How to install a heated towel rail in the bathroom with your own hands

Recommendation points

• Choosing a location
• Installation of a heated towel rail
• Power connection

Installing an electric heated towel rail in the bathroom is no more difficult than hanging a shelf, especially since any household person has the necessary tool. The main task is to choose a convenient place for installation and the correct connection to the power supply. Let’s talk about everything in order in our article..

Choosing a location

A heated towel rail for the bathroom performs two tasks at the same time: additional heating of the room and drying towels. For these purposes, a practical form and design of the device is proposed. Unfinned tubes of various configurations are used, heating elements are located inside.

It is advisable to determine the installation location even before purchasing the device itself. Much depends on the protection class and the method of connecting the heater, which differ significantly for the models on the market..

Conventionally, the entire space in the bathroom can be divided into 4 zones:

1. Zero zone – direct contact with water, bath or shower.
2. The first zone is the shower area. The space above the bathtub or the volume of the shower stall with a perimeter coverage of up to 10–15 cm, where there is a risk of excessive vertical and horizontal splashes. A device with at least IPx7 protection is required.
3. The second zone is coverage around the first zone along the perimeter at a distance of 60 cm and along the entire height of the room. Moderate risk of vertical splashing. Suitable for the installation of electrical equipment with IPx4 protection and more.
4. The third zone is the space outside the second zone and further, conditionally safe for the installation of electrical equipment and outlets with splash protection and the mandatory installation of an RCD.

If you use a heated towel rail connected to an outlet or with a thermostat installed on the plug, then it is important to focus on the length of the wire. The socket is installed in the third zone, while the heated towel rail can be moved into the second zone or even the first, depending on the degree of protection of the enclosure. It is much more practical to place the heated towel rail, if possible, in the third zone, where even splashes will rarely fall on the device..

It is advisable to locate the heated towel rail near the ventilation grill or in the area between the door and the hood, from where humid air will be removed first..

If the radiator has rotary parts, then check how it will move at the selected point so that other elements of the furniture do not touch and do not overlap unnecessarily.

Since, first of all, towels will be hung on the radiator to dry, there should be free space below where they will hang.

Installation of a heated towel rail

For attaching a heated towel rail, there are two to four attachment points. These are plates or brackets with holes for fasteners, covered with a decorative plug. Dowels are used more often for impact screws 6×60. The procedure is described for the version with four brackets..

First of all, the markings on the wall are performed:

1. Attach the heated towel rail or the mounting plate from it to the wall so that the main elements of the device are at the optimal height.
2. Mark the position of one top mount.
3. Using a plumb line and / or level from the marked point, draw a vertical and horizontal line strictly in level.
4. Attach the heated towel rail so that the position of the first marked fixture matches, and align two adjacent fixtures with the lines, mark their positions on the wall.
5. Using a plumb line and / or level, determine the position of the fourth attachment point, completing the markings to the correct rectangle. For reliability, check the accuracy of determining the last mark by placing the device again.

Next, you need to drill holes for the dowels according to the marks. Use drills and drill bits according to the wall material and finish. Now everything is ready to fix the heated towel rail.

Power connection

Before you fix the heated towel rail thoroughly, do not forget about the connection method.

The heated towel rail can be supplied with:

• power cable with plug or leads for connection to power terminals of limited length;
• a power regulator and / or thermostat on the body or on the plug of the power cord;
• terminal block on the device body for connecting a separate power line.

The connection method must be specified in the instructions for the device and it is advisable to adhere to the manufacturer’s recommendations to maintain the warranty and personal safety.

The socket for connection must be located in the third zone of the bathroom or outside it, protected from splashing. The supply line of the heated towel rail is ideally protected by a separate RCD (residual current device). It is mandatory to have a grounding contact in the outlet to prevent electric shock..

1 – socket with grounding contact; 2 – electric heated towel rail; 3 – RCD; 4 – counter; 5 – grounding bus; 6 – introductory machine

If the socket is located outside the bathroom, then the wire can be passed through a pre-drilled hole and sealed with foam or sealant. It should be remembered that extending the standard power cable for the heated towel rail automatically removes the warranty from the device, if this is not provided for by the instructions.

To connect to a separate line to the installation site of the heated towel rail, it is necessary to bring the cable from the switchboard or the nearest junction box and be sure to hide it in the shtrob or PVC box. It is safer to entrust such work to an experienced electrician. When connecting independently, before starting the heated towel rail, the integrity of the wiring is checked.