Heated towel rail not working

[mckenzie]

I've changed the fuse and it wasn't that? Could it just have worn itself out having been on permanently for the last 8 years or so? Any replacement parts I can get do you know or do i need to replace the whole thing?

Wondered if you had a response to this. Have the same problem - towel rail working last week and this week not working. Replaced the fuse but still not working - it's only 2 years old.

assuming that the fuse has been checked and is a good one, you could try wiring some other accessory (e.g. a table lamp) into the flex outlet or FCU to verify that there is no wiring fault. Be sure to turn the supply off and test for dead first.

If you have a multimeter you could measure the resistance across the element.

If you know the make and model you could contact the makers and see if a replacement element is available. Some electric heaters are oil-filled, so unless the maker confirms the element goes into a sealed pocket, you will have to take it off the wall and turn over to prevent fluid leaking out.

p.s.

if you are able to test the resistance of the element (disconnected from the mains), the resistance from one terminal to the other will indicate the condition of the element as broken or intact. A one Kilowatt element will have a resistance of around 60 ohms. A two Kilowatt will be around 30 ohms. If this measure is far from those value then the element has broken.

Bit of a simple suggestion, so apologies if you've tried this, but have you bled the towel rail recently? Ours need doing every so often or they don't heat up.

thanks PJ for that very detailed reply. We got our friendly electrician to come and check it (after we checked the fuse) and it seemed that the element had worn out but on this model, it could not be replaced. We got a new towel rail int he end (a nicer one so I'm more than happy!)

Gloden - at 2 years old that sounds a bit poor if it is the element huh?