Replace a heated towel rail on a lath and plaster wall

Drain, remove and refit a heated towel rail safely, choosing the right fixing for your particular wall.

AB-01Gather tools and protect the roomLay dust sheets under the towel rail and along your route out of the bathroom, since you'll be carrying a wet rail. Get a bucket, some old towels and a radiator bleed key ready before you start. If the heating is on, turn it off and let the rail cool fully before you touch any fittings.

1 each · Dust sheet

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1 each · Bucket

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1 each · Radiator bleed key

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AB-02Isolate the heating and drain the old railFind the two valves at the bottom of the rail, usually a wheelhead valve and a lockshield valve, and close both fully. Find your stopcock (usually under the kitchen sink) and check it turns freely, so you can cut the water off fast if anything goes wrong later. Loosen the top connector slightly with a radiator spanner to release pressure, then open the bleed valve or crack the bottom union over the bucket to drain the rail.

1 each · Radiator spanner

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1 each · Adjustable spanner

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AB-03Disconnect and remove the old towel railOnce the rail is empty, undo both bottom pipe connections fully and lift it off the wall brackets. Stand it in the bath or outside to finish draining. Unscrew the old brackets and keep the fixings you find — they're a clue to what's behind the wall.

AB-04Work out what your wall is made ofTap where the old brackets were: solid brick or block sounds dull and hard everywhere. Plasterboard on studs sounds hollow, with a detector or magnet picking up screw heads every 400-600mm along a line. Dot-and-dab also sounds hollow but has no regular fixing pattern behind it, because it's board glued to solid masonry with foam dabs. Lath and plaster feels slightly springy, and a small pilot hole brings out fine timber dust from wood laths or studs, while a metal stud brings out fine steel swarf instead.

AB-05Check for cables and pipes before you drillRun a cable and pipe detector over the whole fixing area before drilling anything. Detectors miss cables that are deep, in metal conduit, behind metal-backed board, or outside the usual safe zones, and a metal stud frame confuses cheap detectors even more. If there's any doubt, isolate the circuit at the consumer unit before drilling, and make sure your stopcock is properly off before cutting into anything that could hold water.

AB-06Fix the new wall brackets for your wall typeA full towel rail can weigh 15-20kg, so the fixing has to suit the wall. In solid brick or block, drill 8mm holes 55-60mm deep, fit heavy-duty wall plugs and use 60-70mm screws. In plasterboard on timber studs, find the centre of the stud and drive a 50-60mm wood screw straight into it, never into the board alone. In plasterboard on metal studs, use a self-drilling metal-stud fixing or a toggle-type hollow-wall anchor rated for the weight — a plain wall plug or wood screw strips straight through 0.5mm steel, and a toggle alone often still isn't enough, so fit a plywood pattress or noggin between the studs, or fix through to the masonry behind if you can. For dot-and-dab, drill through the board and the adhesive dabs (usually 40-50mm) into the solid wall behind, using fixings around 90-100mm long. For lath and plaster, find the timber studs behind the laths, drill a pilot hole first to stop the old plaster cracking, and screw into the stud rather than just the lath.

1 each · 8mm masonry drill bit

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1 pack · Heavy-duty wall plugs

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1 pack · 60mm wood screws

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1 pack · Self-drilling metal-stud fixings

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4 each · Toggle-type hollow-wall anchor

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1 each · Plywood pattress board

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1 pack · 90mm dot-and-dab fixings

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AB-07Hang the towel rail and check it's levelLift the rail onto the new brackets and check it's level with a spirit level before tightening anything fully. Most brackets have a little play, so nudge it square if needed. Tighten every bracket fixing once you're happy with the position.

AB-08Reconnect the pipeworkWrap PTFE tape clockwise around each threaded connection. Reconnect the bottom valves to the rail by hand first, then finish tightening gently with a spanner — overtightening can crack the fitting. Check the pipework lines up without being forced, as strain here causes leaks later.

1 each · PTFE tape

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AB-09Refill the system and bleed the railOpen both valves slowly and let the rail fill. Use the bleed key to let trapped air escape through the bleed valve at the top, closing it as soon as a steady trickle of water appears instead of air. Check your boiler's pressure gauge afterwards and top up if needed.

AB-10Check for leaks, tidy up and dispose of the old railRun the heating for 20-30 minutes and check every joint and fixing for drips, especially the two bottom connections. Wipe up any water straight away and gently retighten if a fitting is leaking once it's cooled. Take the old rail to a household recycling centre, where scrap metal is usually accepted free.

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