Cold and damp walls in the bathroom create discomfort and deterioration in the appearance of the room. This happens when the heated towel rail stops working. It is associated with hot water supply and creates the necessary microclimate in the room. When the owner of the apartment begins to figure out why the heated towel rail is cold, his unskilled intervention in the operation of the hot water supply can lead to an accident, for which he will have to answer, therefore, this issue must be approached with all responsibility.
To answer the question why your heated towel rail in the bathroom does not heat up and solve the problem, you first need to understand the scheme for supplying hot water through it. Options towel warmer connections (PS) may be different. In new houses, they are supplied with water from the same risers as for hot water supply. In the secondary housing stock, towel warmers are mostly connected to a separate hot water recirculation circuit or are powered by a central heating system.
Reasons for the cooling of the heated towel rail
The heated towel rail may cool down or not heat up at all for various reasons. Let's consider each of them separately.
The device of the water supply system
The water supply system can be either circulating or dead-end. In the first case, hot water enters through the supply riser, and leaves through the return. In this case, the pipes always remain hot. In a dead-end system, the temperature in the heated towel rail depends on the consumption of water: if the taps are closed, it starts to cool down. This usually happens at night when water consumption drops sharply. In this case, the landlord can build a substation into the heating system, but then it will be turned off during the warm season.
Another option is to install a combined appliance, when there is an electric one along with water heating. The energy consumption here will be small, since the cooling of the pipes does not occur so often.
Pipe blockages
Often, the heated towel rail in the bathroom remains cold due to the formation of blockages and plugs in the pipes, which is associated with the poor quality of the water coolant containing salt impurities and mechanical particles. To clean them, the area is covered and cleaned with a soft wire brush. Salt deposits form strong connections with the inner surface of the pipes, and they will have to be knocked out by washing with water. Solid deposits are removed with hydrochloric acid solution.
Outdated water pipes can also become clogged. At the same time, water consumption is reduced, and it may not flow into the heated towel rail due to high resistance. The cleaning of these pipes is carried out by specialists from the housing office. They should be asked to restore normal circulation.
Airiness
The reason why the heated towel rail installed in the bathroom does not heat up may be the formation of an air lock. After installation and commissioning of a new device, air may remain in it, preventing the passage of hot water, which is removed using the installed air bleed valve.
If the heated towel rail is connected to a heating system, air can collect elsewhere. This will require comprehensive measures to remove air pockets from the entire circuit. To do this, the air vents on each battery are opened in turn, starting from the boiler or the inlet line. Under the pressure of the water flow, the air itself enters the outlet.
The design and features of connecting a heated towel rail
The reasons for the cooling of the PS may lie in its design. If heated towel rail is connected from below and at the same time is significantly elongated in height, the pressure may not be enough for the water to pass to the top of the heat exchanger. Usually this applies to handicraft devices. Factory built models are balanced and should work reliably.
Branch pipes to PS are often smaller in diameter, but usually only one step. Then hot water easily overcomes resistance and normal circulation occurs. If the pipe diameter is too small, the liquid will follow the path of least resistance, i.e., past the circuit with the heated towel rail.
Important! It is necessary to periodically check the operability of the shut-off valves of the heated towel rail, due to a malfunction of which the water supply may be shut off.
Other reasons
If all of the above measures are taken, and the substation does not start to warm up, you need to look for reasons outside your apartment. They may be as follows:
- When replacing the heated towel rail, the neighbors changed the scheme of its connection and blocked the riser.
- Switching to summer mode and turning off the heating system.
- The diameters of the outlets from the riser to the substation are selected incorrectly.
A feature of the use of a heated towel rail is the need to circulate water through it through the return flow of the DHW system. The main circuit passes through several apartments, and there should be no obstacles for water.
A bad example of interference with the operation of the circuit is the unauthorized removal of the dryer. As a result, the circulation of water stops and the rest of the PS cools down. Circulation must be restored bypassing this apartment. This requires that a bypass with ball valves is installed or a jumper is connected instead of a heated towel rail, through which circulation must occur. A bypass is needed in any case, since the seals through which the PS is connected to the nozzles wear out over time and require replacement.
If the drying in the apartment does not heat up due to the fault of the neighbors, you need to write an application to the operating company in the prescribed form, not paying attention to assurances that everything is in order with them. Also, the housing office itself can change the water supply scheme, due to which the return flow in the hot water supply system is turned off and heated towel rails stop working not only in one, but in several apartments at once. The housing office is obliged to take the complaint into account and restore the normal operation of the circuit.
Malfunctions of electric towel warmers
In addition to the water substation installed according to the project, there is an electric substation that the owner of the apartment can install independently. Towel dryers can be combined, with a choice of heating methods: either water or electricity. Such a device has become the most popular at the present time, since it does not depend on interruptions in water supply.
Electric PS can be installed separately. Samples of heated towel rails:
- cable;
- based on heating elements.
Cable structures are completely replaced in case of failure. The second type of heated towel rail can be repaired, since it works by heating the liquid heat carrier with a heating element located at the bottom of the device. There, water or antifreeze heats up and gives off heat to a metal pipe.
The electric towel warmer stops heating for the following reasons:
- burnout of the heating element due to the lack of liquid in the system;
- depletion of the heater resource;
- loss of electrical contact;
- malfunction of the thermostat or timer.
The heating element is easy to replace with a new one by screwing it into the heat exchanger. Maintenance of electric substation must be carried out in accordance with the attached instructions. The reason for its shutdown may be hidden in improper settings and operation, for example, when the thermostat is set to the “off” position.
Important! The installation of an electric substation and sockets for its connection must be carried out in accordance with all electrical safety rules. All electrical equipment of the bathroom is connected through an RCD with a trip current of not more than 10 mA.
Conclusion
The water heated towel rail in the bathroom does not heat up for the following main reasons: cessation of fluid circulation, clogged pipes, air accumulation in the system, incorrect connection diagram, installation of a handicraft device. Simple malfunctions are eliminated independently, and in case of failure, you should seek the help of specialists.
