Decor buffs will wax lyrical about the bath, from its days in the outhouse to bang in
the middle of the bathroom to stuck against the wall where all the plumbing sits.
Yet, a place to hang towels was always in the background. In Victorian days ornate
railings complete with crystal knobs were affixed to the wall, or a solid brass
freestanding towel rack would be placed at the head of the bath.
It was in this era, in 1855 to be exact, that Franz San Galli, a Prussian-born Russian
entrepreneur living in St. Petersburg, invented the radiator while renovating the
heating system in the Imperial greenhouses of Tsarskoye Selo. Referred to as the
‘hot box’, this heating appliance was clunky and awkward, but it opened up new
possibilities of warming up homes and the later invention of towel radiators.
When in Europe, central heating leads to dry towels.
In America, we do things a little bit differently.
Because central heating systems in the US are predominantly HVAC systems –
where air (not water) is heated or cooled and distributed around the home, towel
radiators from Europe wouldn’t work.
Some manufacturers Stateside eventually came up with the idea of a fluid-filled
heated towel rack, but they are not that efficient, are expensive to run, and take up to
an hour to heat up.
Bathroom Butler realized we needed a unique solution for American homes and Dry
Element Technology was invented. A revolution in heated drying towel racks on par
with Mr. Galli’s hot box.
No leaking or taking forever to heat up, as those who bought fluid-filled heated drying
racks will tell you, but simple silicone-coated heating wire within the tubes that heat
the unit in under 15 minutes. All this wired into the house’s electric circuit with the
turn of a couple of screws.
The final step in the revolution from a cold brass towel rack behind a Victorian bath
to an economical and modern heated drying towel rack was the addition of a
Wi-Fi-enabled switch with which the owner can control the appliance.
Welcome to the 21st century heated towel racks!