Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between a filled electric towel rail and a dry electric towel rail?

Dry electric rails, as the name implies, have no liquid inside them. They are heated by an electric filament running throughout the rail. Filled electric rails have a liquid filling - Glycol - and the heat is provided by an electric element fitted bottom left or right. The element heats the liquid, which in turn circulates via convection within the radiator and transfers the heat evenly to the outside world.

Do I need a filled electric towel rail or a dry electric towel rail?

It depends on what you want to use it for. Dry electric towel rails are (very) good as towel dryers, and may add warmth to a very small room. If the towel rail is the only source of heating in the room then you'll almost certainly need a filled electric rail - which achievess a similar surface to heat to a normal household radiator.

Which is cheaper to run: a filled electric rail and a dry electric rail?

Dry electric rails are cheaper to run. With elements varying from 45 watts to 140 watts they are like running one or two or even three old fashioned incandescent lightbulbs. The filled rails aren't that much more costly - those up to 1200mm high have a 300 watt element and those above 1200mm have a 600 watt element. Some customers have requested 150 watt or 200 watt elements in the 800mm and 1000mm models and have reported that they perform very satisfactorily.

Does the filled electric rail come with everything I need? 

Yes it does. It comes pre-filled, and with the element included.As a rule however we don't fit the elements before shipping as they can break in transit inside the rails. We send them well packaged and customers can fit them at home.

How do I fit the element into my  filled electric rail?

It's very simple, but remember before you start to TURN THE RAIL UPSIDE DOWN SO THE LIQUID FILLING DOESN'T COME OUT. Once upside down, just remove the banking plug and screw in the element.

Do the rails come with left or right hand electrical connections?

The dry electric rails are as you see them in the photographs - generally with the connection on the right as you look at it. The filled ones can have the connection on either the left or the right - and this can be changed at home at any time.

How does your shipping work?

Orders received before about 12 noon for most of our items will usually be shipped same day.

We send all of the dry electric rails and the filled electric rails overnight via FedEx. Some of the taller filled electric rails (1700mm and up) cost more - just one of those things.

We send a great majority of the column radiators overnight via FedEx, but some of the larger (heavier) ones come via a pallet courier and usually take 48 hours.

Charges are higher to the periphery of the UK - Highlands, Islands, NI - and to the Channel Islands. We think this can be a little unjust and Southern-centric (we are based closer to Inverness than we are to London for example, but the couriers charge us more to deliver to Inverness than to London) but there's nothing we can do about it.

What do I do if I have a problem with an item I have purchased from you?

Get in touch, we'll sort it out (unless the problem is because you dropped it or drove over it in your driveway). Please however check the goods on delivery for obvious signs of damage in transit - dents etc - these are rare but they do happen. If there is damage please refuse delivery, contact us immediately and we'll send another one right away. 

We will replace faulty goods as per our guarantee, which is available for download here. In a nutshell this is two years for electrical goods and components, and five years for the chrome towel rails and column radiators, and 12 years for the Airfel panel radiator. The guarantee for Smith's, Bristan and Myson goods is with the products.

How come your stuff is so competitively priced?

We buy well - don't look a gift horse in the mouth. The products are good and the prices are great.