Towel warmers are a relatively recent innovation for homeowners. They came on the scene in Europe some twenty years ago. Eventually they became a popular accessory for homes in America. Towel warmers come in a variety of styles and configurations. You can get plug-in towel warmers, hard-wired electric ones, and hydronic towel warmers that utilize hot water from your domestic hot water heating system or your hot water heat system. Oil-filled towel warmers are also available.

Installing plug-in towel warmers

Replace a towel bar with a towel warmer and enjoy luxurious warm, dry towels anytime

1. These units can be hung on the wall or stand unsupported on their own. If you choose the wall-hung plug-in towel warmer, follow these simple instructions.
2. Locate your towel warmer on the wall of  your choice.
3. Make sure it is within reach of a GFI wall outlet. If  you do not have a GFI outlet, you must have one installed or install it yourself. Most plug-in warmers have at least a 7  foot cord.
4. Try to locate your warmer such that at least two of the supports go into wall studs. You can find these with a stud locator or by the location of windows, which have a stud on either side. Wall outlets also usually have a stud located on one side or the other.
5. Mark the location of your support anchors. Verify that your anchor locations are level or your towel warmer will be crooked on the wall.
6. Drill holes for the anchors. If your anchors will not go into studs, you will have to use hollow wall anchors. The best choice of hollow wall anchor for this purpose is a toggle bolt.
7. Install the anchor supports.
8. Hang the towel warmer and plug it in.

Installing hard wired electric towel warmers

1. These units install in essentially the same way as plug-in warmers with the following exceptions.
2. Make sure that you have an electrical junction box in the wall where you want to hang your towel warmer. Most likely, you will have to install one yourself or hire an electrician to install one for you.
3. The electrical outlet on the towel warmer will connect directly to the cover of the junction box so this will, in turn, determine the location of the towel warmer anchor supports.
4. Ideally, the towel warmer will be on a dedicated circuit because it will be on all the time. Towel warmers use less electricity than a light bulb so the electrical demand on the circuit is usually light.

Installing hydronic towel warmers

1. Hydronic towel warmers take the place of a hot water radiator in a bathroom, kitchen, laundryroom, or anywhere you will want to use a warm, dry towel.
2. Remove the cover from the existing radiator to gain access to the supply and return lines.
3. Turn off the hot water heat system, including the boiler and circulating pump.
4. Drain all the water out of the supply and return lines but not from the boiler itself.
5. Cut the supply and return lines under the floor. You can gain access to them from the crawlspace or the basement, otherwise, you will have to cut an access hole through the floor of your bathroom.
6. Reroute the hot water lines to match the inlet and outlet of your towel warmer in its predetermined location.
7. Locate the anchor support locations on the wall.
8. Install the anchor supports.
9. Hang the towel warmer on the wall.
10. Connect the hot water supply and return lines up to their proper respective ports on the bottom of the towel warmer.
11. Make sure you install balance cocks or shutoff valves and unions on the hot water lines to the towel warmer.
12. Refill and bleed your hot water heat system.
13. Turn on your hot water heat boiler and circulating pump.

Tips

In general, towel warmers are set at the factory for the proper temperature.

Some of the more expensive units come with thermostats and on/off switches so you can set your own temperature and turn the unit on and off as desired.

You can use towel warmers in certain locations as another heat source, too.

Regularly clean the towel warmer or collected dirt and dust can discolor the towel warmer surface and ruin your towels, as well. You can clean your towel warmer with warm water and a mild detergent. Wipe it dry afterwards.

Replacing a tub diverter is an easy job in most cases. There are those exceptions, however.

The tub diverter should have been caulked in place where the rear of the spout meets the shower wall. Cut that caulking free with a sharp knife being careful to avoid cutting the shower wall surface.
Usually, you can score the caulking or lift up an edge and then peel the rest off. If someone has caulked the spout with silicone caulk you may need to exercise patience in removing it. Silicone caulk is very difficult to remove. Use a very sharp knife to cut away at it.

Feel the underneath side of the tub spout. If there is an opening at the rear of the spout where it meets the shower wall, you will need to loosen an allen screw up inside that opening. The best tool to do this with is a balldriver allen wrench.  http://www.bondhus.com/products/screwdrivers/body-0.htm. This is an allen wrench that has a ball-like tip. That allows you to tilt the allen wrench at an angle and still loosen the allen set screw.

After fully loosening the set screw, turn the tub spout gently to break the seal and pull it toward you to remove it. Install a new tub diverter spout with the same style connection, i.e, an allen set screw at the rear. Hold the diverter spout firmly against the shower wall or as far as it will go while tightening the setscrew. You can tighten the setscrew about hand tight with the spout turned 90 degrees to one side so you can get to the setscrew easily. Then turn the spout so it faces down into the tub and tighten the setscrew the rest of the way.

