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Where should I install my heated towel rack?

Where should I place my heated towel rack? - blog post

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Heated towel racks, also known as heated towel rails, are becoming increasingly popular for their practicality. They provide dry, gently warmed towels on demand, enhancing your shower experience.

Proper placement is crucial for optimal performance and safety. A well-placed rack minimizes obstruction, promotes energy efficiency, and ensures convenience. It should be installed near the shower or bath, but away from air drafts like windows or HVAC outlets, which can reduce drying efficiency.

In this post, we’ll explore the best locations to install your heated towel rack. Learn how strategic positioning can maximize safety, effectiveness, and convenience, ensuring you get the most out of your investment while maintaining energy efficiency.

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Key takeaways

  1. Proper placement of heated towel racks ensures towels are dried efficiently and enhances bathroom aesthetics.
  2. Safety is paramount during installation. Understanding bathroom safety zones, adhering to International Protection (IP) ratings, and consulting with an electrician are essential steps for a secure setup.
  3. Proper electrical outlet placement is crucial for heated towel rail safety. To ensure safety, outlets should be installed away from water sources, and for convenience, they should be placed at the recommended heights.

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The Importance of Proper Placement

Choosing the correct placement for your heated towel rack adds a stylish flair to your bathroom decor and also ensures the device’s safety and effectiveness.

Electrical safety is a crucial consideration. The bathroom, being a high-foot-traffic, damp, and often wet space, necessitates careful consideration of the rack’s placement to avoid potential hazards. Therefore, it is essential to understand the safe zones in your bathroom before installation.

Proper placement enhances both safety and functionality. To maintain efficiency, install your heated towel rack away from drafts like open windows, doorways, or HVAC ducts. Position it within arm’s reach of the shower or bath, ensuring it’s in a safe zone. This allows for easy access to a dry towel, maximizing convenience and comfort.

In the following sections, we’ll explore the five best places to install your heated towel rack in your bathroom. These locations consider both safety and effectiveness, ensuring you get the most out of your heated towel rail.

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1. Consider the safety of different bathroom locations

When installing a heated towel rail in your bathroom, safety should be your utmost priority. 

Given the risk of electrocution from the presence of water and electricity in the bathroom, selecting a safe installation zone is extremely important.

It is crucial to understand that certain areas in your bathroom are off-limits for installation. For instance, zone zero, which includes the interior of the bath or shower, is not suitable for installing a heated towel rail.

On the other hand, zones 1, 2, and 3 (areas around the bath without a shower head) can safely accommodate Bathroom Butler’s wall-mounted towel rails as they come with an International Protection (IP) rating of IPX5, which ensures their safety in moist conditions.

Navigating these safety zones and IP ratings can be complex, hence, if there is any confusion, we recommend consulting with an electrician before the installation process. They can guide you to ensure your heated towel rail is safely installed and optimally positioned.

Did you know Bathroom Butler’s heated towel rails also come with dual-entry electrical connections? This feature provides flexibility during installation, allowing you to connect power from either the bottom left or right side of the heated towel rail.

It’s particularly advantageous when dealing with bathroom safety zones – if one side of the rack falls within an unsafe electrical area, you can simply use the opposite side for connection, ensuring proper placement without compromising safety.

Explore more heated towel racks across the United States, South Africa and Australia

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2. Place your heated towel rack in low-traffic areas

Choosing a low-traffic area for installing your heated towel rail has several advantages, but the simplest and most obvious is that it can function properly without getting in the way and disrupting your bathroom routine.

Avoid placing the heated towel rack in areas where you might frequently bump into it or touch it with bare skin, such as near the toilet or sink.  Bathroom Butler towel rails use advanced Direct Intelligent Heating to keep exposed surfaces safe to touch while efficiently drying and gently warming your towels.

Nevertheless, placing these bathroom appliances in high-traffic areas may lead to unexpected contact with the rack, which can be surprising and potentially uncomfortable despite the safe surface temperature.

Moreover, in small bathrooms, a well-placed, wall-mounted heated towel rack can significantly conserve space, enhancing the room’s functionality without causing any obstruction. 

So, whether you’re stepping out of the shower or moving about your bathroom, a strategically placed heated towel rack in a low-traffic area will ensure that your comfort isn’t compromised, and your dry, lightly warmed towel is waiting for you when you need it.

