A quartz heater consists of a hollow tube with a heating element contained inside. The tube can either be combined with other tubes or it can be solitary. The main components are a shell or casing of quartz, a reflected, and an inner coil. An example of a home application infrared quartz heaters are used for is reptile aquariums. Since the animals are cold blooded and can not use clothing, exercise or external heat to stay warm, it is imperative for a reptile to have a warm environment. Infrared quart heaters provide the sunlight in a since to the reptiles little world.
There are many different heating element options when considering what type of quartz heater is best suited for a particular application. A quartz heater that utilizes clear tubing has a much higher transmission of ir energy. This allows the heater to generate shorter wavelengths and have a faster response. Translucent tubing has longer wavelength and non-exposed heating element. The heating element of the translucent tube is concealed within the tube which generates a degree of aesthetically appeal.
Standard wound wire has the ability to reach desired temperatures in 10-20 seconds. A multi-wound element is also available. It has tow precision and typically made of iron-chromium-aluminum such as the standard wound, except the multi-wound wire is inter-twined. This element can reach desired temperatures in 5 seconds.
There are also different options as far as the reflectors are concerned. First off all, a heater could simply have no reflector, although, these are typically used to replace existing tubes with no reflectors. A gold reflector directs infrared energy at a process, making it not necessary to have an external reflector. It basically applies gold on one side of the quartz tube. An internal ceramic reflector is designed to reduce the cost of replacing external reflectors in the long run. It is a ceramic fiber material that lined around the inside diameter of the tube.