blog posts for July 2014

Showers are great for washing off the dirt and grime of the day, but nothing beats a luxurious soak in a lovely hot bath. In an ideal world we would have both in the bathroom, but in many modern homes there is barely room for a shower never mind a full-sized bath. But if you do have room for a bath, here are a few tips to help you choose the right one.

You also need to decide whether (or not) you want a separate shower enclosure. Compact baths are perfect for small bathrooms because they take up the least amount of room, but a tall person would feel seriously cramped in a super short bath. Freestanding baths are lovely, but again you need lots of floor space or the bathroom design won’t work.

Who Will Be Using the Bath?

When you have children, baths are very useful. Most young kids don’t really like having a shower because the water goes in their eyes. They much prefer having a bath because they can splash around, play with toys, and generally burn off excess energy. Non-slip surfaces are useful for families as they help to prevent accidents. Non-slip baths are also a sensible choice for the older generation; you may also wish to buy hand grips for a bath if anyone has mobility issues.

Multi Purpose Shower-Baths for Modern Families

Shower baths are the perfect solution for smaller family bathrooms, or bathrooms where the layout won’t accommodate a separate shower cubicle. Shower baths are P-shaped. The shower is fitted at the wider end of the bath and a glass screen or shower curtain installed to prevent the water from splashing all over the floor. A shower bath is not as spacious as a separate shower cubicle, but they are economical and are available from all reputable bathroom suppliers.

Spa Baths – the Luxury Option

Sometimes a normal bath is not enough. Spa baths pump air bubbles into the water and can be both therapeutic and relaxing. Some spa baths even have lights included in the design so you can lie back and enjoy a massage and light show at the same time. They are, however, a lot more expensive than a regular bath and require specialist installation because of the extra equipment needed. But if you can afford it, a spa bath will definitely add the ‘wow’ factor to your bathroom together with a designer stainless steel bathroom radiator.

Bathroom design is not always straightforward and even if you are planning on doing the work yourself, it is sensible to have a design drawn up by a bathroom installation company. Most large stores will come and measure up for free, so why not take advantage of the service and that way you can ensure everything fits exactly where it is supposed to.

The winter months can be rough on us in just about every way: our mood suffers, our skin suffers and our ability to be active suffers. Many people just want to stay in the house whenever they're not at work and avoid the brutal temperatures that wintertime brings. Unfortunately, some people do not have adequate heating solutions that will make this more comfortable. Between having old, inefficient heating systems that do not distribute heat evenly throughout the home, to stand-alone heaters that can be dangerous if tipped over, many people have much to gain by adding a modern, efficient radiator to the home. Our line of home radiators, heated towel racks and other solutions can help you add simple, effective heating to any and every room of the home – all while saving on your monthly utility bills! Find out more below about three options you have to consider.

Designer Bathroom Radiators

On a cold winter morning, all you really want to do is crawl back into bed and say “no thanks” to the day ahead. The naturally cold, sterile climate of a bathroom can make your morning routine even more excruciating, which is why a designer bathroom radiator could be a perfect solution. Some people lug their portable ceramic heaters to and fro depending on which room they currently are in, but a bathroom radiator will provide efficient, consistent heating without all the work. We have many different brands of designer bathroom radiators to choose from, in colours such as black, white, silver and stainless steel. You can avoid heating the entire home with a central heating system and instead opt for smart, targeted solutions like this to make winter mornings a bit less irritating. 

Tasteful Living Room Radiators If you have a cold or draft-filled living room or other comparable space, then you know how the winter can be a dreaded time. Portable heaters may not put off enough heat, and central heating units are expensive and inefficient when it comes to targeting that heat to one room or another. Our extensive selection of vertical radiators can be discreetly mounted to any wall in the living room, taking up very little space. In fact, some of our vertical radiators project from the room by less than 10 centimetres, meaning that your floor area will not be impacted in any substantial way. Best of all, these designs are astounding: you won't be reminded of your grandmother's old radiator. If you don't believe us, then be sure to check out some of our more popular vertical radiators, such as the Fiore 400/1800 designer radiator now available.

Sleek Bedroom Radiators For a bedroom or similarly sized area, horizontal radiators can make the difference between a winter of misery and inconvenience, and one with lower energy bills. Imagine having to heat your entire home for eight hours while you are asleep, and then imagine only having to heat one room with a high-efficiency alternative. Horizontal radiators can be easily mounted along the bottom of a wall, and with a very slim profile, will not create fire hazards or risks for burns like many other radiators do. Our Panox 1200/600mm Stainless Steel Radiator, for instance, is a solid piece that doesn't give off the illusion of being a radiator. With dozens of different design options to choose from, you can find a horizontal radiator for the bedroom or kitchen that makes more of an art statement than it does about your desire to save energy.

These three types of radiator solutions for the home – whether we're talking about the bedroom, the living room or the bathroom – all add energy efficiency and comfort throughout the home. When you consider how each room can be individually heating only when required, the investment in designer home radiators is a smart, long-term project that will save you thousands of pounds on your heating bills in the years ahead.

