Thermogroup Heated Bathroom Products

Thermogroup heated bathroom products buying guide

Thermogroup makes the Thermorail heated towel rails, the underfloor heating kits and the timers that run them, and this collection holds the whole range in one place. For most bathrooms the right call is a dry electric Thermorail on a timer: it warms the towel, it needs no plumbing, and the rails here draw from 18 to 162 watts. The sections below show how the rails differ, how to control them and what else the range covers.

Choosing a Thermorail

Thermorail rails are dry electric. A sealed element heats the stainless steel directly, so there is nothing to fill and nothing to drain. The choice comes down to voltage, shape and size.

The heated towel ladders collection holds the multi-bar rails, and the Thermogroup single bar heated towel rails collection holds the single bars. The heated towel rails collection compares every brand.

Ladder sizes

Each ladder takes its name from its bar count, and the bar count sets how many towels fit. A ladder is designed to heat up quickly and reach around 45 to 55 degrees.

A 12V ladder, such as the 4 Bar 550mm, arrives with a transformer and can only be hardwired. The 240V ladders can be hardwired or plugged in. The 4 Bar rail has a wiring point on the left and the right, and the rail can be flipped so the connection sits at the top or the bottom.

Vertical rails

The Thermorail vertical rails suit bathrooms with limited wall space. The 240V single bar is 142mm wide and 900mm high and draws 22 watts, and the 12V triple tube bar is 75mm wide and draws 27 watts. Every vertical Thermorail includes an optional towel hook that can be fitted at the time of install, which makes it easier to hang a towel over the bar. The vertical heated towel rails collection holds them.

Ladder or single bar

A ladder gives a towel more contact with the heated bars, so it dries and warms a towel better. A vertical single bar heats to around 35 degrees, and a towel placed over the bars insulates the rail, which lifts the temperature under the towel to between 50 and 55 degrees. A single bar has less surface contact than a ladder, so it dries a towel less well. Use one bar per towel to keep enough contact for drying.

That sets the choice. For a family bathroom where several towels hang at once, a ladder is the right call. For an ensuite or a narrow wall, one or two single bars work, and 12V single rails can be stacked to give a ladder look. Single bars are sold individually, so decide how many you need before ordering.

Wiring and power

A 240V rail does not need a transformer, so the installation is simpler. The 7 Bar ladder has Multiflex wiring with a connection on the left and the right, so the lead can leave from either side, and as a dry element rail it can mount either way up. It can be hardwired or plugged in. A 12V rail uses a transformer and concealed hardwiring, and the single rails put the wiring on the right-hand side.

Check the wiring position and the voltage before the wall is set out, because they decide where the cable and the transformer have to end up.

Installing a rail

Have a qualified electrician install and test the rail. These are the points the installer and the person fitting the wall will need:

• Mount the rail on a flat wall at least 600mm above the floor, with 300mm clear of permanent fixtures.
• Screw into studs where possible. On a hollow wall, use anchors suited to the load.
• Protect the rail with a suitably rated RCD circuit, and fit any timer or switch in the zone that suits its IP rating.
• On a 240V ladder the electrical supply connects at the bottom, on the left or right, with the wiring concealed behind a leg or exposed.

A rail is hot to the touch, so supervise young children near it. Do not hang anything on it that has been in contact with oil, petroleum products or dry cleaning fluids. Clean the stainless steel with a soft cloth and a non-abrasive cleaner, because harsh scrubbing and acid cleaners mark the surface.

Controlling a rail

Every rail needs at least an isolating switch, so it can be turned off in the room if there is a problem. A rail should not run constantly either, because heat builds up under the towel and needs to dissipate. A timer prevents the rail being forgotten, and it keeps the running hours to the ones that count. These are the Thermogroup control options:

• An on and off switch is the minimum. It has no programming.
• The Eco Timer sits behind the switch plate. It runs a 12-hour schedule, so the rail is on at the same time every morning and evening. The run time can be set from 1 to 11 hours, and there are three heat settings: 50, 75 or 100 per cent.
• The TRTS touchscreen timers are seven-day programmable glass units, in upright white, upright black and wide white. You can program each day on its own, set all seven days the same, or set one schedule for weekdays and another for the weekend. They allow two heating periods a day, which is four switching times, and a manual override for turning the rail on to dry clothes.
• The ThermoTouch dual control suits a bathroom with both underfloor heating and a towel rail. It has two independent relays, so the floor and the rail run on separate schedules from one unit.

The Thermogroup timers and thermostats collection holds these, and the controllers and thermostats collection covers controls for other rails.

What a rail uses

Divide the rail's wattage by 1,000, then multiply by the hours it runs. An 80 watt ladder on two three-hour periods, which is six hours a day, uses 0.48 kilowatt-hours. Left on for 24 hours the same rail uses 1.92 kilowatt-hours, four times as much. That gap is the reason to add a timer.

Choosing the finish

Stainless steel is the standard material, and the finish goes over it. Thermogroup rails come in chrome, brushed nickel, brushed stainless steel, brass and gold, bronze, black, white and gunmetal, so the rail can match the tapware already in the room. The 7 Bar white ladder is 201 grade stainless steel with a matte powder coating, and the other Thermorail rails here are 304 grade stainless steel.

Underfloor heating and insulation

The range includes electric underfloor heating. Thermonet mats come at 150 and 200 watts per square metre, and Thermowire loose wire cable suits small or awkward floors. Each kit includes a thermostat and a floor sensor. The Thermotouch 7.6iG programmable thermostat runs a seven-day, six-event schedule and comes with a 3 metre floor sensor probe and a 2 metre sensor conduit. Optional Econoboard insulation boards go under the heating to stop heat escaping downward. The Thermogroup underfloor heating kits collection holds the kits, the underfloor heating collection explains how to choose between them, and the Thermogroup Econoboard thermal insulation boards collection holds the boards.

Lit mirrors

Thermogroup also makes the Ablaze lit mirrors. The 3x magnification shaving mirror has a cool white LED at 6000 to 6400K and a 250mm mirror on an arm that extends to 390mm. It is hardwired with the wiring concealed behind the mounting plate and is IP44 rated. The Thermogroup mirrors collection holds the full range.

Outdoor heaters

The range also includes outdoor heaters with a remote, from 1200 to 2500 watts, in free standing and wall mounted models. They are not bathroom products. The outdoor heaters collection keeps them together.

Which Thermogroup product do I need?

• Warm towels in a family bathroom: a 240V or 12V ladder from the heated towel ladders collection, with a timer.
• A narrow wall or an ensuite: one or two single bars, or a swivel rail.
• A warm floor: an underfloor kit with a floor sensor and a programmable thermostat.
• One controller for floor and rail: the ThermoTouch dual control.

Where to go next

Thermogroup rails sit within the wider bathroom heating and ventilation range, which also holds ceiling heaters and exhaust fans.