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Towel radiators are a certain type of radiators that were originally designed to dry towels in bathrooms and kitchens. However in the past decade they have become a standard item in every bathroom in the UK. Furthermore, with the increase in the production of larger sizes, towel radiators are increasingly installed in dining and sitting rooms too due to their elegant and versatile looks.

Towel radiators can be manufactured from steel, stainless steel, aluminium and brass. They can be painted, plated in chrome, or just polished for brushed affect finish (stainless steel radiators only).

Yes, it is possible to replace your conventional radiator with a towel radiator as they both work in the same way. Hot water enters the radiator from one side, travels through it and exits from the other side. The heat output and the distance between pipe centres of both radiators must be considered when replacing your existing radiator with a towel radiator.

The distance between the centre points of the two pipes that, which are part of the central heating, will connect the radiator to the central heating system via two valves. Pipe centres information is needed when installing the pipes.

Yes, it is possible to do so. However, please note that most conventional radiators would have their inlet points on the sides whereas ladder type towel radiators have their inlet points at the bottom of the two vertical bars facing the floor. Therefore, if your existing radiator is 600mm wide, you will find that the distance between the two pipes (pipe-centre) is greater than the width of your radiator, perhaps around 630-660mm, while a 600mm wide towel radiator would have its pipe centres as 550mm. Therefore please take this information into consideration when deciding on the width of your next towel radiator, as any changes in the pipe centres will require adjustment to the pipes.

BTU is the abbreviation for British Thermal Unit, which is the British standard unit of energy. BTU as a heating measure is used to determine heat requirements of bathrooms, kitchens and other parts of houses. Technically, one BTU is equal to the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of liquid water by 1 degree Fahrenheit at its maximum density, which occurs at a temperature of 39.1 degrees Fahrenheit. One BTU is equal to approximately 251.9 calories or 1055 joules.

You can use our BTU Calculator to determine the BTU amount required for your bathroom before you select the size of the radiator.

There are three ways to use a towel radiator. They;

1) run off the Central Heating System,
2) are used with a heating element without any connection to the central heating, or
3) are used as duel fuel meaning that they are both connected to the central heating and have an electric element inserted into them, which could be used in summer when the central heating is off.

Further technical information about these installation methods can be found on our "Pictures & Drawings of Possible Towel Radiator Connections" page.

You will need the following parts for this option;
- Towel Radiator
- A Pair of Valves

Towel radiators are fitted by using brackets and valves. The four brackets supplied are used to fix the radiator onto the wall. The two entry points at the bottom of the two vertical bars of the radiator are used to connect the radiator to the pipe work. The third entry point on the top is inserted with a small nut called “Air Vent/Bleed Valve” that is used to let trapped air out of the radiator. Brackets and bleed valves are supplied as standard with all ladder type towel radiators for free of charge.

The type of valves you need depends on the location of the pipes. If they are coming out of the floor you will need a pair of straight valves. If, however, they are coming out of the wall you will need a pair of angled valves.

If the radiator is to be a dual-fuel one, you will then need a pair of angled valves along with two Tee pipes and a blanking plug, which are listed in the Accessories section in the Products Menu. Conventionally, chrome valves are used with chrome radiators while white valves are used with white painted radiators.

You will need the following parts for this option;
- Towel Radiator
- Electric Element
- One Blanking Plug
For More Information, Please refer to our illustrations page.

The choice of electric element depends on the size of the radiator and/or the type of use required from the radiator. The heat output figures in Watts may be referred to choose the right electric element for the right size radiator. If only summer use is required, the electric element with the smallest heat output can be chosen.

Electric only towel radiators are also wall mounted but are not connected to the central heating system. An electric element is inserted into the radiator through one of the entry points at the bottom. The second entry point on the other side is then sealed off by a blanking plug. The radiator is then filled with tap water using the third entry point on the top of the radiator. Please remember not to fill the radiator to full but leave a gap as big as two inches on the top for heated water to expand and move freely inside the radiator. Once the radiator is filled with water, use the air-vent/bleed valve to seal the third entry point and get a trained electrician to complete wiring. More information can be found on our Electric Element Installation Guide - Electric Only & Dual Fuel.

