Refitting Towel Rail after Tiling - Shortening Brackets

[cornish_crofter]

As some of you will know, I thought I had caught a cold when I initially fitted a chrome towel rail prior to tiling just to position the pipework in the solid floor.

I must have had a senior moment as I completely overlooked the need to allow for the thickness of the tile. The last time the customer specified a towel rail in their new wetroom I remembered to allow for this. I can't think what came over me this time



This towel rail is pretty standard in construction. Pretty much every other standard house will have one. They look expensive to some but they are actually very reasonably priced and therefore popular.

Anyway, I asked for a few ideas and someone suggested cutting the brackets shorter.

Rather than attack the brackets with a hacksaw, I used one of these.



Not a great picture I know but what you see there is an adjutable pipe slice. As I do a fair bit of plumbing etc I have a handful of these. This is a Rothenburger, which are a bit like Rubi for plumbing but you can get cheaper.

More importantly, it represents a much quicker and better alternative to cutting this plastic than using a hacksaw.

The approach I employed to get this right is as follows.

1) Make sure the rail is vertical.

2) Offer the insert (male component) up to the rail to locate as it would when holding the towel rail in position, then measure the gap between the end of the insert and the wall. Add this measurement to the length of your insert and that gives you the length you need the sleeve or female part (that screws to the wall) to be.



You'll have to forgive me for not showing the tape measure in the picture. I don't have 3 hands, yet, but I am working on it . However you can see the gap between the end of the insert and the face of the tile. Measure that and then hold the insert alongside the sleeve and use the tape to measure off the part of the female component to cut off. Doing it this way removes the guesswork involved in trying to get a dimension from one curved reference (towel rail bar).

3) When you've marked off the sleeve, measuring twice of course, then simply use the pipeslice to cut the sleeve to give you the result below.



4) Trial fit the insert into the sleeve with the fixing screw and washer in place....



You may find that the insert bottoms out before the shoulder of the insert hits that of the sleeve. If so, then you will need to use your pipeslice to cut a few mm off the end of the insert to allow it to sit squarely on the shoulder of the sleeve.

After that it is just a case of repeating the above for the remaining brackets. The only extra operation that may be needed is to redrill new fixing holes through the sleeve into the insert with the insert in the correct postion to accept the towel rail.

Sorry for the quality of the pictures, I must have had the shakes whilst taking them! :LOL:

[aph257]

i've not made the mistake yet, but i'll now know what to do. Thanks Hugo

[cornish_crofter]

Quite alright.

To be fair you may come across a situation where the towel rail is already up and there is no room for manovre for the pipes to move it when you've tiled behind it, or you need to fit a towel rail and the pipes coming out of the floor would have the rail a bit closer to the wall than the brackets would allow.

Just because I was kak handed in making more work for myself and had to do it, it doesn't mean that you'll need to be kak handed to have to do this! :LOL:

[trevortine]

Good idea with the pipe cutter Hugo, I fit a lot of these radiators and im always particular about setting out pipes but only because its me thats doing the whole job! Its pretty much logged in the brain now different dimensions for the 3 or 4 variations that i use. Been there too many times when the plumber has just guessed and they are a mile out!!

[cornish_crofter]

I'm usually quite particular but I had a brain storm. The screed was backfilled and the floor tiles were down before I realised.

But, as I said before. It doesn't have to be a mistake to warrent a solution. For example, if the towel rail is already there and you need to tile behind it.

[trevortine]

Now that you solved that problem you need to do something with those nails m8!!!!!!!!!!!

[kilty55]

get them nails cut ...ive got some gilbows you can borrow

[cornish_crofter]

They're not long, just right for me!

Any shorter and I get blisters and cuts on the fingers.

[trevortine]

It wasnt the length it was the bag of rapidset that was stuck under them i noticed!!!!!!!!!!!!

[cornish_crofter]

It wasnt the length it was the bag of rapidset that was stuck under them i noticed!!!!!!!!!!!!

More than likely grout mist. I had just wiped down the tiles. The grout had been fully done but there is always that mist that has to come off when the grout has set fully.

Anyway, why am I on here defending my nails when I try and help you lot - I don't know!!!!!! :LOL: :LOL:

[Dave]

Anyway, why am I on here defending my nails when I try and help you lot

Exactly...

[Scott]

You stick up for yourself, fight them tooth and ......nail.

Ill get my coat!

Told you cutting them brackets would work