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3. Avoid placement below HVAC outlets and windows

Location is key to ensuring the efficient performance of your heated towel rack. It’s crucial to avoid installing your heated towel rack below HVAC outlets or near open windows. These areas often have drafts that can affect the rack’s performance and result in damp towels instead of delightfully dry and gently warmed ones.

Drafts disrupt the air under the towel, pushing out the hot air that accumulates there. This lowers the temperature under the towel, making heat transfer from the rack to the towel less efficient. This significantly reduces the effectiveness of the heated towel rack.

In summary, carefully consider the location of your heated towel rack to avoid areas prone to drafts. Doing so will ensure you enjoy the comfort and essential comfort of a dry, lightly warmed towel after every bath or shower.

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4. Ergonomic heated towel rack placement

Ensuring the optimal placement of your heated towel rail is not just about safety and effectiveness—it’s also about comfort and practicality. Your heated towel rack should be installed at a height and in a location that is both convenient and easily accessible.

When planning for installation, consider the height that will allow you to reach your dry towel effortlessly after a relaxing shower. Too high, and it can become a daily struggle, especially for children or shorter individuals. Too low, and your towels may touch cold bathroom tiles or not have enough room to hang freely, potentially creating a tripping hazard.

Remember, an ergonomically placed heated towel rail adds to the overall comfort and convenience of your bathroom experience.

Want this sleek and space-saving heated towel rail in your bathroom? Explore the EDGE 10 Bar 20-inch Straight Heated Towel Rack with PTSelect Switch.

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5. Optimizing wall space with heated towel racks

Heated towel racks offer a space-saving solution for bathrooms, allowing you to dry more towels in the same horizontal space compared to standard towel bars. When choosing a towel rack, consider how many towels you typically need to dry. This information is crucial in selecting the appropriate model and determining its placement.

The number of towels you need to accommodate will influence the heated towel rack model you should purchase, which in turn affects its placement based on available wall space. Fortunately, Bathroom Butler offers both wide and narrow heated towel rail models with varying towel-drying capacities to suit different bathroom layouts and needs.

By carefully assessing your towel-drying requirements and available wall space, you can select a rack that maximizes efficiency while fitting seamlessly into your bathroom design. Whether you have a spacious wall or a narrow nook, there’s likely a Bathroom Butler heated towel rack that can meet your needs and enhance your bathroom’s functionality.

Want to see more of this wall-mounted towel rail? Explore the NATURAL 5 Bar 20-inch Straight Heated Towel Rack

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Final Thoughts on Where to Install Your Heated Towel Rail

Choosing the right location for your heated towel rail is as important as the rack itself. This decision impacts the safety of your bathroom or laundry room and also the effectiveness of your wall-mounted towel rack. 

However, every bathroom is different and it’s difficult to generalize the best location to install a heated towel rack. This is why we’ve examined all the important factors to help you select the best location for your heated towel rack in the bathroom. Electrical safety zones, traffic flow, air drafts, wall space and even the number of towels you need to dry all play a role in the safe, efficient use and proper placement of a heated towel rack.

Remember, a well-placed heated towel rack can also enhance and complement the aesthetic appeal of your space. 

If you’re ready to find your next heated towel rail explore Bathroom Butler for options in the United States, South Africa and Australia. Let us help you bring a touch of elegance, comfort and practicality to your bathroom.

To learn more about these innovative appliances explore our ultimate guide to heated towel racks.  

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Remodeling 101 – why you need a heated towel rack

Remodeling 101 - why you need a heated towel rack - blog post

Following on from the housing boom of 2020, this year is seeing a continued home-renovation boom among millennials who bought fixer-uppers, and boomers who are investing in remodeling.

Whatever your reason for giving your home a facelift, now would be a good time to consider the effect your outdated and energy-heavy appliances have on the climate, making everywhere drier, hotter, colder or wetter than ever before. We’re talking about environmentally-friendly, smart appliances. Let’s take a look at what that means for your bathroom.

Think you’re smart

Along with the bathroom remodeling trend comes a host of smart home accessories that could make your life so much easier – while saving our planet. Time to rethink repeating the habits of the past, and move on into the future!

Among the smart devices heading for your bathroom are inventions such as a stillness bath, water-monitoring systems, a motion-sensor toilet flush and shower that dispenses just the right amount of shampoo and conditioner. And should we mention a toothbrush that alerts you via an App to go brush your teeth? It’s an example of how smart devices help us stay healthy.

