What exactly are Ceramic heaters?

[metomeya]

Just wondering.........

I've seen ceramic heaters at like target and walmart, but they always have a fan.......if they admit infrared wouldn't a fan be pointless?

[Ssthisto]

Not if the point of the fan is to direct heated air away from the heater and towards what you want to heat.

They'd be working on the same principles as a fan-assisted convection oven.

[metomeya]

So its really convection and not radiant.

But why do they call it ceramic? I just see metal in there not ceramic.

[Ssthisto]

They might have ceramic heating plates - perhaps hidden behind a grille.

However, those aren't generally the "ceramics" that reptile keepers use - ours look like light bulbs and plug into light bulb sockets.

[bev336]

The ceramic used in these type of heaters are usually ceramic tubular heaters, they give off medium wave infra red whereas the ceramic bulbs and troughs generally used for reptile keeping use long wave. Long wave is an absorbed heat and medium wave is more of a radiant heat. That is putting it quite simply, it is not quite like that but no point in going into wavelengths. The fans and reflectors used in these heaters make them more efficient.

[metomeya]

ya its starting to make sense now,

they probably use ceramics to heat the metal grill, which it blows air over the metal grill to make the hot air.

Really is misleading to call it ceramic. But it does heat up really fast.

[HABU]

ceramic lasts longer under high temps than metals. they are more efficient by only emitting infrared waves of the EMS

[Scoffa]

Forgive me if I'm wrong but arn't they basically the same thing? There is a metal elemant running through the ceramic material. The current heats the metal elemant which in turn disipates through the ceramic material. The fan heaters usually have glass instead of the ceramic material. I don't know why glass is used unless it has to be seen to be hot for safety.

[bev336]

If the element is though quartz glass, it is medium wave infra red and gives off radiant heat, elements embedded in ceramic give off long wave infra red wish is absorbed. Quarz glass also gives an almost instant heat up, whereas ceramics take 11 minutes to reach full temperature.