What are heater resistors? Heater resistors are used whenever an electronic device needs to generate heat for some reason. They are designed as a special type of power resistor to provide a reliable and controllable source of heat. A heating resistor can produce convective heat, meaning it heats up the surrounding air, or radiant heat, meaning it heats other objects directly through a phenomenon called infrared radiation. Radiant heating requires the heater resistor to be placed within line of sight of the object that is to be heated, while convective heating sometimes utilizes fans to blow air over heater resistors in order to increase the heating effectiveness. Heater resistor definition Heater resistors are a special type of power resistors whose main purpose is to convert electrical energy into heat. Radiant heating Wirewound radiant heater Wire-wound radiant heaters are essentially wire-wound power resistors. The heated object receives heat by absorbing infrared rays emitted by the glowing-hot wire. Some of the energy is given off as light in the visible spectrum as well. A reflector is often added behind the resistance heating element in order to direct as much heat as possible in the desired direction. The wire can be exposed or enclosed in a tube to protect it from damage. This is especially useful if there is a risk of water drops falling on the element, which could cause thermal stress damage. Wire-wound radiant heaters are often used in bathrooms or outdoor uses where the intent is to heat a person without having to heat up the surrounding air first. Halogen radiant heater Halogen radiant heaters, often called quartz heaters, are similar in design to halogen light bulbs. They are most often made of a quartz tube with a tungsten resistive filament inside of it. The air from the tube is [… read more]