How to fit a heated towel rail
Updated: October 2026
You have a rail from this set, a wall, and either a pair of 15 mm pipes or a plan for a fused spur. The expensive mistake is the first hole, drilled before the pipe centres match, or a 13 A plug fitted to a rail the listing tells you to hard-wire. This is how to fit a heated towel rail from the twelve amazon.co.uk listings on the [towel radiator comparison](/hub/heating/towel-radiator): measure, check the box, then stop when the pipes must move or a bathroom circuit is new. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
You have a rail from this set, a wall, and either a pair of 15 mm pipes or a plan for a fused spur.
You have a rail from this set, a wall, and either a pair of 15 mm pipes or a plan for a fused spur. The expensive mistake is the first hole, drilled before the pipe centres match, or a 13 A plug fitted to a rail the listing tells you to hard-wire. This is how to fit a heated towel rail from the twelve amazon.co.uk listings on the towel radiator comparison: measure, check the box, then stop when the pipes must move or a bathroom circuit is new. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Heat source | Pipe centres | In the box | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Go Bathrooms Go Bathrooms Nola 770 x 500 | Central heating | Not printed | Valves not stated | 9.0 | about £41.99 | View offer |
 Greened House Milano black 400 x 800 | Central heating | 350 mm | Brackets, vent, no valves | 9.3 | about £44.21 | View offer | |
| Alternative |  Manissa Manissa Siena 400 x 720 electric | Dry electric | None | Brackets, screws, plugs | 8.8 | about £69.00 | View offer |
On this page
Measure pipe centres before the drill
Pipe centres are the gap between the two water connections. On the Greened House ladders that print them, the figure is 50 mm less than the stated width: 250 mm, 350 mm, or 450 mm. The Richmond panels match that pattern: 450 mm on the 500 x 800 mm, 350 mm on the 400 x 800 mm. If the numbers disagree with the pipes you have, the pipework moves.
The Nola, the NRG, and the electric Siena do not print pipe centres. Do not invent them from the width. Buy valves if the listing omits them, which all twelve do. The order of those decisions is on the heated towel rail buying guide.
What these boxes actually contain
Read the box line for the rail you bought. Greened House water rails in this set list brackets, screws, plugs, a blanking plug, and an air vent. The Richmond states a 100 mm projection and 15 mm connections, and it says valves are not included. One review of the 8 kg curved 500 x 1000 mm says the plumber changed the plugs because the supplied ones did not suit the wall. The NRG lists brackets and fixings only. The Siena lists brackets, screws, and plugs, and no blanking plug, because it is not a water rail.
Fill and bleed a water rail
A water rail from this set joins the central-heating circuit. The usual pattern, described in trade fitting notes rather than in these amazon.co.uk bullets, is to isolate the circuit, drain down if you are removing an old radiator, hang the rail, then refill. You open the air vent until water follows the air, then close it. The NRG file does not say an air vent is in that box.
Stop and call a plumber when you cannot isolate and refill safely, when the centres do not match, or when the wall will not take the weight on the supplied plugs. Rusty water on day one is not a longer bleed. Reviews of the curved 500 x 800 mm and the 500 x 1000 mm describe rust, dents, or about a cup of rusty water. Section 9 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 is the satisfactory-quality route.
The Siena is an electrician's connection
The Manissa Siena is the electric rail in this set: 80 W, a 1 m cord, and a hard-wired 3 amp fused spur on the listing. One review fitted a 13 A plug. That is not the instruction. The listing claims IPX4 and bathroom zone 2. The zone sentence is the seller's. SELECT's bathroom guidance allows a towel rail of at least IPX4 in zone 1 when it is fixed, permanently connected, and the manufacturer permits that place. A standard fused spur is kept outside zones 0, 1, and 2.
In England, a new or altered circuit in a bathroom is the Approved Document P question. Scotland and Northern Ireland are not covered by England's Part P wording. If the spur does not already exist, an electrician makes the connection. Whether you wanted this rail or a water rail is the electric or central heating towel rail choice. A narrow cloakroom changes which water rail you measured, which is the small bathroom constraint.
Common questions
What do I measure before I drill?
The pipe centres on the wall, against the figure on your listing. Greened House ladders that print it use 250 mm, 350 mm, or 450 mm, which is 50 mm inside the stated width. The Nola, the NRG, and the Siena do not print centres. Also check the wall type. A 4 kg chrome rail and an 8 kg curved rail have both drawn comments about plugs.
Straight or angled valves?
The pipe route decides. Pipes leaving the wall square usually take straight valves. Pipes coming up from the floor usually take angled valves. None of these twelve listings includes valves. Buy them to match 15 mm pipe where the Richmond states that size, and 1/2 inch BSP where the ladder bullets state that thread.
How do people describe bleeding a new rail?
On a Greened House water rail, the box includes an air vent. You fill the circuit and open the vent until water follows the air, then close it. That pattern comes from trade fitting notes. It is not printed as a procedure on these amazon.co.uk bullets, and the NRG box line does not confirm an air vent.
When do I stop and call a plumber?
When the centres do not match and the pipes must move, when you cannot isolate and refill safely, or when the supplied plugs are wrong for the wall. A review of the 500 x 1000 mm curve says the plumber changed the plugs. Plasterboard and a 4 kg rail is the same kind of stop.
Who connects the Siena?
An electrician, on the listing's 3 amp fused spur. The cord is 1 m. A reviewer's 13 A plug is not the instruction. In England, a new or altered bathroom circuit is notifiable under Approved Document P. The spur itself stays outside zones 0, 1, and 2.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings in this comparison. Page updated October 2026.
- Approved Document P (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- Building Regulations amendment 2012, regulation 6 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: building work, replacements and repairs (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- MARC on BS EN 442 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- BSI, BS EN 442-2:2014 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- SELECT bathroom zones guide (retrieved 16 October 2026)
- Stelrad: the importance of delta T (retrieved 16 October 2026)