All domestic bathrooms are equipped with a heated towel rail. After all, he has such a role! Entering almost any bathroom of our compatriots, you can see things drying on it after a little “washing”, children’s mittens dangling after a winter party and much more. But the main functionality of this device is to heat the room and maintain a dry climate in a humid environment. And its failure means not only the loss of a place for drying, but the appearance of dampness in the bathroom and its attendant troubles: fungus and mold. These factors lead to damage to the finish and make staying in the bathroom uncomfortable. If the dryer is made of steel, as in most cases, then as it cools down, corrosion processes begin. This is already fraught with depressurization of the pipe and flooding of the home. What to do if the heated towel rail stops heating? How to deal with this problem? What factors lead to equipment losing its operational properties? Let's look further.
The heated towel rail has stopped working - what's wrong?
As you know, there are two types of heated towel rails - electric and water. First, let's try to figure out the water ones, which are more popular and in demand. In addition to their low cost, such units are highly reliable, so technical problems occur very rarely. But if you notice that the heated towel rail in the bathroom does not heat, most often this is due to the air in the device.
Heated towel rail in the bathroom
To fix the problem, you will need a special air vent, which is designed to remove air pockets. This device even has a special name – the Mayevsky crane. So, let's try to remove excess air from the system. To do this, we perform actions in accordance with the following algorithm:
- completely unscrew the Mayevsky tap;
- open the shut-off valve located on the water heated towel rail;
- We wait until the excess air comes out of the tap completely. A signal that the air has run out is the appearance of a small stream of water;
- screw the Mayevsky tap back tightly.
As a rule, removing the air allows the heated towel rail to resume normal operation. After all, air is an insurmountable barrier to water in confined spaces. As is known, water flow chooses the trajectory with the least resistance. Therefore, if there are air pockets, hot water simply does not enter the heated towel rail system, which leads to its cooling.
However, the heated towel rail in the bathroom may not heat for other reasons; sometimes even removing air pockets does not help. This happens in cases where the device is directly connected to the heating system of your apartment or private house. The cause, again, may be air, but the only difference is that plugs appear throughout the entire circuit, and not specifically only in the device itself. The only difference is that the device will not be cold, it will be rather warm, at room temperature.
In this case, comprehensive measures will help correct the situation. It is necessary to remove air, only from the entire circuit where hot water passes. Mayevsky taps on all existing heat exchangers, including radiators, are unscrewed, which will lead to the natural pushing of excess air to the outlet under water pressure. You can open the taps at the same time, but experts still recommend doing this sequentially, especially if you are acting alone. If the problem happened in a private house that is equipped with a boiler, then it is best to start removing air locks from there.
Troubleshooting depending on the type of heated towel rail
Bathroom dryers come in different types. They differ in size and shape, as well as design. They can be electric or water. Malfunctions in their performance can be different, therefore the repair of electric heated towel rails will not differ significantly from the repair of other types of structures.
Electric
Repairing electric heated towel rails is considered a simple process if you understand it carefully. The designs contain a heating element that is connected directly to the power supply system of the entire house or apartment. Initially, it is important to determine the cause of the breakdown, for which certain tools are used:
- tester, represented by a measuring device;
- special indicator screwdriver.
Electric heated towel rail
Using these elements, the electrical supply circuit is checked. For this, an indicator is used to check the phase of the heating element. Even if there is phase voltage, this does not always serve as a basis for saying that the supply is carried out correctly. The fact is that a break in the neutral conductor often occurs. It is this that can cause poor performance of the heated towel rail, so the ladder can heat, but not very well, so it does not cope with its main purpose.
Using a tester, voltage is accurately measured, and the device must be properly configured in advance.
If problems with the voltage are detected, reconnection is carried out after first studying the instructions. If you carry out all the work yourself, it is important to act carefully and also take into account safety requirements, since you have to perform actions with an electrical device.
Using a multimeter you can diagnose breakdowns of an electric heated towel rail
Water
The most common type is a cold water heated towel rail, so it is necessary to understand the cause of the breakdown, after which it can be effectively eliminated. It is usually quite difficult to determine the cause of a breakdown, since it is important to understand the structure of this structure.
The system may be dead-end or looped. The first consists of one pipe, and is considered effective only for small structures or various industrial facilities. Water comes directly to people, so if the tap is turned off often, the water will become cold. To get hot water you will have to drain it a little.