Ready or not, smart home innovations aren’t only good for the environment, they’re the key to safer, healthier living inside and outside the bathroom.

The Internet of heated towel racks

You’ve got Wi-Fi in your home, right? Well that is the door that opens a world of convenience and reliability. There are literally thousands of appliances and devices that can connect to the Internet and can be programmed or told to switch on or off. It’s the IOT (the Internet of Things), and a Wi-Fi-enabled switch for a heated towel rack is one of those things.

NATURAL 5 Bar 20inch / 500mm heated towel rack with PTSelect Switch in a small bathroom.
NATURAL 5 Bar 20inch/500mm heated towel rail with PTSelect Switch

So back to that remodeling. If you’re determined – as you should be – to install a heated towel rack, do a little planning ahead of time.

Where are you going to put it? What size heated towel rack do you need? Where will the wiring go? Only once these important steps are mapped out, can you go ahead and replace the walls with mold-resistant natural stone, plumb in the steam shower and install your heated towel rack.

A heated towel rack with Wi-Fi-enabled switch isn’t only smart because it works with the Wemo App (allowing programming that translates into energy savings), it fits right in with the trend of building healthy habits into the bathroom.

The non-porous Grade 304 Stainless steel it’s made of is 100% recyclable, won’t rust or chip, and is self-cleaning. No bugs or mold sticks to it and, most importantly, it dries your towels – killing off bacteria – in a matter of hours. All this saves you having to wash them as regularly as you used to, putting money back into your pocket.

A change is as good as a holiday

Remodeling your bathroom into a smart, private sanctuary filled with accessories and appliances that silently work away at manual tasks, may be just the holiday at home you need.

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Why is my heated towel rack not working?

Why is my heated towel rack not working? - blog post

We’re here to help you troubleshoot what could have gone wrong with your heated towel rack. Just a note, folks who own a fluid-filled heated towel rack (which we don’t sell) seem to run into more problems than those owning a Dry Element Technology (DET) Bathroom Butler heated towel rack. Just so you know.

1. My heated towel rack won’t switch on when I press the wall switch

Aah, normally an easy fix. If you look at your heated towel rack, you’ll notice the PTSelect Switch discreetly tucked away at the bottom of the left post. In fact, so discreetly that people often miss it. This switch has to be turned on independently from the wall switch and only then will the unit start warming up. If you’re still not sure what we’re on about, watch our PTSelect Switch video.

Watch this video to get a quick understand of how the PTSelect Switch works.

2. I switched my heated towel rack on at the PTSelect Switch but it still won’t work

This is most likely due to faulty installation causing a problem with the electrical connection to the mains. Call your electrician back immediately to check what he did with the wiring.

3. My towels aren’t getting warm and aren’t drying

Firstly, remember that a heated towel rack’s foremost purpose is to dry your towels, and then add a touch of warmth. This touch of warmth is not the same as you’d get from blasting it with hot air in the dryer for half an hour.

Secondly, you really have to fold those towels twice to create four layers to dry them. It sounds counter-intuitive, but In simple terms, heated air gets trapped under the towel from where it penetrates the four towel layers and starts the drying and warming process. Draping it in a single layer just ain’t gonna cut it.

Watch this video to learn the correct way to make sure your towels dry and get that added touch of warmth

4. My towels aren’t heating evenly

Despite all you’ve heard about heated towel racks warming towels evenly, take it from us, this is scientifically impossible! For one, the exterior of the towel that’s exposed to the surrounding air will never be as warm as the section touching the towel rack.

Hot air rises, meaning the top part of the towel will always be warmer than the lower part. So rest in peace that it is totally normal for some parts of the towel to be a touch warmer than others.

5. Why doesn’t the left hand post heat up?

The simple answer is because there’s no element running through this post as it won’t be used to dry your towels – that’s solely for the horizontal bars. This saves you on electricity.

But why does the right-hand post heat up then, we hear you ask? It’s down to engineering. It’s the most efficient path for the element to follow and allows the heated towel rack to be easily disassembled and repaired should anything go wrong down the line. Just a word of caution to watch out for those cheap welded units, they are not serviceable so when they fail you have to throw them away.

