How does a heating element work? A 12v heating element performs joule heating. You might not be aware that it is in so many devices nowadays at home, in industries or in offices. You should read the article if you don’t know how it works. It will help you understand the types, benefits and applications. The most uncomplicated process converts electricity into heat. Resistance is used as a barrier in the pathway of coming electrons. If the barrier of a specified value is placed in the path of electrons, it will produce a heating effect. It depends upon the type of equipment if a heating element of 12v or more is required. Let’s discuss the conductors and insulators and how they are related to a heating element. Conductors are the materials that allow the current to flow. If you want to learn about or buy a heating element, you can visit several websites online. Before buying, make sure that the website should be trustworthy.
In contrast, insulators are those that do not allow an electric current to pass through them. Both conductors and insulators offer resistance to the flow of current. Insulators provide very high resistance to the current flow, so current doesn’t pass through them, but conductors allow less resistance to pass through them. So, if enough electric current is passed through a resistor, it will get hot. However, the same is the case in the case of conductors as well. In this way, a heating element works. It gets hot if a large amount of electrons is passed through it.
Applications
A heating element has many applications and uses. It is used in our daily life pieces of equipment. These are used in many standard devices such as dryers, roof heaters, floor heaters, toasters, and heaters that melt snow. It is also used as an egg boiler, yogurt maker, coffee maker, hair straightener and for heating water.
Pros of using the heating element:
As it is used in our daily life equipment, it is essential. Some of the advantages of a heating element are given below;
- It gives a constant temperature. Its temperature accuracy is accurate, and the thermostat is used in many cases to control the temperature.
- It heats up quickly and so provides faster services.
- It is very safe to use as many electrical devices are unsafe. But the heating element provides surface insulation and hence is safe to use.
- It gives high reliability.
Different types of heating elements:
There are different types of heating elements. Most of the time, these are classified into three different categories. There are listed below;
- One of the types is known as PTC heating elements. These are used along heaters to produce power in large amounts. So, these are used in large houses and provide a constant temperature. PTC heating elements are usually made by conducting PTC rubber. As the temperature rises, the resistivity also rises.
- The second type of heating element is known as the composite heating element. These are usually used in appliances such as toasters, hair dryers, and hair straighteners as straight rods. The straight rod is usually a tubular rod that heats the alloy wire and then creates a fine coil of nichrome resistance.
- The last type is called metal heating elements. These are usually made up of nichrome, so they are generally used in toasters, furnaces and floor heaters.