A loop system, otherwise called a circulation system, does not have this significant drawback. It is installed in various apartment buildings and other large buildings. Therefore, apartments have both a pipe through which hot water flows and a return pipe for the coolant circulation process. Water moves in a circle. It is in this system that a heated towel rail is most often installed, and it is installed in risers.
If the heated towel rail does not work, then it is important to understand its connection diagram, which can be:
- direct, when the heated towel rail acts as a direct continuation of the water supply;
- with a bypass, and here you have to spend significant money on the purchase of components, and water enters during its circulation, but the device does not act as a continuation of the system.
The most common causes of failure of a water heated towel rail are blockages and incorrect connections, as well as a lack of water in the system.
With bypass
Straight
Each cause of failure has its own characteristics, so repairs are carried out using specific actions:
- blockages - they occur during the circulation of water through the heated towel rail. Water is usually of poor quality and also contains many foreign impurities that lead to blockages. To eliminate this situation, it is necessary to remove the device, after which it is washed, and it is also advisable to clean the pipes of the system itself. To do this, you can apply mechanical force or use special chemicals to remove the blockage;
- incorrect connection diagram - often people prefer to install this plumbing fixture on their own, but at the same time do not have the necessary knowledge, experience and skills, so the installation is carried out incorrectly. Most often the structure is mounted at a considerable distance from the riser. This leads to significant water resistance, so it simply does not enter the device. To eliminate this situation, it is necessary to move the device closer to the riser, and it is also possible to install a special injection pump into the system. It is this that helps create the necessary pressure;
- there is no water circulation - this reason is considered the most difficult, and it cannot be eliminated without completely changing the system.
If there is the latter reason, then to correct it you will have to obtain a work permit from the management company.
To clean the device from blockages, you will need to dismantle it.
Water heating pipe before and after cleaning
Reasons for lack of circulation: neighbors or housing office?
Have you removed all the plugs, but your bathroom heated towel rail still doesn't work? Let's move on to the following methods to solve the problem. It is possible that there is no hot water circulation in the device. The cause of this unpleasant phenomenon can be many factors, including:
- pipes of the wrong diameter have been installed;
- the hot water supply circuit was switched to open summer mode;
- neighbors blocked the common riser.
The connection diagram for the towel dryer provides for its installation on the hot water return flow pipe. Hot water must constantly be in motion, otherwise it will stagnate in the risers and cool. The consequence of this stagnation is cold water, which flows even when the hot water tap is turned on. Only after the cooled water has been drained does warm water begin to flow.
Installation of a heated towel rail
Naturally, the meters at this time show that hot water is being used, for which you have to pay extra money. This is a reason for a complaint to the housing office, whose specialists must rectify the situation as soon as possible. There is another reason for the lack of heat in the heated towel rail. Often, the housing office turns off the return flow in the hot water supply circuit, motivating their actions by switching to summer mode, while saving on heating the water flow. And since heated towel rails are usually connected to the return line, they are instantly cooled, even if hot water comes from the taps. Again, without complaints to the housing and communal services sector, it will be very difficult to solve such a problem.
However, a cold heated towel rail is not always the merit of the housing office. In some cases, the problem is caused by neighbors who are connected to the same riser as you. In some multi-storey buildings, devices for drying towels and other items of clothing are part of the main line. If you try to remove such a device for the purpose of cleaning or removing blockages, the result will be the cessation of activity of the entire circuit. Even knowing about such consequences, many try to fix the problem using these methods, while forgetting about disconnecting the pipes. This will ensure normal water circulation around the apartment. If you do not do this, then the operation of the hot water system is disrupted, and the heated towel rail does not heat. And all the neighbors at the same time.
But you shouldn’t blame your neighbors and housing office representatives for all your troubles. If your apartment has incorrectly selected outlets for the pipes from the main line, this may also disrupt the operation of the heated towel rail. As practice shows, the cross-section of the pipes should be smaller than the main line. This helps to quickly and easily overcome linear resistance and create the necessary pressure. Otherwise, the flow will go along the main line, bypassing the heated towel rail, choosing less resistance.