6. The heated towel rack is taking too long to heat up

We are proud to say that because we use Dry Element Technology (DET) we’ve never had this complaint. This is more likely because you bought a fluid-filled heated towel rack, which is out-dated technology and we kindly refer you back to the seller. Then, find out what makes DET so advanced.

Bathroom Butlers’ Dry Element Technology (DET)

7. The heated towel rack is getting too hot

Most heated towel racks don’t offer any kind of temperature control because manufacturers assume people all want the same temperature. Utter nonsense. If our customers have taught us anything, it’s that everyone experiences warmth/heat differently.

That’s why we added the PTSelect Switch to our models – giving you the freedom to custom-set the temperature as you like. So if the heated towel rack is too hot, simply dial down the temperature.

The Bathroom Butler difference

Remember that if you’re not 100% satisfied with your heated towel rack, return it to us within 30 days and we’ll give you a full refund or exchange it for another one (applicable to purchases made from our online store in USA).

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Guide to Buying a Heated Towel Rack

Guide to buying a heated towel rack

So you want to buy a heated towel rack. Congratulations and welcome to the world of the sensible and the stylish!

But which one to buy and how do you separate the fluff from the functional & fabulous? There are some seriously pertinent questions to ask – but the number one question to ask yourself is: what do I need it for?

The answer, well, depends on your needs, where you’re going to use it, and who is going to use it. Before we dive in, make sure these checkboxes are ticked:

Four top considerations before buying a heated towel rack

  1. Look for superior Grade 304 stainless steel that won’t rust or chip and will last a lifetime. Avoid chrome and aluminum for these very reasons.
  2. Find a heated towel rack that can be switched on and off, either via a Wi-Fi App or manually. Make sure you can change the power (heat) setting on the heated towel rack to suit the seasons.
  3. Choose a heated towel rack with Dry Element Technology (DET) – not fluid-filled. DET heated towel racks are lighter, easier to install, heat up quicker and are inexpensive to run, making them a wise financial investment.
  4. Check for top notch after-sales service, a generous return policy, product warranties and guarantees against manufacturing defects.

What’s next?

Now you know what you’re looking for in terms of quality and functionality, it’s time to decide which heated towel rack will suit the shape, size and available wall space in your bathroom. And, of course, and most importantly, how many people will use the bathroom daily – which determines how many towels need drying each day.

A medium-sized bathroom for a family of four

You know the morning bathroom scene. Family members are fighting about who gets in first, who gets the dry, fluffy towels with a touch of warmth, who takes a bath and who wants to shave in peace. We can’t help with everything, but we can give you a heated towel rack that will satisfy everyone’s need for a dry, fluffy towel with a touch of warmth.

Guide to buying a heated towel rack - Natural 15 bar
NATURAL 15 Bar 20inch/500mm heated towel rail with PTSelect Switch

Look no further than our ladder-style Natural 15-bar heated towel rack that easily fits into narrower, taller spaces. It can dry four bath towels at the same time while adding a touch of warmth. See? No need to be stressed out before the day has even begun.

Half-bath or powder room

These mini bathrooms don’t often get a lot of traffic, but you may want to impress your guests with dry towels!

We suggest you pick up the compact Cubic 6-bar heated towel rack that can dry two towels. Add the WEMO Wi-fi Switch and you can simply use the App to program the heated towel rail to turn on and start warming your towels before your guests arrive.

Guide to buying a heated towel rack - Cubic 6 bar - blog post
CUBIC Bar 21inch/530mm heated towel rail with PTSelect Switch

En-suite for two

En-suites are the epitome of luxury and would be even more so with the addition of a stylish heated towel rack. They’re not always the largest of bathrooms, so you want a rack that doesn’t take up much space yet dries enough towels for two busy professionals.

Guide to buying a heated towel rack - Edge 10 bar
EDGE 10 Bar 20inch/500mm heated towel rail with PTSelect Switch

If this is you, we recommend the Edge 10-bar heated towel rack. This elegant rack can dry two bath sheets at the same time while keeping another two warm on the top shelf, ready for wrapping around your head or the little one after a bubble bath with mom.

Pool room, laundry room, mudroom

These rooms all involve a lot of towels, and the towels are often damp and need drying. Our Loft Duo 12-bar heated towel rack is a statement piece and towel organizer all in one. It can dry up to four bath sheets, reducing bacteria and keeping your towels fresh between uses and washes. Now doesn’t that sound like the perfect solution?