If there is no opening at the bottom rear of the tub spout then the tub spout unscrews from a nipple. Place the handle of a pair of pliers or channellocks into the spout opening and turn it counterclockwise. If you are going to throw the tub spout away just grab the end of the spout with a pair of channellock or waterpump pliers or even a pipe wrench and unscrew it. Sometimes corrosion has totally locked the spout in place and you will have to exert quite a bit of force to remove it. In doing so, you might damage the threaded spout nipple. If you have to replace it and can’t get a wrench on it to unscrew it, use a nipple extractor that you can buy at any hardware store or plumbing outlet.

Apply joint compound to the threads of the new nipple and screw it into place using the nipple extractor to tighten it, if necessary. Apply joint compound to the external threads of the spout end of the nipple and install the tub spout. Be sure to caulk it where it meets the shower wall. Trim the acrylic latex caulk with silicone with a wet finger tip or a caulk trim tool. Let the caulk dry at least 24 hours before getting it wet.

A note of caution: The tub spout nipple fitting should have been anchored inside the wall to supporting lumber but not all are. Use extreme caution when removing the old tub diverter spout or tub spout nipple. If you think the fitting in the wall is loose or not supported at all, or suspect the nipple fitting or its connections in the wall have been damaged, you must open up the shower wall to repair or replace it.

There are many varieties of pedestal lavatories on the market but they all have one thing in common: they need to be installed correctly.

Lots of contractors and even do-it-yourselfers install pedestal lavatories but fail to provide the proper support.

Strictly speaking, pedestal lavatories function best in powder rooms but most buyers of these beautiful bathroom sinks install them in master bathrooms and kids’ baths as well.

In master bathrooms and kids’ baths the pedestal lavatory takes a lot more use and abuse and that’s where proper support during the installation process comes in. It’s not uncommon for children to reach up and over the rim of the sink placing pressure on the front edge of the fixture. If it’s not properly supported during the installation, it can tip forward and come loose from the wall causing possible water damage, as well as personal injury. In addition, if it can move, the possibility for the porcelain to be damaged increases.

During the rough-in stage, plumb the waste outlet in not more than 22” above the finish floor. On the specifications sheet this is usually labeled “AFF”.

The water stub-outs should be not more than 3” above the 1 ½” waste outlet and not more than 3” to either side. The water stub-outs should be well anchored in the wall and the threaded waste connector should be just inside the finished wall surface.

Note the location of the mount holes on the back side of the pedestal lavatory bowl and install backing material in the wall to correspond with those mount holes. If the wall is finished, remove sufficient sheetrock or lathe and plaster to facilitate installation of the backing material. This backing material can be a piece of plywood inlet into the face of the two nearest studs, or a 2” x 4” or 2” x 6” piece of framing lumber installed between the two nearest studs at the proper height. Make sure you firmly fasten the backing material into the wall with the proper fasteners, either 10d minimum or 12d nails or long wood screws. If you fasten the material with a nail gun, set the nails with a nail set to make sure they are tight.

Install the sheetrock, finish the wall surface, install the trim escutcheons over the waste and water stubs, and install the angle stops on the water stubs. Use a box flange over the waste stub. This is a deep escutcheon.

Next, install the faucet, pop-up drain, p-trap, and wall bend. Then move the pedestal lavatory into place, directing the wall bend into the waste connector. If the floor is wooden, drive screws into the holes in the lavatory base to anchor it to the floor. Be careful not to over tighten the screws or you can break the porcelain base. If you use a screw gun, set the torque to a lower setting, then stop before the screw reaches the base and finish tightening the screws with a screwdriver.

If the floor is a ceramic, marble, cement, etc, mark the holes in the base of the lavatory directly on the floor. Pull the lavatory out, pre-drill the holes and install anchors, if necessary. Reinstall the lavatory, install the proper anchors in the base, hook up the water and waste lines.

Install ¼” lag bolts and washers or other suitable anchors through the holes in the back of the lavatory bowl into the backing in the wall.

Run a bead of acrylic caulk with silicone around the seam where the back of the bowl meets the wall and around the base of the unit and trim it with a wet finger or a caulking tool. Remove the faucet aerator, flush out the water lines, and check the drainage connections for leaks. Double check the operation of the pop-up drain. Sometimes, if the waste is roughed in too high it will interfere with the pop-up linkage. If this happens, you may have to bend the linkage so it will clear the wall bend. Replace the faucet aerator and you’re done!