Finally, we note that a cold heated towel rail can be a consequence of the design of the device itself. For example, the heat exchanger is connected from below, but is vertically elongated. In this case, hot water flows only to the lower part of the device, but simply cannot reach the upper slats due to lack of pressure. Fortunately, such problems arise only with low-quality and cheap units, since modern devices are distinguished by excellent balancing.
How to tell if a device can be repaired
What to do if the heated towel rail in the bathroom does not work? Having determined the source of the problem, you will need to repair the device as soon as possible. But it is recommended to do this yourself only in situations where you have the appropriate knowledge and skills. And if there are none, then you will need to urgently contact a specialist who will restore the operation of the device again by eliminating the malfunction.
In other cases, the consequences can be more than dire. Breakthroughs are possible, as a result of which your apartment will fill with hot water, and water will also begin to drip from the ceiling of your neighbors living below.
System clogging and breakdowns - mechanical defects
Sometimes the cause of device failure is mechanical faults, for example, breakdown of shut-off valves. Ball valves, although made of durable and strong metal, can break and crack over time. In this case, there is only one way out - replacing the faulty equipment. It is very difficult to change ball valves yourself; it is much easier to contact a plumber who will do all the work quickly and efficiently.
A heated towel rail can also become cold due to clogging of the entire system. This phenomenon is typical for houses with low quality water, which contains large quantities of salts and metal impurities. As a result, build-up and contaminants form, which reduces the coolant pressure in the device.
Installation of a heated towel rail
If replacing the components of a heated towel rail is quite problematic, then cleaning the system is much easier.
It is necessary to ensure the availability of special chemicals that are poured into the unit itself. After a certain time, the chemical mixture is completely removed. All that remains is to carefully clean the pipe cavities using a metal brush or wire, as well as a stream of water under enormous pressure.
What to do
The first step is to determine what type of device you are using: electric or water.
In the case of an electric heated towel rail, check the connection to the outlet; if this does not help, use a tee and connect the device to another outlet.
With a water heated towel rail, the following problems may occur:
- The valve on the riser is closed. By opening the tap, the problem will be solved.
- There is no return line on the riser, or it is located before the heated towel rail. The problem can only be solved by connecting an electrical device.
- The device is installed on the heating system pipe. The heated towel rail will only become hot when the heating is turned on.
Please note: the problems and solutions listed above only apply to new heated towel rails that have not yet been used.
Electric heated towel rails - is it difficult to replace heating elements?
Electrical appliances come in two main types - cable and those equipped with tubular electric heaters. If the cable heated towel rail is cold, then most likely it will not be possible to repair it; the only way out is to replace the equipment with another one. The situation is much simpler in the case of electric heaters. You should know that the heating element is located at the bottom of the equipment, so access to it is not limited in any way.
Electric heated towel rail
A heating element heated towel rail may not heat due to a lack of coolant, as well as due to natural wear and tear. Its design consists of the following elements:
- tubular heater;
- quartz sand located in a tube;
- spiral in the sand.
The spiral is necessary to heat the sand, which transfers thermal energy directly to the tube. This is how water is heated, while the coil is always in a cooled state. The lack of coolant causes the spiral to fail due to melting and overheating. In working condition, the heating element must always be in water. If there is a problem, you can purchase another heater and install it - this is a fairly quick and simple operation.
Varieties and design features
Today you can find two types of heated towel rails on the market:
- electrical;
- aquatic.
The convenience of electric models is their high mobility and low power consumption. They can be used in almost any room that has an electrical outlet. As for the water one, such a heated towel rail has a curved shape, inside which hot water circulates.
As a rule, these devices, regardless of type, are used in the bathroom. The appearance of the devices can be standard or modernized, it all depends on the choice of pipe.
Expert advice: when choosing a heated towel rail, you should look at the hygiene coupon, product data sheet, pay attention to the end and outside, which should be smooth.
We solve problems
If a device that has already been in use does not function or heats up poorly, the reasons may be the following:
- an air lock has formed;
- there is no water circulation or it is very weak;
- The device is clogged with dirt.
Before you complain, you should use the Mayevsky tap. This will help remove the air lock. Most models have a manual or automatic deflation system, and after deflating the device will start working again as before.
If contamination is present, the device is removed and cleaned using a cable or soft wire with a small brush. After this, in order to eliminate salt deposits in the pipes, they should be lightly tapped and then washed with a hose with good water pressure.
