A heated towel rail is used in the bathroom for two reasons at once: for heating the room and, in fact, drying wet towels. The device has a serpentine shape and in fact is a radiator pipe. It connects to a riser that conducts heating or hot water. There are cases when, due to some circumstances, the heated towel rail flows. Increased pressure in the pipes and inherent thermal expansion can cause problems during operation, especially if the product is poorly made or installed.
If you notice that your heated towel rail has leaked, shut off the water supply first. If there is a bypass, simply turn the tap. Try to do this as soon as possible, since due to the pressure drop in the pipes, a water hammer can occur, as a result, the towel dryer will be completely disrupted. If you cannot immediately repair the device, try to remove it and install plugs on all pipe outlets. So why do towel warmers flow and what to do about it? Let's try to figure it out by sorting everything out in order.
Device
Because of their characteristic shape, towel warmers have another name - a coil. Plumbing stores offer such devices of various sizes, configurations, they are made of many materials. There are copper, steel, aluminum, enameled, brass models. In addition, you can select the thickness of the material. Copper coils are more willing to buy, but many other species have also earned the right to be called high-quality and convenient.
Each heated towel rail, regardless of type and configuration, is equipped with the necessary details. This is a collector (32 mm), a gasket for it, a sleeve, a union nut, an angular valve, an Allen cap, a reflector, a water socket. Any of these parts, if improperly installed, production defective, or for other reasons, may cause leakage.
Kinds
Towel dryers are divided into types, based on the operation of the device. The following types of coils are available:
- Water. They are the most popular, although they have a definite drawback. They only work if the water or heating system supplies hot water. Such a heated towel rail cannot be positioned where necessary, and it will not be easy to transfer it either. Among the advantages of the device - low price and ease of operation. Such coils are more reliable. But you need to understand that in the summer, when the heating in the house is turned off, the effectiveness of these heated towel rails will be extremely low.
- Electric. In fact, these are ordinary electric heaters that operate from a wall outlet. Accordingly, they can be located in any place where there is a socket, or you can use an extension cord. Use this heated towel rail at any time and season.
- Combined. Combine both functions. They can work both due to the presence of hot water in the pipes, and from the electrical outlet due to the built-in electric heater. Thus, in summer you can use electricity, and in winter - a heating system. The disadvantage of this device is its high price, and a definite advantage in versatility.
Forms of heated towel rails
Coils can have different shapes: from a simple "snake" to ladders, trellises, M-shaped and U-shaped options. When choosing a heated towel rail, pay attention to the pipe from which it is made. Seamless is considered more reliable. In this case, only the heated towel rail may leak in connection with the riser, while the suture option will begin to leak anywhere. Suture pipes are much cheaper than solid pipes. But they are less durable and reliable.
The main causes of leakage of coils
If nevertheless the trouble has overtaken you, and the heated towel rail flows, what to do in this case? First of all, you need to understand the reasons, which may be several, and they are in no way related to the type of device. Carefully inspect the coil (if you have an electric version, do not forget to disconnect it from the outlet first) and determine the place of leakage. If you cannot figure out what’s the matter, you will have to call for the help of a qualified specialist.
Manufacturing defect
This happens when the manufacturer has saved on the quality of his product. Such cases are very popular among Chinese manufacturers. It happens that in the pipe of a coil there is a place not filled with metal. If the corrosion process begins or pressure rises in the coolant, the weak point does not withstand the load and gives a leak.
Leakage
If a heated towel rail flows at the junction, what should I do? First check the condition of the gasket. It can simply wear out and leak can be easily fixed by installing a new gasket. Also, the reason may lie in poor installation, and at the beginning of the corrosion process. In this case, it will drip at the junction, and traces of rusty streams form on the surface of the tile.
Water hammer
This cause of leakage is the most dangerous. As a rule, as a result of a water hammer, not even a leak may form, but an uncontrolled flow of water. A particularly severe blow can damage the suture tubes: damage can happen anywhere, it cannot be repaired instantly.
Mechanical damage
The cause of damage may be careless movement when installing the device. For example, if a hammer falls on a coil, damage may be imperceptible at first. But over time, a leak will appear.
How to fix the problem
If you correctly determined the cause of the leak, you can proceed to eliminate it.
When the heated towel rail flows at the junction, take a wrench and try to tighten the nut as tight as possible. To prevent its coating from being scratched, wrap it with rags.
If during the inspection of the heated towel rail you find out that a leak has arisen due to a leaky gasket, you will have to ask for help from the housing maintenance company as soon as possible. To repair the coil, it will be necessary to shut off the hot water or heating supply system. Next, drain water from the riser. Only after all these works can you start changing the gasket. When the work is completed, the system must be filled very carefully so that there is no water hammer.
If the heated towel rail does not flow in the area of connection with the riser, but in the place of the suture pipe, you can try to solder this part of the coil. Before starting work, you will also need to shut down the system. There is another way to get rid of leaks - a clamp and a rubber gasket to it. In the plumbing store, they will help you choose the right size for this connecting element, but if you so desire, you can make it yourself.
And finally, when rust is detected when inspecting your heated towel rail, you will have to come to terms with the idea that the product has already worked out its life. It will have to be replaced. For the first time, while you get a new coil, you can use the same clamp, but remember that this option for solving the problem cannot be permanent. Very soon, the leak will remind of itself again. Therefore, do not delay with the purchase of a new device.
If you notice that the heated towel rail flows when the hot water is turned off, the cause may be both the negligence of workers who lost their nuts during installation and the cooling (narrowing) of the pipes, which revealed problems at the junction. In any case, make sure that there is no crack in the coil. Try to fix the problem by changing the gasket. In this case, it is best to choose silicone. If the leak does not stop, you will have to consult a specialist.
Conclusion
So, we examined the reasons why the coil can flow. As you can see, there are a lot of reasons for this problem. Ideally, such a problem should not arise. If the heated towel rail is leaking, and you installed it recently, first of all, make sure that there is no production defect. The store that sold you the device must provide both its warranty and the manufacturer. If marriage is still found, dismantle the coil and take it back to the store. If you have a warranty card, the heated towel rail will be replaced.
When the heated towel rail faithfully worked for several years, as a result, the leak appeared for any of the above reasons, try to fix the problem, guided by the information presented. To avoid problems with leakage of the heated towel rail, to carry out installation work, you need to call competent and experienced employees of certified companies.