You’ve just purchased and installed your new heated towel rail and are looking forward to your next shower, so you can wrap yourself up in the luxury of a dry and warm towel. Before you do, however, have you ever wondered whether your new bathroom wonder needs any maintenance? Fear not, we have all the answer for you in our maintenance guide for heated towel rails.
Maintenance? What maintenance?
If you’ve been smart and bought one of Eskimo’s vertical heated towel rails, here are the maintenance steps required:
- Cue the sound of crickets
- Cue the picture of a homeowner having a nap on his or her armchair
You see, there is no maintenance required. You can enjoy many years of your super-efficient heated towel rail without giving it another thought. Yes, it is a good idea to give your Gordon an occasional wipe over with a damp cloth and then drying with a soft, dry cloth, but that’s it.
Keep abrasive cleaning powders, harsh chemical cleaners and essential oils in your laundry and just use water, otherwise you can damage the surface of your state-of-the-art unit. Also, make sure you clean your Gordon when the unit is cold. It doesn’t need to be turned off.
If you didn’t buy a Gordon heated towel rail, however, you should read the manual as some maintenance may be required.
For example, there are some heated towel rails that are filled with water or another liquid. These should be ‘bled’ once a year to extract air that gets trapped in the pipes. If you don’t do this, your unit won’t operate to temperature and could heat unevenly. The liquid-filled heated towel rails can also occasionally leak and can have issues with corrosion.
No maintenance, but correct operation makes sense
While your Gordon heated towel rail doesn’t require any maintenance and simply benefits from a good clean now and again, correct usage is important to make sure you get the most from this impressive unit.
First, a bit of a science lesson. While heat from the heated towel rail will help to dry your towels, another important aspect to ensure efficient drying is to replace the humid air that builds up under and around your wet towels with fresh air. In other words, it’s always good to ensure there’s enough space for best results.
The Gordon can handle two layers of towels (or other heavy fabric) but no more to work at its best. Also allow space between the towels on the inside of the vertical fins as this allows the humid air to vent away and be replaced by fresh air. Place items over the fins as evenly as you can.
It’s also a good idea not to leave very damp towels or other fabrics over your Gordon when it’s not operating, as this can affect the finish over time. If you are finding you’re regularly laying wet towels over your unit, then adjust the timer accordingly so your Gordon is turning on when needed.
In addition:
- Gordon is designed to operate at 43 degree Celsius, although the temperature will rise slightly when you add towels. This is quite a low temperature, so you’ll perhaps notice that your unit is warm to the touch but not very hot. It is safe to drape fabrics over your Gordon without the fabrics being scorched or burnt.
- The lower operating temperature of Gordon compared to some units also makes it safe for your children. While you might tell them not to touch, you know they’re going to as soon as your back is turned!
- Any soap or detergents remaining in fabrics can discolour the surface of your Gordon. Most washing machines will effectively remove soap and detergents, so this is rarely an issue, but if you handwash always make sure you rinse articles thoroughly before draping over the unit.
- There is one other important ‘maintenance’ step that is worth noting with your Gordon heated towel warmer. As it’s made from aluminium, when it is past it’s useful life (in many, many years from now) take it to a recycling facility if at all possible. It can then be made into new Gordons or aluminium cans in the future!
No maintenance, healthy savings
The other good thing about Gordon is that it will help you maintain a healthy bank balance, because it’s super-efficient. Eskimo has run tests to show just how efficient our heated towel rail is against alternatives:
- In one test, a 350 Watt model was pitted against the 200 Watt Gordon. Gordon required 84 minutes to dry towels while the 350 Watt model took 113 minutes.
- In another test, using a 200 Watt model against the Gordon, the 200 Watt heated towel rail took three times as long to dry the towels.
Another bonus. It not only performs superbly but looks great doing it! Find out more on the Eskimo website.