This is interesting! How to get rid of humidity in an apartment: causes of dampness and ways to eliminate it
Expert advice
If you decide to replace an old radiator with a modern product, you need to choose a battery with smooth contours that do not interfere with the coolant flow.
The best choice is a stainless steel heated towel rail.
This alloy is characterized by high strength, presentable appearance, durability and corrosion resistance. It is recommended to install a Mayevsky valve during installation so as not to depend on neighbors when air enters the system.
Where can I complain about the cold?
If there is no coolant circulation or its temperature is insufficient, you must first contact the house management. If the cause of the problem is caused by the actions of the residents or the house plumber, then the problem must be repaired by authorized persons. When such an appeal does not produce results, you need to file a complaint with the heating network. If this does not help, you should contact the Consumer Rights Protection Committee.
Main causes of failure
If the device is powered by electricity, most likely the cause of the malfunction should be looked for in its device; perhaps it is clogged. It's also worth checking the outlet. There is a high level of humidity in the bathroom, so it is possible that the socket is faulty.
To check, you need to connect the device to any working outlet. To avoid such situations, it is recommended to install moisture-resistant sockets in the bathroom.
As for the water coil, there may be several reasons for failure:
- clogged valve or pipes of the device;
- the tap on the heating or water supply riser is turned off;
- the device is incorrectly connected to the common line;
- an air lock has formed.
About the advantages and disadvantages of water heated towel rails with side connections.
You can read about the features of electric heated towel rails for the bathroom with a thermostat in this article.
The best models of electric heated towel rails with low energy consumption - https://vannaja-komnata.com/santehnika/polotentsesushiteli/elektricheskie-s-nizkim-energopotrebleniem.html
How to fix the problem?
So, the heated towel rail is cold. What to do? There is no need to call a plumber right away. You can fix the problem yourself. All manipulations must be done very carefully, observing safety precautions.
How to clear a clog?
If the electric heated towel rail is clogged, you must unplug it. Then unscrew the valve and clean it with a long metal wire or brush. After cleaning, you need to put the device back in place and check it by plugging it into a power outlet.
If the pipes of the water heated towel rail are clogged, you should turn off the tap on the pipe and remove the device. To drain the remaining water, it is better to place the coil in the bathtub. After removing the liquid, use a thick cable to clean all sections of the pipe. For best effectiveness, you can shake the device over the bathtub.
It happens that when cleaning a water coil, hard deposits are found on the inner walls of the pipes. In this case, you will have to use hydrochloric acid. The solution must be poured into the device and left to act for 10 minutes. After this time, it is necessary to rinse the coil under running water.
How to get rid of an air lock?
To bleed the air plug, you need to find a hole for releasing air and unscrew the bolt that closes it half a turn with a screwdriver. After this you need to wait. When water starts dripping from the hole, screw the bolt into place. After this, you can mount the device and check its operation.
If there is a more serious problem that requires pipe replacement, or if the heated towel rail was not installed correctly in the first place, you should contact a plumbing repair specialist. But in most situations, the breakdown can be fixed on your own.
The kit should also include a hygienic passport of the product. Even if the heated towel rail meets all standards, it is not insured against breakdown. But, using detailed instructions, anyone can fix the problem and extend the life of the device.
The heated towel rail in the bathroom does not heat: why does this happen?
The heated towel rail should generally work without any interruptions, but some breakdowns may occur with it. But don’t despair and draw hasty conclusions and run for a new device. It may also happen that the device needs to be repaired.
A water appliance usually seems more reliable than an electric one. However, this is not at all true, because some breakdowns are very difficult to fix. This is due to the inconvenience when working with such a device.
There are very few main reasons why the device stopped working. Some of them are trivial, while others require special attention and the help of a qualified specialist.
Reasons indicating a malfunction of the device:
- Clogged suitable pipes;
- Malfunction of taps;
- Lack of water circulation;
- The device itself is clogged.
To determine some malfunctions of an electric heated towel rail (the device stops heating or cools down quickly), you will need a special device and an indicator screwdriver. The network voltage is also checked using an ohmmeter. If after this you still cannot turn on the device, then the problem lies in the device itself. When carrying out all work with an electrical device, you must strictly follow safety rules; all tools must be insulated.