LOFT DUO 12 Bar 39inch/1000mm heated towel rail with PTSelect Switch
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Pop culture questions about bathrooms

Pop culture questions about bathrooms - blog post

Finally, a makeover the aging room at the end of the hall longed for, deserved, and let’s be honest, needed. I’m talking about my recently renovated bathroom.

As I was observing with great satisfaction the new tiles, expanded shower, antique mirror, fancy heated towel rack and other freshly installed accessories, I couldn’t help but muse at the idea of the bathroom’s role as a pop culture concept. It has been mentioned in literature, starred in movies, depicted on works of art, and surely much more.

Being a music fanatic, the first question that popped to mind was…

Are there any cool bathroom-related songs out there?

Indeed there are. The only one I could think of off the top of my head was the Beatles’ classic She Came in Through the Bathroom Window. The internet then provided a tune by an 80s rock band called Faster Pussycat – Bathroom Wall. Its lyrics are difficult to understand, yet the riffs are rad. Another is a cheeky pop song about intoxication by the American country duo Maddie & Tae titled Bathroom Floor. Add a person to that, and you’ve got Eels’ Elizabeth on the Bathroom Floor. Quite a disturbing song with a lovely melody. And if you’re a parent or a toddler, CoComelon’s Bath Song needs no introduction, and now I’ll be singing it for the rest of the day. Thanks YouTube.

Sticking to music-related bathroom trivia…

What are some of the best music videos featuring a bathroom?

Do you remember George Michael’s Freedom! ’90 video? I sure do. There’s a naked model fidgeting about in the bathtub. My pubescent self tips his hat to the creators. Turning up the heat are Rihanna with her Stay ft. Mikky Ekko and Prince’s steamy single with a serious undertone When Doves Cry. P!nk’s video for Perfect used a bathtub as a place of transformation, while Mya’s Mr. Incredible is just incredibly soulful and sexy.

Art speaks to me, so I listened to…

What paintings have to say about bathrooms?

I’m glad I discovered Carl Larsson’s turn of the century Art Nouveau masterpiece Bathroom Scene Lisbeth (Let in More Light). The colors are amazing, and yes, light in bathrooms is vital. Memories created in the bathtub can be nice or bad, Pierre Bonnard’s depiction of his wife in his 1925 painting The Bath sets a rather chilling tone due the wife’s tragic story. Then we have the amazing contrast between Perkins Harnlys’ lavish Victorian style Bathroom (1935) and Roy Lichtenstein’s Bathroom (1961) from simpler times. The latter definitely reminds me of my childhood, for some reason.

Carl Larsson - Bathroom Scene - Lisbeth, pub. in 'Lasst Licht Hinin' 1909
Carl Larsson – Bathroom Scene – Lisbeth, pub. in ‘Lasst Licht Hinin’ (Le in More Light) 1909

I’m sure any poet at heart would like to know…

Has there ever been a poem written about bathrooms?

I had to dig deep to find this gem. There’s a book by the American novelist Erica Jong called Fear of Flying, in which the main character, Isadora Wing, writes notes for her poem “The History of the World through Toilets”. It examines the sociopolitical implications of toilets in various countries. Brilliant! There are undoubtedly plenty of superb bathroom poems out there relating to or inspired by this household sanctuary. I can safely say I’ve had my own share of poetic practice in there.

Before too long, I arrived at my next big trivia query…

What are some of the most iconic bathroom movie scenes?

I will leave you with one of my favorite bathtub scenes. It’s from the 1979 film Just a Gigolo, starring David Bowie. The late genius portrays a male prostitute who is being berated by a jealous prince while in the bath. Upon learning the fate of others murdered due to performing similar activities with mistresses close to the royal family, a terrified Bowie says “I think I’m clean now” and asks the prince for a towel. The scene and the gigolo’s facial expression are truly terrific.

Article written by Tom Smith originally appeared on Bathroom Empire @ https://www.bathroomempire.com/ 

Tom Smith has over 15 years of experience as a content and copywriter, translator, educator, poet and lyricist. He has successfully collaborated with numerous local and international brands in fields ranging from different branches of social sciences, pop culture and tourism, to information and simulation technology. His love for the written word extends beyond his profession, as he enjoys creating his own work within a wide assortment of literary genres. Tom lives and works in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

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Let’s talk towels: some like it rough, some like it soft

Let's talk towels - blog post

The world seems to be firmly divided between people who like their towels soft and fluffy, and people who like them rough and slightly scratchy.