A dual use towel radiator is the one that is powered by an electric element but also is connected to the central heating system. The benefit of having a dual fuel radiator is to be able to use it in summer when the central heating system is turned off.

You will need the following parts for this option;

- Towel Radiator
- Electric Element
- Two Tee pipes
- One Blanking Plug
- A pair of angled valves (regardless of where the pipes are located)

For More Information, Please refer to our illustrations page.

Two Tee pipes are fitted into the two entry points at the bottom. The side entries on the Tee pipes are connected to the valves. Of the bottom entries of the two Tee pipes, one is blanked off with a blanking plug and the other is used for the electric element to be inserted into the radiator. The valves are then connected to the pipes of the central heating system.

For More Information, Please refer to our illustrations page.

*WARNING* All electric elements must be installed and wired by a trained and certified electrician.
*WARNING* All electric towel radiators must be filled with water.
*WARNING* All electric elements must be fully submerged in water.
*WARNING* Electric only or duel fuel radiators can only be installed in Zone 3 or beyond.

(Please note that this information is given for guidance only and that You MUST consult a trained and certified electrician for your own safety.)

Due to the risks involved in using electrical equipments in bathrooms, the IEE Wiring Regulations are put in place that creates zones within the bathroom to indicate what type of electrical equipment be used and installed wherein. All our electric heating elements are CE certified and have clear marks on them stating where they can be installed.

Tip!: Green area on the image below is safe to install an electric or duel use towel radiator.

Zone 0 The interior of the bath or shower which can hold water. Zone 1 The area directly above Zone 0, which is vertically limited to 2.25m above the bottom of the bath. Zone 2 The area beyond Zones 0 and 1. It is 0.6m horizontally and up to 2.25m vertically. Zone 2 also includes any windows with a sill next to the bath. Zone 3 The area beyond zones 2. It is 2.4m horizontally and up to 2.25m vertically.

Click to enlarge

On the tip of each element are a safety thermal fuse and a built-in thermostat. Once the water temperature inside the radiator reaches 82 Celsius/180F, this thermostat kicks in to cut of power. When the water temperature inside the radiator goes down below 75 Celsius/167F, it simply comes back on again.

All towel radiators are supplied with 4 adjustable brackets enabling you to adjust the distance between the wall and the centre of the radiator (centre of the horizontal bars) to a value between 75mm and 105mm. The actual projection from the wall to the front of the radiator is minimum 90mm and maximum 120mm.

Please note that these figures only apply to FLAT radiators. You will need to add an additional 30mm to 60mm to CURVED radiators. i.e., 400mm wide curved radiator will protrude approximately 30mm further than flat models.

If you change your mind about a purchase, you can return it at any time within 30 days for a replacement of equivalent value or a credit against any item of higher value, or full refund provided that the item has never been used and returned in prime condition in its original package. Please note that some conditions apply and you should also check our "30 Days Money Guarantee" page and our terms and conditions of sale/use of site.

Which courier to be used for individual orders depends on the size and weight of the radiator in question and the delivery address? We use BusinessPost/Fedex and UPS' Next Day Delivery Service for the majority of our deliveries. Therefore if a radiator is purchased by 13:00pm on Monday to Thursday we are able to dispatch it the same day for the customer to receive it in the next 24/48 hrs. Orders placed on Friday by 13:00PM are processed and shipped the same day to be delivered on the following Monday or Tuesday. However please note that couriers may and do experience unforeseen delays from time to time over which we have no control. Once your your is dispatched, you will receive an automatic email from our store to let you know which courier was used and the tracking number for the item(s). Please also visit our "Delivery Information" page more options

In most cases driver will either try your neighbors or they may leave the parcel somewhere around your house if they believe it is safe to do so. They may for example leave the parcel in the porch, behind side door, inside garage or similar locations. They may alternatively leave a card by your door and take the parcel back to your local sorting depot. You may then need to call them direct to arrange an alternative delivery date. Please note that once dispatched, it is not possible re-route and change the delivery address.

