Radiator or heated towel rail - which is better heat wise

newbie71_2

Hi everyone

Wonder if anyone can help. We have a tiny bathroom and removed a small rusty old radiator from it when we first moved in. Looking to get a new radiator put up in time for winter but had a heating engineer to look at it and he said as space is so limited we would be better having a heated towel rail and that in bathrooms you shouldn't really have radiators.

I don't know anyone who doesn't have a radiator in their bathroom and am a bit worried that heated towel rail won't be warm enough - especially as we only have single glazing upstairs and on cold winter nights it's not the warmest of houses. Also having seen the prices of some of them compared to what a radiator would cost I'm also having doubts.

Can anyone advise please - are they just as warm as radiators or would we need to get a super duper expensive one before we can feel any warmth. My main aim is to get something to keep the bathroom warm rather than my towels!

gabyjane

Hi well we have a new build and although the bathroom isn't huge the radiator is a good size for it but we have prob used it twice in the year we have been here! I wuld like a chrome towel rail now due to this as we don't need the warmth-we have no window though so that's prob why!
In our old house we had a towel rail but again no window and that warmed the room up fine when on, i wanted it for warm towels though not heat!!
Good luck with what you choose.

Gangstabird

Radiators DO give off more heat than a towel rail.

Do you get up at stupid o'clock to work or do you need it in general.

If the answer is not the latter then you might be better off with a rad.

clairehi

think it will depend on the age/insulation of your house as well as size of bathroom.
we have a heated towel rail in our ensuite and this provides plenty of heat as well as towel drying but it is a modern well-insulated house.

MrsE_2

I've got a HUGE heated towel rail & it keeps it lovely & warm, I have all the doors open anyway, so the heat circulates.

Mine is not far off 5 foot tall & 50cm wide & its curved so its easier to get towels behind.

craftyfox

to put in a towel rail you need the square footiage of the bathroom and the output of your heating and the place where you are buying from will be able to you the size of the towel rail you need to heat the room :rolleyes: have just had my new bathroom delivered today and my lovely shinney towel rail:D

newbie71_2

Thanks for that last tip - might pop into a few shops tomorrow and speak to them about what size we'd need for some decent heat and then take it from there.

I don't get up at stupid o' clock to go to work but my OH does and he's originally from South America so never feels particularly warm here at the best of times let alone at stupid o' clock on a cold winter's morning when he's trying to have a shower! So we might have to go with rad but will keep an open mind till I've done a bit more investigating tomorrow.

Thanks for all the advice everyone - given me a few things to think about! :T

Marg

I agree that there will be calculations that can be done to tell you what size towel rail/radiator you need to heat size of bathroom so well worth enquiring at other places before you make your decision. It's not a cheap option but if space is a big issue & you are having tiled floor why not investigate underfloor heating - can be set to a timer - lovely if you need the bathroom in the night no need to put slippers on! Good luck with your research.

Jonesya

If you have a look on the DIY supplier's websites - Screwfix, Toolstation etc you can check the heat outputs and compare against standard radiators. Plus it gives you an idea of the cost of parts to compare against local suppliers.

Barneysmom

It sounds a bit to me like he's trying to sell you a dearer option? I have a rad and it's really good. But the towel rail would have cost at least double.
Don't be willing to be talked into a towel rail if a rad will do the job as well, and if you're not fussed?

gazza975526570

id always go for the towel rail now - is your bathroom really so cold? I find the heat from mine comparable to the radiator which i had removed (pls it looks a lot smarter)