s where towel warmers come in.
You’ll still need to throw your towels in the wash every so often when they begin gathering odors, but it won’t be a frequent problem.
After you use a towel and hang it on the heated rail, the device will dry it while also killing off any bacteria and mildew.
They Don’t Use Up That Much Power
Most towel rails run for 24 hours. That uses up a lot of power, doesn’t it? You would be surprised.
You see, once the warmer heats up, it doesn’t need to use a whole lot of energy to maintain the temperature. If you’re still concerned about it, you can get a towel warmer that works on a timer.
How Much Do They Cost?
Now it’s down to the ultimate question. Are heating towel rails worth it? To get the answer, you’ll need to know how much the installation process is going to cost you.
They can range anywhere between 40-5,000 dollars. How much you spend will depend on the number of bells and whistles you want. A rail with a bunch of control features is going to run you more money.
You’ve got to think about the quality of the device along with the size, number of rails, and durability. You might find that paying more is worth it to have a device that heats your towels evenly without falling apart.
Don’t get us wrong, it’s easy to find a budget electric warmer that will get the job done, but your towels might still have a few wet spots at the end of the day.
Upgrade Your Bathroom With Heated Towel Rails
Do you want every day to feel like a day at the spa? Are you tired of reaching for damp towels after getting out of the shower? Consider buying heated towel rails.
They can be expensive, but the high upfront cost might be worth it when you consider the minuscule amount of power they use. They can also keep your bathroom cozy, and they’re beautiful to look at. What’s not to love?
For more tips that will help you upgrade your bathroom, visit the Home Improvement section of our blog.
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