A straightforward swap done tidily: the old rail drained and off, the new one hung and connected to the existing valves, system refilled, dosed and bled.
A customer in Rowley Regis asked us to replace the towel radiator in their bathroom. The old one was a white curved rail that had gone tired and scuffed, and they wanted a chrome ladder rail in its place. We isolated and drained the old rail, took it off the wall, hung the new rail on fresh brackets, connected it to the existing valves and pipework, then refilled the system, dosed it with inhibitor and bled the rail and the radiators. One visit, a bathroom that looks right, and a towel rail that gets hot.
Send us a photo and the rough size on WhatsApp, or leave a number and we will ring you back — usually within the hour during office hours.
Towel radiators are one of the most-asked-for small jobs we do. They live in the dampest room in the house, they get knocked, and the white ones in particular start to look tired long before they stop working. This customer in Rowley Regis had a white curved rail that had reached that point, and wanted a chrome ladder rail in its place.
We isolated the rail at its valves, drained it down into a container so nothing went on the floor, and took it off the wall. The new rail went up on fresh brackets, level and square to the tiles, and was connected to the existing valves and pipework, which saves cutting into the wall or the floor. Then the system was refilled, dosed with inhibitor to protect the new rail and the rest of the system from corrosion, and bled at the rail and the radiators so there was no air left in it.
The whole thing was one visit and no disruption beyond a dust sheet. The customer got the bathroom they wanted.
The swap itself is simple. The things that separate a good one from a bad one are the details. A rail that matches the old pipe centres goes onto the existing valves without alterations, so we check the sizes before we buy or before you do. Chrome rails give out less heat than white ones of the same size, so in a bathroom that relies on the rail for warmth it is worth going a size up or checking the output. And a system that has been opened and refilled needs inhibitor putting back, because a new rail in untreated water starts corroding from day one.
If you are buying the rail yourself, send us a photo of the old one and the measurement between the valve centres, and we will tell you what will fit.
Replacing a radiator or towel rail like for like on the existing pipework is £175 labour. If the new rail needs the pipework moving, or you would like us to supply it, we quote it first. Fitting a thermostatic valve at the same time, so the rail can be turned down in summer, is £125 for the first valve. Full details are on our radiators and valves page.
Usually, yes. Most towel rails come in standard widths, so a new one of the same width connects to the existing valves without touching the wall or floor. If you want a different width or height, the pipework has to move, which is a bigger job. Send us the measurement between the two valves and we will tell you what fits.
Either. Many customers choose their own rail and we fit it. If you would rather we supplied it, tell us the size, the finish and roughly the style, and we will quote for supply and fit together.
No. Chrome rails of the same size give out noticeably less heat than painted ones, because of the finish. In a bathroom that relies on the rail for warmth, go a size larger or check the heat output before you buy. We can advise when you send the photo.
Opening the system to change a rail means draining part of it and refilling with fresh water. Fresh water with no inhibitor starts corroding steel radiators and towel rails straight away. Dosing the system on refill protects the new rail and everything else, and it is part of the job rather than an extra.
Job attended and photographed by our engineers in Rowley Regis, March 2026. Written up by Saeed Iqbal, the engineer who leads Synergy Gas & Plumbing (Gas Safe registered 594385). More recent jobs in the area are on our Dudley page, and every job we write up is on the case studies index.
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Read the case study£175 like for like on the existing pipework. Send us a photo and the valve centres on WhatsApp.