Whichever group you belong to, we can all agree that towels should do their job: dry you. There’s nothing quite as frustrating as stepping out of the shower and reaching for your beautiful new towel, only to find it’s excellent at spreading the water, but not so much at absorbing it.

As heated towel rack specialists, we spend a lot of time with towels. They are, after all, the closest thing to a heated towel rack. So we decided to dive into the debate to see why some towels are rough, others are fluffy, and others don’t absorb water. And what to do about it.

What’s the difference?

Slightly rough towels have their fans – they’re great exfoliators, some just love the feel of them on their skin, and they are often more absorbent. The problem is, high end scratchy towels is an untapped market.

Soft, fluffy towels on the other hand, are the luxurious hug most people seem to want (and expect) from their towels. But not if they don’t absorb water.

Why does my soft, fluffy towel not dry me?

Some towel manufacturers are sneaky, pre-treating them with special softening chemicals before shipping them off for sale. Customers run their fingers over the towels in the store, and the softest, plushest ones get taken home.

Not only is this a sales gimmick that could mask an inferior product, it prevents the towel from absorbing water and drying you as you’d expect.

The simple solution is to wash your new towels with half as much detergent and no fabric softener before using them the first time. That will get rid of those water-repellent chemicals.

How to keep your towels soft and super absorbent

As we said, ditch the fabric softener. Fabric softeners often contain oils and petroleum-based ingredients that coat the fabric and repel water. It’s not what we want from our towels.

Rather do what Becky Rapinchuk, author of Clean Mama’s Guide to a Healthy Home does to keep her towels absorbent, soft and fluffy – she pours a quarter-cup of distilled white vinegar into the fabric softener compartment.

Others swear by reducing the amount of detergent you use by half as using any more can cause towels to stiffen as they build up soapy residue.

Just like clothing, frequent washing and tumble-drying eventually breaks down the towels’ fibers, reducing their absorbency while upping their scratchiness.

This is where your heated towel rack can actually extend the life of your towels. By hanging them over the rack after every use, you reduce the need to launder them as often as the heat destroys bacteria and mould, keeping your towels fresh and dry.

The stuff that dreams are made of

Buying good quality, 100% cotton towels will solve the trifecta of towel problems: too rough, too fluffy, or non absorbent. Check the label to ensure there’s no polyester in sight as this hampers absorbency.

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Questions To Ask When Buying A Heated Towel Rack

Questions to ask when buying a heated towel rack

Temperatures are rising and so are the heaps of damp towels in the bathroom. You’ve had it. You’re going to buy a heated towel rack. Today.

So you jump online and start browsing the gorgeous design collections and marvel at the beautiful finishes and the myriad sizes.

Questions start to pop up. Before you dish out the dollars, take a look at our answers and rest assured that whichever one you choose, you will be spending your money wisely.

Can a Bathroom Butler heated towel rack be connected to the central heating system?

The short answer is ‘No’. There is a long answer, but unless you’re really into the mechanics of different HVAC systems, we’re not going to bore you with the complexities.

Just know that we have specifically designed our heated towel racks to be independently heated so that they work all year round according to your needs.

So that’s that then. To help you understand how a heated towel rack fits into your bathroom – or wherever else you want to put it – read up on our quick notes for Installing a Heated Towel Rack.

Can I dry my clothes on a heated towel rack?

Lots of people do this. But lots of people have also learned that it’s not always a good idea. If you hang your Victoria’s Secret silk slip over it, there’s going to be even less of it once it’s dry.

Towels are sturdy things, made of the type of fabric that can withstand higher temperatures. If you’re confident your designer sweatpants can handle the heat, by all means go ahead but don’t say we didn’t warn you!

Will a heated towel rack warm up my bathroom?

Folks often ask this question as it sounds like a groovy added benefit in winter, but not so much in summer. But nope. Our heated towel rails don’t. You may feel a whiff of warmth as you pass it, but it’s not going to heat up your bathroom. And there are two good reasons for that.

One, we have to adhere to safety standards. If we allowed the heated towel racks to get any warmer, we’d be burning your towels.