Here at ADIGE Towel Radiators, we often deal with customers who are seeking to replace their existing radiator for a more energy efficient solution, or who want to add a new radiator to an existing room in the home. Just as often as we handle these desires for our customers, however, we also help customers replace radiators that have malfunctioned. Lacking the proper heating capability during the winter months is not only inconvenient, but it can also be deadly under the worst of circumstances. Most people are not skilled in identifying or repairing radiators, though, so you may need some assistance in identifying whether or not the radiator has gone bad. Below, we've put together three of the most prevalent signs to watch out for to determine if it's time to finally replace your old radiator. 

The Radiator Leaks Radiators function by distributing heat (and in some cases, water) throughout the structure to warm the home. The biggest problem with old radiators is that they can crack after years of use, which will cause them to become rapidly inefficient and will require either a repair or a complete replacement. The number one indicator of a cracked radiator is the accumulation of water on the floor surrounding the unit. While it can sometimes be common for a radiator to release a small amount of moisture, puddles of water on the floor are indicative of a busted unit. Most home radiators require annual inspection and maintenance; if yours is currently leaking, then be sure to call a technician as soon as possible to see if it will need to be replaced.

The Radiator is Cold

A radiator that doesn't function properly can cause frustration and unnecessary anguish in the home. Another common problem that indicates a radiator is malfunctioning is it remaining cold while running. There are several issues that can cause this, but the good news is that most can be addressed without the need to replace the unit. Old thermostats in radiators are bound to go bad at one point or another – it may be time to replace it, as a malfunction here will render the unit worthless. The condensate pipe is another area that may need addressing; this pipe can actually back up and freeze during cold weather, and will need to be defrosted to restore the radiator's ability to heat. A cold radiator may also require the system to be bled, when too much air builds up in the unit. Thankfully, this issue can also be quickly corrected.

The Radiator Overheats

This can be a disastrous side-effect of a radiator going bad, and will often require more comprehensive, quick action to save the unit. A radiator overheats when the flow is blocked or there is a build-up of material somewhere inside the unit. This can unfortunately result in the radiator wasting energy at best, or cracking in the worst-case scenario. To minimise the likelihood of having to replace a home radiator, you should always contact a qualified service technician at the first sign of the unit overheating. When the lives of you and your family are at stake, you don't want to neglect a needed maintenance, repair or replacement of the device.

The three most common symptoms of a radiator going bad include overheating, a lack of heating properly and leaking. With a variety of radiators out there that provide heat through different methods, it's impossible to say for sure what exact issue may be at the root of the problem. The good news is that many signs of a radiator going bad can be fixed before it causes irreparable harm. For those who have to replace their heating solution, however, ADIGE Towel Radiators will always be here to provide top-notch service and the best radiators available today.

The bathroom is considered one of the most private rooms of the home, and certainly the most important to proper hygiene. We all have heard about the value you can add to your home by remodelling your bathroom, but what many people fail to realise is the potential cost a bathroom can add to your credit card if small issues are not caught and fixed promptly. Between plumbing systems and heating systems that run throughout the area, small problems can quickly turn into costly ordeals that impact the quality and value of your house. While there are quite a few different issues that could potentially arise in any bathroom, we will be covering three major issues that are the most common problems in any bathroom. If you act quickly when the symptoms are spotted, then you'll be able to get one step ahead of the problem and avoid massive remodelling or repair bills.

Check Your Water Pressure

While a bathroom radiator or an ECO heated towel rail can help provide air comfort in the cold winter months, your water is usually heated by a water heater or boiler. This device contains all sorts of equipment that individually are quite simple, but all work together to ensure proper functioning of your plumbing and hot water. The pressure regulator is one of these parts, and it's designed to keep the water flowing properly while not causing damage to your plumbing. If your pressure indicator states that the water pressure in your pipes is above 550 kPa, then you are in danger of causing a pipe rupture. These costly occurrences become astronomically expensive if not easily accessible, so be sure to regularly test your pipe pressure.

Install a Powerful Bathroom Radiator

The winter months can be difficult on your body and spirit, but pipes don't complain until it is too late. The cold climate of winter will in some cases cause weakened pipes to rupture. If your bathroom is adjacent to the exterior of the home, then a risk of ruptured pipes in your bathroom increases. One way you can help prevent this is by installing one of our bathroom radiators. Not only will this keep the ambient temperature in the room high enough on the coldest of nights to prevent a rupture, but it is also useful for avoiding those freezing winter mornings when you have to jump into the shower. A couple of hundred pounds of investment today makes a lot more sense than a couple of thousand pounds of plumbing bills tomorrow.

Install Above-Floor Plumbing

Did you know that many toilets now exist with above-floor plumbing to help minimise repair problems in the bathroom? These macerating, above-floor units take water in from the sink or shower, and use a very powerful pump to liquefy any contents that are expelled before they are sent back the same way, into the sewer or septic tank. A leaky toilet can cause untold number of problems, including smelly bathrooms and rotten floors. An above-floor plumbing system for your toilet (these can also be used on sinks and showers) will prevent these issues from occurring, since the toilet's bond with the floor becomes structural and not plumbing-related. No more replacing toilet seals or worrying about maintenance costs whenever a leak springs up!

Nobody wants to deal with costly plumbing problems. Sometimes, the solution to this is to have a proactive approach. Whether you are keeping an eye on your existing plumbing systems or replacing them with a less-liable alternative, you can certainly minimise the likelihood of any problems tomorrow by acting today. With this information in hand, you can now decide whether or not you are doing everything you can to keep your bathroom – and plumbing – in great shape!