Electric towel radiators make the perfect
choice for heating the bathroom. They have many advantages in comparison to
traditional radiators: they give you a place to store and dry towels, they take
up very little space, they look nice, and they keep the room dry (-although, to
be fair, any radiator will keep the room warm!). There are a few things that
you need to consider before you buy your towel radiator, and we are going to
explore these considerations now.
The Two Types of Heater
You will find that towel radiators come in
two different types of technology:
1.
Dry Element technology
2.
Wet Element technology
The difference simply refers to the
internal components within the radiator. Some radiators use liquid that is
heated by an element – this is the wet element technology. They take longer to
heat up, but they are cheaper to run and tend to retain their heat longer. Dry element electric towel radiators heat bricks, instead of liquid. They are very
responsive and heat up faster than wet element towel radiators. The choice
really depends on your personal circumstances. You should research the
difference between both types in greater depth, and then make your choice.
Energy Source
Modern electric radiators often allow for
dual fuel. This can mean one of two things:
1.
It can refer to a radiator that
has two heating sources: it can be heated through the central heating system
but also has an option for ad hoc heat using the electrics. This is useful for those
of you who want to use your towel radiator in the summer, but who don’t also
want to switch on the entire heating system.
2.
It can refer to a storage
heater-type radiator. These have two electricity sources: one connected to the
off-peak rate, and one connected to the on-peak rate.
Your choice depends on the system you have.
For example, you can’t have the first type of radiator if you don’t have a
central heating system. You can have the second type with a central heating
system, but it seems a little pointless as it’s more expensive, but some people
will choose this option because the style of radiator they like may not be
available for a central heating system.
Safety
When buying any type of radiator, including
electric towel radiators, you need to make sure that they are of a high
quality, and that they conform to safety standards. If you’re buying from a UK
source, then they have to adhere to our health and safety regulations, so you
only need to research this issue if you’re buying radiators from abroad. There
are some international ratings that you can use to asses foreign radiators.
Maintenance
You need to ensure that you buy a model
that is easy to maintain. If it develops problems and it is difficult to
service, then you will need to replace it or call out an electrician/plumber,
which can get expensive. Ask the retailer if the radiator is serviceable.