Secondly, unlike portable oil-fin heaters that could warm up a small bathroom, our heated towel rails are created to dry your towels while adding a touch of warmth. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Questions to ask when buying a heated towel rack - Natural 7 Bar
NATURAL 7 Bar 32inch/800mm heated towel rail with PTSelect Switch

What material are the best heated towel racks made of?

Years of research in all kinds of damp and dusty environments have proven beyond a shadow of doubt that Grade 304 stainless steel is the best. It will never flake, peel, chip or rust and is really hard to break. Yes, we see you glancing over at that flaked towel ring of yours. Don’t worry, you can replace it with one from our accessories collection. They’re made of the same good stuff.

There’s even some magic involved – this super metal forms a self-healing layer on its surface, so no additional coating is needed, and you clean it simply by wiping it with a warm, damp cloth. Read more about our heated towel rail tech here.

What size heated towel rack do I need?

Well that depends on how many towels you need to dry and the open wall space in your bathroom. The hugely popular Natural 5 bar 20inch / 500mm, is ideal for small bathrooms, the Natural 7 bar 32inch / 800mm is perfect for wider spaces, while the Natural 15 bar 17inch / 430mm, which holds the most towels of all, fits neatly into tall, narrow, spaces. See? You have choices.

Questions to ask when buying a heated towel rack - different spaces
Different model heated towel rails for different spaces

Anything else we can help with?

Maybe you have a few more questions? As luck would have it, we’ve probably answered most of them before. Pick and click a link below to satisfy that curiosity, then get shopping.

Do I need a heated towel rack in summer?

Customers’ FAQ Part 1

Customers’ FAQ Part 2

Are heated towel racks safe?

The top 5 benefits of heated towel racks

Is a Bathroom Butler heated towel rack going to cost me an arm and a leg?

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Installing a Heated Towel Rack

Installing a heated towel rack - blog post

Imagine the joy when you open a parcel and find it’s your shiny new heated towel rack from Bathroom Butler. Now, you ask yourself, how am I going to install it? Even if you’re not a seasoned weekend DIYer, rest assured that you don’t need special skills to install it yourself.

Here we’re going to take you through everything you need to know to install your heated towel rack yourself and have it up and drying towels in no time.

The prep work

Water and electricity don’t mix, right? How does that affect where you place your heated towel rack?

The good news is Bathroom Butler heated towel rails have an IPX5 rating, which means they are certified to be installed just about anywhere in a bathroom. This includes the area above a bath or next to the shower. The only thing you have to remember is the power point has to be about 5 feet away from running water.

If you don’t have an electrical point in the bathroom – or in the right place in the bathroom – get on the phone to an electrician and he will install one no problem. Remember, there are local electrical codes that regulate where in the bathroom a heated towel rack (or any electrical appliance) can be installed.

Our heated towel racks come standard with hard (hidden) wiring, but because nobody likes to be forced into anything, we give you the option to go for visible (exposed) wiring. We personally think hidden wiring just looks so darn good, but if you aren’t too bothered, go for the visible wiring that’ll allow you to ‘plug-and-play’’ the heated towel rack without any fuss.

Quick tips before tiling

if you’re remodeling, consider where you want your electrical point to be before putting any tiles on the wall. Similarly, if you’re going for hard wiring, the conduit through which the heated towel rack’s cable runs will have to be installed into the wall before you start tiling as well.

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What you need to know before buying a heated towel rack

What you need to know before buying a heated towel rack - blog post

Your friend Martha has been bragging about her heated towel rack all winter long. Your in-laws just had one installed in their beach house in Nantucket. You read in House Beautiful that a heated towel rack in your bathroom will charm the pants off prospective buyers and you could easily add a little extra to the listing price.

So it’s settled then. You want one too. In fact, you need one. Where to start? What sets heated towel racks apart? What’s the difference between a cheapie off Amazon and the ones décor magazines speak of?

It’s the quality, darling

You know what’s wrong with the world? Nothing lasts anymore. We live in a throw-away culture where products are no longer designed for lifetime use.

Don’t give in to that when buying a heated towel rack. You are looking for one that will last – at least your lifetime. The key to quality here is highly durable and corrosion-resistant Grade 304 stainless steel. Which is what all Bathroom Butler heated towel racks are made of. And, the material is guaranteed for 15 years. Do not, and we repeat, do not settle for anything less.

You’re smart, your bathroom is smart

Architectural Digest recently wrote about the most-wanted, ultra-cool gadgets that transform bathrooms into the smartest space in the house. And yes, you guessed it, heated towel racks are one of them.

