Towel bars sit exactly where people grab in a slip: beside the tub, next to the shower, by the vanity. And they fail exactly when they're needed.
Why towel bars fail
- They're mounted with small screws and plastic anchors into drywall, often not into studs.
- The bar is thin-walled tubing or zinc, not 18-gauge steel, and the mounting posts are held by set screws.
- They're designed to hold two pounds of towel, not 180 pounds of falling adult.
The fix
You don't have to give up the towel bar. Replace it with a grab bar that's designed to hold towels. LiveWell's 2-in-1 towel bar grab bars and 3-in-1 towel shelf grab bars are stainless steel grab bars with welded flanges, mounted into studs or with rated anchors, that also hold your towels. Same function, same spot on the wall, and they'll catch a fall.
Same story for other fixtures
Toilet paper holders, soap dishes, shampoo shelves, and shower door frames all get grabbed in a fall. Every one of them can be replaced with a grab bar version: our 2-in-1 toilet paper holder, the 3-in-1 grab bar with shampoo shelf, and the arched grab bar that fits over a shower valve.
How to tell the difference
A real grab bar has a 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 inch solid tube, 3 inch mounting flanges with three screw holes each, and 1-1/2 inch clearance from the wall. A towel bar has thin posts and a decorative escutcheon that snaps on. If you can wiggle it, it's a towel bar.
Questions about your bathroom? Call LiveWell at (440) 499-7221 or email info@livewellhs.com. We ship grab bars from Ohio to homes, contractors, and senior living communities nationwide.