Towel Radiator Valves

Valves are almost always sold separately from the radiator, and they are the single most commonly forgotten item in a bathroom order. You need a pair — one to control flow, one to balance the return.

Angled, straight or corner?

The pattern depends on where your pipes come from:

• Angled — pipes rise from the floor, radiator inlets face down or to the side. The most common domestic arrangement.
• Straight — pipes and inlets are in line, typically where pipework comes horizontally out of the wall.
• Corner — pipes come out of the wall and turn to meet inlets on the underside. Often the neatest look on a towel rail.

Check where your pipework actually emerges before ordering. Getting this wrong is the usual cause of a second trip to the merchant.

Manual, thermostatic or dual fuel?

Manual valves are simply on and off. Thermostatic (TRV) valves sense room temperature and throttle the flow, which saves energy in most rooms — though fitting one in the same room as your main thermostat can cause the two to fight. Dual fuel kits let a towel rail run electrically in summer with the heating off.

Finish

Match the valve to the rail: chrome with chrome, anthracite or matt black with darker finishes. Mismatched valves are surprisingly noticeable on an otherwise tidy installation.