You may think they’re smart because they dry your towels, killing off bacteria while adding a dash of warmth, and indeed, that’s correct.

But what makes our racks genius-level smart is the technology. Wi-Fi-enabled switches, no less. Download the WeMo app and command your heated towel rack to switch on and start drying your towels so you can have a spa evening when you get home.

What you need to know before buying a heated towel rack blog post - Natural 5 Bar
NATURAL 5 Bar 20inch/500mm heated towel rail with PTSelect Switch

Style is not an option, it’s a must

Bathrooms are going bold this year and beauty is a top design goal. So when you pick your heated towel rack, you want something that compliments your expensive taps and tiles.

And boy are you spoilt for choice with us! Our designers spent endless nights dreaming up four incredibly yet distinctly different towel rack design collections so that you can decorate and accessorize your bathroom to match your individual sense of style. Industrial, geometric, modern, natural, it’s all there.

And so are the finishes. Selected racks in our Natural and Cubic heated towel rack collections, for instance, are available in matte black and they even have accessories to match. If the timelessness of stainless steel is what you want, you can choose between two quintessentially modern finishes: polished or brushed. Take a look at our unique Edge Collection for inspiration. Our heated towel racks are also available in custom colors, so if you want something to match your ultra-luxe rose gold taps, you can get it.

Size doesn’t always matter

Pool room, mud room, powder room. Two family bathrooms back at the ranch, or one closet-size bathroom in your micro apartment. Don’t let the size of your bathroom get in the way of buying a heated towel rack. We have one for you.

This trend is your friend

Martha and your in-laws are on to something. Don’t be left behind. Beautiful bathrooms high on functionality – and smart to boot – are the most-wanted design elements in the busiest room in your house.

You want your bathroom to be an invigorating space for rushed mornings, and a sanctuary for precious me-time in the evening. Now tell us how a dry, fluffy towel with a touch of warmth is not going to give you that.

More bedtime reading before you buy

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How to adjust the temperature for heated towel racks

How to adjust the temperature for heated towel racks - blog post

We’ve already determined that heated towel racks are a must in summer. Not only do they save on water and electricity costs, they are life savers in humid areas or when the kids do a lot of water activities.

Now we’re taking things a step further to help you make the most out of a Bathroom Butler heated towel rack in summer. See, not all heated towel racks are created equal, and ours has a distinct advantage: the PTSelect temperature controller.

You’re hot then you’re cold

PTSelect is short for the Personal Temperature Selection switch, neatly tucked away at the bottom of the heated towel racks’ left post. In short, it gives you the flexibility to adjust the temperature according to the season, or switch it on or off as you please. This allows you to dry the towels (without adding warmth) and also saves money as you can switch the unit off when your towels are dry.

Technically speaking it is super easy to use – you can read more about the PTSelect Switch or watch our short instructive video.

https://youtu.be/cFh-REIh2fY

Once you’ve got that down, we have another surprise for you that is unique to heated towel racks with the PTSelect Switch: the wall-mounted Wemo Wi-Fi Switch. These two switches work together.

Once you have connected the Wemo switch to your existing Wi-Fi network, you can take control of your heated towel rack via the free Wemo App on your mobile device.

I’d like my towel dry, not warm please

We often get asked what the ideal temperature setting on a heated towel rack is to dry towels in summer without adding warmth. If we had a straight answer, we’d give it to you! Truth is it all depends. How damp are your towels? How warm or cool is your bathroom? How humid is it? The list goes on.

For these very reasons we have designed our heated towel racks with temperature control functionality (PTSelect) so that you can set it to whatever suits you best – anything between 40% to 100%. Being able to control the temperature in summer is such an important point to consider when buying a heated towel rack.

Most of our customers find setting the temperature to between 70% and 75% works best in summer. It would still add a touch of warmth, but it’s more a comfort thing than a warming-your-body thing.

Insisting on dry towels with no warmth anywhere? Simple. Ensure the towel is dried and the heated towel rack switched off one hour before you take a bath or shower. As we’ve said so many times before, heated towel racks’ #1 function is drying towels, so be sure to focus on that when you use it.

Now that you know how indispensable a heated towel rack with temperature control is, go ahead and pick one for your family from our extensive selection. You even get to choose the size, design and finish!