Help please re bathroom radiator/towel rail

whitesatin

We have a gas central heating system throughout the house. It was in the house when we moved in two years ago and I don't think the system is that old. We have a Viessmann Vitaden 100 boiler.

The majority of the radiators have a thermostat to control the heat, numbered one to 5, on the right hand side. On the opposite side there is another valve (?) with plus and minus on it. I am kind of assuming that this one controls the water flow but I know nothing really.

Anyway, upstairs in the bathroom we have a chrome towel rail type radiator which only seems to have two identical plus/minus type controls, one either side. They say Ideal Standard on them. There is a copper pipe coming up from the floor on both sides. The towel rail doesn't seem to do what the other radiators in the house do, it comes on (full blast) at odd times, especially if someone has a bath. I would prefer that I could just keep it on a moderate setting like the whole house but I don't know how to control it. I have tried fiddling with both controls but can't seem to make much difference. It is either stone cold or piping hot.

Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

DTDfanBoy

The towel radiator is probably plumbed into your hot water circuit instead of the heating one, this is quite common as it allows it to work even in summer when the heating won't be on.

unclebulgaria

OP is this boiler a combination boiler or a system boiler? If its a combination boiler you wont have a hot water cylinder.

whitesatin

I think it is a condensing boiler but not sure. We definitely have a hot water tank in the bedroom cupboard.

anotherbaldrick

You could find that the towel rail is installed on the primary circulation from the boiler as a "Heat Sink". That is to say when the motorised vaves on the heating and domestic HW shut the boiler turns off , in order to clear heat out of the boiler body the pump will run for a few minuites after. As the circuit valves are now shut and the heated water has to have somewhere to go the towel rail is plumbed in to "loose the heat". In this situation the towel rail has no thermo or other temperature control, it just has a couple of turn down valves on the connections which the plumber will set to regulate down the flow through the towel rail. Once set they should not be meddled with .

27col

DTDfanBoy wrote: »

The towel radiator is probably plumbed into your hot water circuit instead of the heating one, this is quite common as it allows it to work even in summer when the heating won't be on.

Yes indeed, I converted my towel rail to work off the hot water system. Very nice to always have a warm towel summer and winter. It warms up nicely while I am in the bath.

keystone

anotherbaldrick wrote: »

........ as a "Heat Sink"............

a better technical expression would be "bypass". Just to be picky.

Cheers