How Do Quartz Heaters Work?

Quartz Heater Basics

A quartz heater is a common type of infrared heater. The term quartz heater is actually somewhat of a misnomer, because the quartz doesn't do any of the actual heating. The heating comes from a heating element encased inside a quartz tube. The element produces a wavelength of infrared radiation specifically tuned to heat a certain type of material. The quartz protects the heating element and stops convection heat from escaping.

Infrared Basics

Infrared radiation is a type of electromagnetic radiation just below the frequency of visible light. Pretty much everything emits infrared radiation. The hotter something is, the more infrared it emits, and the shorter the infrared wavelength is. Every molecule also absorbs infrared at a certain wavelength. Water, for example, absorbs "far infrared" waves with long wavelengths. When a molecule absorbs infrared energy, it heats up.

How Quartz Heaters Work

Every infrared heater is designed to produce a certain wavelength of infrared. A quartz heater in your house produces infrared at a wavelength that is good for heating your body. The element has to get very hot to do this, and the quartz tube helps by insulating it. Nearly all the heat it produces is kept inside the quartz tube. When it does get to the right temperature, the infrared radiation flows out of the quartz tube without heating it. Very little is absorbed by the air it flows through. Most of the infrared radiation is absorbed by nearby people to keep them warm.

Resources

• How to Build a Far Infrared Sauna
• Infrared Basics