Can Heated Towel Rails Be LST?

Heated towel rails are a popular bathroom feature to be used as both a radiator and an aesthetically pleasing addition to a space. But can they be low surface temperature radiators as well as towel rails?

Contour has been blogging to explore this question and to find out what low surface temperature options there are for bathrooms.

Read on to find out more…

The Regulations

In both care homes and hospitals, the UK government guidelines via the Health and Safety Executive states that radiators must be low surface temperature and recommends they are below 43°C.

Surface temperatures higher than this pose a safety risk to service users come into contact with the surface either as they move around or in the unfortunate event of a fall.

The risk of burns is higher if temperatures are above this, therefore all heating solutions in these spaces must be LST.

Heated Towel Rails And LST Radiators

Many domestic heating towel rails are not within the regulation stipulated by the UK government. For healthcare spaces however it’s vital that any heating solution installed into them meets the standard.

Heated towel rails are available as a low surface solution.

They are only recommended in the healthcare sector in places where there is not a risk of ligature-based injuries being a concern as they are not an anti-ligature solution.

Heated towel rails are slimline in design and sit almost flush to the wall making them an effective way to have a heating solution that is economical for space usage as bathrooms can often be some of the smallest spaces in a facility.

However, Contour offers bespoke LST radiators to customers who require solutions in bathrooms where space is often an issue.

The smallest LST that we offer is 500mm wide x 550mm high and 155mm deep.

If you require a size outside of this, however, we can work on a one to one basis to explore out bespoke options.

Conclusion

Heated towel rails are available to the healthcare sector as a low surface temperature solution. They offer a safe way of heating a bathroom while providing a useful addition to the space.

They aren’t suitable for wards where heating solutions have to be anti-ligature but in general hospital spaces they can be a valuable heating solution in terms of their look and space-saving nature.