When a heated towel rail is in the bathroom during the heating season, this phenomenon can cause real estate owners a lot of problems. First of all, it is condensate, which is formed on the finish, furniture, household appliances and valves. High humidity contributes to the development of fungus and mold, the appearance of corrosion and limescale. Staying indoors is becoming unpleasant and even unhealthy. To fix the problem, you should understand the device and the principle of the device, as well as the possible causes of the malfunction.
The principle of operation and installation features of the heated towel rail
Towel dryers (PS) are in a special way a curved metal pipe, inside which is a moving or static coolant. The product, in accordance with SNiP, is installed in the bathrooms of apartment buildings that are in communal ownership. The presence of a heating device is due to the creation of comfortable conditions for residents and ensuring the safety and durability of the building itself, since moisture adversely affects its load-bearing structures.
By their design, PS are divided into the following categories:
- Electric. Inside is a TEN of a rigid or flexible type, which transfers the generated energy to the filler, and already through it to the walls of the device. As a heat carrier, pasty graphite or liquid mixtures of antifreeze, salt water, and mineral oils are used.
- Water. They are connected to the hot water supply system and are their integral part. The standard form of products is serpentine, but modern models can have the most intricate configuration. According to the installation option, they can be part of the riser or mounted on the upper and lower branches. In the second case, the likelihood of a problem is higher, since there is a decrease in pressure, as well as the possibility of making errors during assembly.
If the water heated towel rail does not heat up, it is better not to delay it with the solution of this issue. Otherwise, after a few months you will have to make repairs in the bathroom.
The main causes of malfunctions
Hot water supply is a complex engineering system, influenced by many subjective and objective factors.
When the water heated towel rail does not heat up, the causes of this phenomenon may be the following:
- Lack of hot water. Disruptions in its supply are not uncommon due to accidents on the line, the loss of light or damage to equipment. It is enough to touch the radiators in other rooms to understand the nature of the malfunction.
- Blockages and plugs. If the water heated towel rail in the bathroom is cold and the rest of the batteries are hot, the problem is local. Quite often, when washing, repairing and servicing, dirt, tow and parts of gaskets get into the pipes. These objects are delayed on turning areas, narrowing or completely overlapping the cross section of the highway.
- Installation errors. Both beginners and experienced masters can admit them. Often installers confuse the connection order, which goes against the laws of hydrodynamics. The second mistake is to use fittings when assembling, the internal cross section of which is less than that of the riser and heated towel rail. With the independent production of waterborne PS from square pipes, masters can make several turns at right angles.This design can greatly slow down the flow of water.
- The presence of old pipes. In old houses, risers and piping are made of black iron. During operation, the internal walls of the communications are covered with rust and limescale. All these deposits can several times reduce the clearance in the pipes, and sometimes completely block them.
- Airlock. Bubbles often get into the system when the system is powered up, during repair on the line and in malfunctions of the boiler equipment.
In electrical appliances, the list of possible malfunctions can be as follows:
- Failure of the heating element.
- Short circuit or burnout of the wiring.
- Circuit breakage due to poor contact.
In all cases, the situation is not hopeless, you just need to find a way to solve it.
Troubleshooting depending on the type of heated towel rail
If the electric heated towel rail suddenly cools down, you should draw up an action plan, prepare tools and proceed with repair.
To work, you will need:
- wrench;
- multimeter;
- pliers;
- screwdriver;
- FUM tape;
- filler.
Further sequence of actions:
- Check power line status. Measure the voltage in the outlet, the testimony of the power cord, the operability of the thermostat relay.
- If there is an electronic control unit, inspect it in the workshop or using a special computer program.
- Strip the contacts, connect the line, turn on the device. If he did not start to bask, the cause must be sought in him.
- Loosen the wall mounts, unscrew the side nuts, then remove the heater by turning it over so that the coolant does not flow out of it.
- Replace the element, make sure that there is no leakage of current to the housing, and if necessary, add working fluid.
- Check the operability of the assembled structure.
- Put the device in place, tighten all fasteners tightly.
The repaired device must heat up in accordance with the indicators set forth in the instructions for use.
With a heated towel rail connected to central heating, it is more difficult to solve the problem, since it is part of a common looped system. However, there are options for overcoming an unpleasant situation.
It is necessary to prepare such devices:
- wrench;
- plumbing pliers;
- new gaskets;
- capacity for collecting water;
- cable with a brush;
- FUM tape;
- floor rags.
Within your bathroom, you can do the following:
- Check the hot water supply. To do this, you need to get into the basement and look at the position of the valve in the riser. Sometimes, in order to save money, people with low income willfully turn on the heating.
- Bleed the air. This is done using a Mayevsky crane or by loosening a union nut. If this does not help, you need to ask the neighbors from above to do this, in whose apartment the line is looped.
If you can’t fix the problem on your own, you need to act officially. You should write a statement to the management company about disconnecting the riser for repair work. The best solution is to crimp the circuit using special equipment. This procedure allows you to get rid of blockages and deposits in the pipes, as it is carried out by washing them with chemical agents under pressure. Since this is not always possible, more often you have to work with your own hands.
Options are as follows:
- Disassemble the structure and carry out its correct connection in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations.
- Use a cable to clean the piping and the heated towel rail. It is advisable to pre-fill the system with chemicals of corrosive quality.
- Replace fittings on models with a large internal clearance so as not to inhibit fluid flow.
If the measures taken did not bring the desired result, there is only one way out - to carry out calculations, purchase materials and carry out a complete replacement of the riser and heated towel rails.
Scheduled and illegal outages
Current legislation prohibits forced shutdown of heating, as this is associated with the risk of freezing the entire system and a threat to people's lives.
Examples of illegal actions of residents of apartment buildings:
- Connecting the substation to the return DHW line with a bypass in such a way that the entire flow entering the apartment passes through it. As a result, the temperature drops in neighboring apartments.
- Cutting the heated towel rail and installing plugs on the riser. This leads to a complete cessation of fluid circulation through the pipes. In such cases, an agreement should be made with the agreement of the management company.
Such actions lead to the imposition of large fines and are fraught with flooding of the lower levels due to a break in the system.