Yes it is possible to specify an alternative delivery address to your home or billing address. As you check out on our web store, an alternative delivery address field and even an empty comments field will be available for you to complete if you wish to do so.

Yes it is possible to come and collect from our office/warehouse in SW London. Please do call us and let us know which day and what time you would be coming round to collect. In all cases the actual purchase must be completed via web store.

Our opening hours are; Mon to Fri from 9:00AM to 5:00PM

You can pay with a credit/debit card or by cheque. If you pay by cheque, we will only ship your item(s) once the cheque clears.

In some areas of this web site we may ask you to send us data that needs to be kept securely such as your name, address and credit card details. The pages that ask for this kind of sensitive data should come to you through our secure server, and they will have our GeoTrust secure server logo (bottom of the page on the left). You can check you are viewing the page through our secure server by looking in your browser's address bar.
1) The address should start https://www.towelradiator.co.uk.
2) If you are using Netscape or Internet Explorer, these browsers show a padlock icon in their status bar.

Your data is then encrypted by our secure server using a 128-bit key encryption.

We are committed to protecting your privacy. We will only use the information that we collect about you lawfully (in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998). We collect information about you for 2 reasons: firstly, to process your order and second, to provide you with the best possible service. We will not e-mail you in the future unless you have given us your consent. We will give you the chance to refuse any marketing email from us or from another trader in the future. The type of information we will collect about you includes;

• Your Name
• Address
• Phone Number
• Email Address

Our web store uses a Payment Gateway to process payment and we DO NOT hold your credit card details. We will never collect sensitive information about you without your explicit consent. The information we hold will be accurate and up to date. You can check the information that we hold about you by emailing us. If you find any inaccuracies we will delete or correct it promptly.

Our web store uses a technology to track the patterns of behaviour of visitors to our site. It also uses a "cookie" which would be stored on your browser. You can usually modify your browser to prevent this happening. The information collected in this way can be used to identify you unless you modify your browser settings.

Please find following order status types and their meanings.

Pending: An other has been placed and saved on our store and we are awaiting payment confirmation from our payment gateway.
Paid: A payment confirmation has been received from our payment gateway and your order is ready to be processed. Any item(s) which is in stock will be dispatched ASAP.
Shipped: Your order has been processed and all items have been dispatched
Complete: After checking with courier company, we have verified that all items have been delivered and your order is completed.

Please note that you will receive emails each time your order status changes. If your order status is changed to "Shipped" you will also receive tracking information.

Please find following error codes and their meanings.

AVS/CV2 Declined : Security number at the back of the card is not matching or you have entered an incorrect billing address and post code.
VPDUPLICATE TRANSACTION : You have already made the payment and clicked Submit again or refreshed payment confirmation page. Our system will not allow duplicate payments for the same amount from the same card for 180 seconds. CARD DECLINED : This error is coming direct from issuing bank. Your card has been declined.
CARD EXPIRED : You have entered an incorrect expiry date.
CARD DETAILS TOO SHORT : You have not entered card number in full.
CARD NUMBER TOO LONG : You have entered an incorrect card number with extra digits.
CARD TYPE NOT SUPPORTED : You have tried to use a credit/debit card which we do not accept.
INVALID CARD NUMBER : You have entered an invalid card number.
ISSUE NUMBER TOO LONG : You are using a Visa, Mastercard, Delta or other type of card which do not have an issue number and yet you have entered an issue number on the filed. If your card does not have an issue number, please leave issue number filed blank.

If you wish to purchase 5 or more towel radiators, special wholesaler or trade discounts can be arranged. Please contact us to find out your discount rate which will depend on the type, size and shape of towel radiators.

Yes we do ship to EU, USA, Northern Ireland and Channel Island. However by default these locations are not enabled on our web store. You can email us with your location and we will modify our web store for you to complete your purchase from anywhere in the world. Please note that delivery fees will apply to all locations other than Mainland UK.

There is no VAT for Channel Island orders. Ensure that you select Channel Island as your billing and delivery address, Our system will note this and all items purchased will be 0 (zero) VAT rated.

All ladder type towel radiators and valves have 5 years, and all electric elements have 1 year guarantee.