Creating a warm and cozy home environment is a necessity for all of us – it welcomes us back after a long day and helps us to create a homely atmosphere for visiting friends and family.
These days, radiators are becoming more modern, in the way that they work, and the way that they look, and what was once overlooked and plain, is now stylish, functional, and even colorful!
With a huge range on the market, it has never been easier to choose your perfect radiator. Read on as we find out more about adding a towel rail element to your new radiator, and which element you should choose.
Also read: Why Should You Use A Radiator Cover?
Why choose a towel rail?
Towel rails are becoming more popular in modern homes – and for good reason. They allow you to hang and store your towels, drying them as necessary for when you need to use them next.
As well as drying your towels, you can also heat your room to the temperature you need, because no one wants to get out of a warm bath or shower into a cold room! They look sleek and can add an element of style to any room, whether you choose a chrome towel rail, or a colored rail to add to your chosen aesthetic.
What is a heating element?
Heating elements allow you to change electrical energy into heat and are used in radiators and in many other household appliances like toasters, hair dryers, and electric stoves.
Using one of these heating elements means that you can change your radiator into a dual fuel or electric radiator – whichever suits your preference. They are particularly useful in bathrooms and kitchens, so you can still use the electric option for a warm space without having to turn the entire central heating on.
It can also help to reduce energy usage and as a result, how much you’ll pay on energy bills.
Heat Output
It is essential that you first work out the output of your radiator before you can match up your towel rail element. Your elements output will be measured in Watts, but if you only know your BTU, you can easily calculate the Watts from this. You must match your heating element output to the output of your radiator as closely as you can.
If you choose an element that is not as strong as your radiator, you won’t feel the heat from it as well as you should. And if your element is too strong, it runs the risk of tripping the fuse, meaning your towel rail will no longer work.
Generally, it is best to choose an element that is a little less than the wattage of your radiator.
Thermostatic Heating Elements
This type of heating element allows you more control over the temperature that the rail gives off.
You can choose heating elements that control the temperature with varying settings so that you can decide how warm you want your bathroom or kitchen to be – this can be perfect when it comes to drying towels in the summer when your central heating is most likely to be turned off.
Bluetooth Elements
As technology advances, Bluetooth heating elements are becoming more popular to control the temperature of your towel rail. It is extremely useful, especially if you enjoy a new gadget!
You can program your radiator to vary heat cycles, and temperatures or add a timer with an app on your phone. This way, you can benefit from hands-free control, and sit back and relax whilst your towel rail does all the work.
Timer function
Elements that have a timer function allow you to program your towel rail to reach a higher temperature throughout the day, creating a warm blast of air to heat a room or dry towels.
Once this temperature has been reached, the towel rail will return to its previous temperature. Adding a timer function to your elements means you can heat your room with ease, and decide whether you need one, two, three, four, or even five hours of additional high heat.