Cold heated towel rail!

[Coldandclueless]

Hello, I would love some help sorting out a cold towel rail. The whole thing is cold, including the pipes leading in and out. We have had it about three years and it used to work but hasn't worked for ages, nor has the radiator also in the loft which I will post about separately.
I have been reading loads about towel rails but I can't figure out the basic question - are the valves open! I have hopefully uploaded some photos. The chrome covers just unscrew and come off, leaving nothing helpful. They don't do anything, they just cover the pipes.
Please could someone look at my photos and tell me what to do next?

 

[Pickwickpick]

Those are lockshield valves, think those can be adjusted with an allen key (although might be a screwdriver), if you have a look down the hole in the threaded brass section you should be able to see which it is.

The radiator should really have been fitted with one of those on the one side and a trv on the other side, they're designed to be set when balancing the system and then left alone, hence not being practical to set the radiator temperature during regular use.

 

[rpm]

Hello, I would love some help sorting out a cold towel rail. The whole thing is cold, including the pipes leading in and out.
Please could someone look at my photos and tell me what to do next?

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Erm, sure you don`t need me to tell you that at least the incoming pipe below the radiator should be warm/ hot.

 

[rpm]

Is that an air vent valve, top R/H corner of radiator?

 

[rpm]

Find and crack open the air vent to see if water comes out.

 

[Pickwickpick]

Is that an air vent valve, top R/H corner of radiator?

Looks like it but hard to say from the pic.


Also OP, rather than doing a separate thread for the radiator in the loft, can you post about it in this thread as likely to be relevant to whats going on with this rad.

 

[rpm]

Also as you mentioned another radiator (In the loft) not working Is it at all possible that a valve was closed and not opened after work was carried out? ie removing a radiator for decorating?

 

[Coldandclueless]

Thank you for your replies. The towel rail and radiator (in the other post) were fitted at the same time. There was a lot of air in the towel rail, I bled it yesterday hoping that would fix it. Now water comes out but it still isn't hot. I repressurised the boiler. I will try later to see if I can adjust both to open with an allen key or screwdriver. I can't really see inside the valves as its in a really awkward place between the toilet and the sink!

I know one pipe should be hot, but it isn't!

 

[Pickwickpick]

I'd try closing off all the other radiators and just having the towel rad on and see if it heats up.

 

[Coldandclueless]

Ok I will try this tomorrow and report back. Thank you.

 

[Coldandclueless]

I turned everything off. The radiator next door in the loft bedroom finally heated up but nothing for the towel rail. I climbed in the boarded bit of loft next to these two rooms and I don't think the radiator and towel rail are on the same pipes - both seem to have pipes which go straight down, and all the pipes for the towel rail are cold. Everything about this house is strange, it was built bit by bit by a builder for his own family, then its been altered and added to and generally cobbled together so nothing is as you might expect! We are having the boiler serviced next week so I will see if they have any suggestions. Thank you all for your replies. At least I know the towel rail is actually switched on now!

 

[Rob876]

I thought you weren't supposed to use trv's in bathrooms due to the heat from the bath/shower confusing the trv?

 

[Coldandclueless]

They aren't thermostatic, just open or closed, I just wasn't sure how to open them. So I tried closing them completely and then opening them completely, and strangely enough suddenly the towel radiator has warmed up! Thank you all for your help.