Ladder Towel Rails

This is a common question but it’s a little like trying to compare apples and oranges. These two types of towel rail heat in such different ways, it’s hard to make a direct comparison between them. But if you need to know more, we’ve outlined their individual qualities to help you make an informed choice.

Glass panel rails heat using wire heating elements that are integrated beneath the surface of the panel. As the wire heats up, the warmth is conducted through the glass and radiated outwards into the room. As there’s a large gap between the rails and the glass panel, air can freely move against the surface of the heater which helps to speed up the effects of convection. The efficiency of these heaters comes from their exceptional conversion of electricity into usable, effective heat for your bathroom.

Some ladder towel rails use thermal fluid as their heating element, which allows an even spread of heat across the surface of the heater. The liquid element in these towel rails is designed to retain warmth and means that they need less energy to maintain their temperature. They’re also slow to cool down so the residual heat will last even after the towel rail has been switched off. Other ladder towel rails use dry thermal elements within the rails but not within the side struts as per a liquid element heater. This can be more convenient if you want your rail purely for towel heating and also means you’re not using energy heating parts of the towel rail that don’t get used.

Which towel rail will be most efficient for you will depend on what you want to use it for, and whether you prioritise towel drying or room heating.

We offer a range of ladder towel rails with integrated thermostatic controls, as well as models that come with a remote programmer to schedule your heating. Full details of all the features and functions for each product can be found within their individual product descriptions.

We also supply basic towel rails that can be enhanced with the purchase of additional accessories such as our Kudox wall mounted controller. The wall mounted controller allows you to vary the temperature of your towel rail and also includes a 2-hour timer to ensure your heater switches off after a set period of time. This can be useful if you want more heat management options but don’t require the range of features provided by a more advanced model.

Towel rails that use liquid heating elements have a specially developed thermal fluid inside the heater body to evenly distribute heat around the housing. These elements can be a little slower to heat up but they’re designed to have exceptional heat retention to maximise efficiency.

Dry thermal element towel rails use cables to radiate heat and typically have faster heat up times than liquid-based products. The main difference is that dry thermal ladder-style towel rails tend to contain heating elements only within the bars and not within the side struts. This can be more useful if you’re mainly using your rails for towel heating and can be the more efficient choice as you’re not warming the entire heater body just for this purpose.

Size will usually be the deciding factor when choosing a towel rail, so always make sure to choose a product that has an output suitable enough to adequately heat your bathroom. This might not be an issue if you only want a rail to keep your towels warm but if you need your towel radiator to act as the primary heat source for your bathroom, you’ll need to ensure it has an appropriate wattage. All of our products are marked with a ‘heats up to’ value to help you select the right product – all you need to do is measure up your own bathroom area and find a towel rail that matches or exceeds that value.

If you’re working within a restricted wall space, always be sure to compare the physical measurements provided for any product to make sure it will fit the gap! We’ve provided information on the height, width and depth for all our towel rails so check the product specification tab to ensure you get it right first time.

The number and layout of the bars is another important aspect to think about. If you only need a small towel rail for hand towels in a guest suite, the number of rungs may not be crucial, but if you need a rail for a busy main bathroom, you’ll need to consider how many towels you expect to be hanging up at any one time.