Can Someone Explain Towel Heater Valves Please?

[severen]

Hi,
sorry if this is covered elsewhere, a search brought up over 180 replies but the first couple pages seemed to be more specific plumbing issues.
as per the title. bathroom has a ladder-style towel heater plumbed into the central heating. doesn't seem to get particularly warm so i was going to try some adjustments, but before i start messing about blindly i thought it would be policy to ask for some info first
both feet of the ladder have a valve - what's the difference in them? should they both have the same settings on them?
i have bled the radiator, all is good with that aspect.

TIA

 

[oldbuffer]

1. One valve will be what is known as a lock shield valve, the other will be either a thermostatic radiator valve (TRV) or what is known as a wheel head valve.
2. The lock shield valve is intended for use when the system is balanced. Essentially it is set to give the right flow through the towel rail (or radiator) without "stealing" heat from the rest of the system. Do not alter the setting of this valve or you are likely to upset the balance of the system. If you do have to alter it (for example closing it to remove the radiator), count the number of 1/8th turns required to close it completely, and open it by the same number of 1/8th turns when done.
3. It is fairly unusual to have a TRV on a towel rail. If you have one, it can be adjusted by turning the head in the normal way. Looking down on it, anti-clockwise will increase the temperature at which the valve closes, clockwise with reduce that temperature.
4. A wheel head valve is intended to be used to regulate the temperature, and can normally be adjusted anti-clockwise to increase flow (and hence temperature) or clockwise for the converse.
5. Lock shield valves usually have a cover which has to be removed before the valve is adjusted with a spanner.
6. Wheel head valves normally have a cover which can be turned to open / close the valve.
7. If your towel rail is hot at the bottom but cold at the top, it is more likely to need bleeding than to require adjustment of the valves.

 

[severen]

much obliged for the quick reply.

2. Ack, it got moved it a bit when i was trying to cure things a week or so back, when i thought it would be a simple matter of turning a knob [which i didn't think would qualify for "messing about"!]. what do you mean by upsetting the balance, and how would i go about rectifying it?

both of the valves are the same - they are removable covers that have a "-" shaped slot on the inside that fits onto the valve thing itself. i'm therefore not sure which one would be the TRV and which would be the lock shield.
edit, looking at this https://www.wonkeedonkeetools.co.uk/radiator-keys/what-is-a-lockshield-valve/
this is what they both look like, except as i say the cap does fit to that little spindle - it it usual to have 2 lockshields and no TRV?

 

[Mottie]

Sounds like you haven’t got a TRV - they have numbers on them. Perhaps you could find out which one is the inlet (gets hot first), open that fully then close the other one off then open it say, one full turn and try that.

 

[terryplumb]

If your towel rad has two valves ,with white plastic " cone" shaped tops it was intended to not have the valves adjusted. Common on some ,older ,central heating systems to have the bathroom rad that way. But central heating systems/ boilers get changed and amended over the years ,so it may be irrelevant now. Can you post pics of your rad/ valves ?

 

[severen]

thanks for the replies/info. had a bit fiddle as per Motman's advice and things seem a lot better now.
much obliged