Amba Products' heated towel racks come in two new finishes

Photo by Mike Kotsch on Unsplash

My bathroom has two things in it that get me through a Pennsylvania winter. The first is the heated floors and the second is my Radiant heated Towel rack from Amba Products. I cannot imagine facing a walk in shower on a 20-degree morning in February without either of them.

I fell in love with both of those features while staying in hotels in Germany. Winter mornings in Köln are a lot like winter mornings here and when we re-did the master bath a few years ago a heated towel rack was high on my list of mandatories. I'm the proud owner of a Radiant Curved in chrome and I picked chrome because that's what all of my metal finishes are. If it were up to me, all metal fixtures everywhere would be chrome but that's just me. I know there are people out there who want something other than chrome finishes.

Well, those people are in luck because Amba Products' heated towel racks come in two new finishes. Their Solo, a free-standing model, is now available in matte black. 

The Radiant Hardwired Straight and the Radiant Small are now available in polished gold.

Here are some closer shots of those two finishes:

Amba Products is the country’s premier distributor of heated towel rack systems and these two new finishes expand the company's offerings to nine stocked finishes.

Peter Manidis, marketing manager for Amba, stated, “For many years, polished and brushed finishes dominated interior design. However, over the last few years, there has been a shift within the industry, paving the way for less conventional finishes like matte black and polished gold.”

Previously, polished and brushed stainless steel were the only finish options offered within the Solo collection. After the success of the matte black color in other collections Amba decided to introduce the finish to the Solo collection, one of its bestselling product lines.

The polished gold finish is only available in select models within the Radiant Collection. It is an entirely new finish offering for Amba Products, and the company will use its launch to determine whether to expand the option to other collections.

Amba Products, headquartered in Atlanta, distributes more than 150 affordable heated towel rack models in both mounted and free-standing profiles. Each corrosion-resistant high-grade 304 steel rack is 100-percent recyclable and packaged with fully recyclable materials. Heated towel racks are stylish and functional additions to any bathroom, laundry room, or mudroom. They are energy-efficient and keep towels fresh while decreasing trips to the laundry and reducing airborne mold.

Amba Products was established in 2004 with a clear goal in mind – to make the heated towel rack a must-have item for every bathroom in North America. Amba now proudly boasts the largest variety of products and serves more than 1,200 retailers throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Visit their website to learn more.

Dealing with a leaky faucet

Photo by Jos Speetjens on Unsplash

When you turn your faucet off and it doesn't actually shut off completely, panic usually sets it. After you’re done getting angry, you usually need to call a plumber  or head to the hardware store to try to fix the problem. But, what should you purchase? A lot of DIY solutions just aren't right, and they can actually leave you worse off than when you started. Plumbing is a profession for a reason and it's important to know when to defer to the professionals. 

If you don't understand how plumbing works, the time to learn us not during a plumbing emergency. So after you've called for help with your Pittsburgh plumbing, here's a quick primer on faucets to study while you wait. 

Determine where the leak is coming from

If you don’t know where the leak is coming from, you can’t fix it - period. So, try to determine if it’s leaking just from the faucet itself or if the water is also coming out of the handle. If it’s leaking from the faucet, you may need to replace a seal, or you might need to replace the whole faucet, depending on what’s damaged and how badly.

If the leak is coming from the handle, it may be a simple O-ring. When the plumber arrives, point out the source of the leak and ask his or her opinion.

Shut the water off

Shut the water off before the plumber arrives to minimize water loss. When the plumber arrives he or she will turn it back on to see the leak in action.

The shut-off valve for most kitchen sinks is usually underneath the sink. It’s a small handle that you can turn to shut the water off. Sometimes, it’s a lever.

See if you can remove your faucet handle

If you have a single-handled faucet, pry the small plastic cap off the top of the handle. If you have a dual-handle faucet, you’ll need to take the decorative cap off both the hot and cold water handles. If you have a handle-style faucet, instead of a twist knob, you can usually unscrew the end of the handle and then unscrew the fixture. If you're unsure don't try this, wait for the plumber.

The business part of a faucet is the cartridge, and it lies underneath the decorative cap or handle. If the cartridge is worn out or cracked, it’s entirely possible that water could be seeping through here to the spout.

Fortunately, this piece usually pops out so that you can replace it. If it doesn't you may need to replace the entire faucet unit.

That cartridge usually has rubber O-rings that it uses to fully shut off the water supply. These O-rings can wear out or crack over time and it's the O-rings that are the usual culprits in a leaky faucet.

There are many professionals to turn for help with your Pittsburgh plumbing, but unless you know what you're doing, you are not one of them. Call a plumber!