White towel rail paint/enamel crazing

[David]

The bathroom towel rail, which is white (not chrome) and nearly 10 years old has the paint crazing on some of the rails. These are the ones used for drying face cloths.

This is not what I would expect from a towel rail, but I am checking to see if this is common or a one off (as far as anyone knows).

I don't know the make (and the records are buried somewhere safe by now).

I suppose that the decision now is whether to replace it, and if so to go with chrome.

The downstairs towel rain is chrome and is fine, but has seen less use.

Cheers

Dave R

[SH]

be aware that the thermal emissivity of white is higher than that of chrome, which means that the Chrome radiator is not as effective as heating up the room as a white radiator So you will need to increase the size of the chrome radiator to get the same heating effect as the original white radiator.

[newshound]

Mine is 30 years old and as good as the day it was installed. It's certainly not a "premium" one. If you keep towels over most of it, the lower emissivity of chrome would not matter much.

[Brian Gaff (Sofa]

There does seem to be an issue with enamel though Most of those electric oil filled heaters are enamelled and after some years it starts to craze and eventually drop off in lumps. I always thought it was both due to the wet clothes you drape on them and the difference in the expansion of the metal and the paint. I did buy some radiator paint, but that only lasted a couple of years. One would have thought that if your towel rail was meant to have potentially wet things on it, the design would be such that it would take it. Brian

[TimW]

both my white towel rails are losing their white finish from corrosion underneath from the look of it. That's 15 years on from installation and they look rubbish.

TW

[TimW]

[both plumbed in radiator type towel rails]

[charles]

My chrome towel rail has been there since before we moved into the house - and that was in 1977! Judging by the steel radiators I've had to replace, the towel rail is definately getting on in years.

[Dave Plowman (News]

I'd not go with chrome if you want a long life.

TLC do some very nice polished stainless steel - I've got one well over 10 years old and still looks like new.

[Tim+]

Personally never had an issue with chromed rails. 30 years on looking fine?

Tim

[newshound]

The devil is in the detail with chrome. Not looked at prices but I guess stainless might be competitive now.

[David]

Just to add that we had a weekend away in self catering accommodation and the white towel rail there had exactly the same problem (only worse).

So it seems a fairly common problem.

Cheers

Dave R