infrared cabin infrared heater
Infrared cabins can be equipped with different types of infrared heaters.
Red Light Heater, Deep Heat Radiator, Full-Spectrum Radiator, Panel Heater, Full-Spectrum Heater, Incoloy Radiator, Triple Heater, Dark Heater, Bright Heater…
Are you losing track of the countless types of infrared heaters in infrared cabins? No wonder. New terms or proprietary terms from retailers keep emerging. We try to make this confusion understandable for you.
Infrared radiation is divided into three different wavelengths, of which IR-A and IR-B are considered deep heat from a biophysical standpoint. IR-C is only absorbed by the outermost, non-vascular skin layer. For example, a radiator, tile stove, or sauna stove only emits IR-C and primarily heats the air. You can find more information about this on our website. https://gurtner-infrarot.at/wissen/
From a physical perspective, there are three different types of infrared heaters for infrared cabins, which can then be further subdivided. What does physics have to do with it? A lot, because the type (wavelength) of infrared radiation depends on the surface temperature of the heating elements used. Even as a layperson, you can often easily recognize this if you know what to look for. So, read on, and no one will be able to pull the wool over your eyes.
In principle, all heaters are infrared heaters, as any radiation we feel as heat is infrared radiation. Therefore, the term “infrared heater” is a general term.
To begin with, the more intense an infrared heater (the more deep heat), the less you need in the infrared cabin. The optimal setup is a back heater and a heater in front of the body. For weaker heaters, this is not sufficient.
Category 1:
Full-spectrum heaters – they are called this because they cover the entire infrared spectrum, including IR-A, -B, and -C.
“Deep heat heater” is also an appropriate term, as in biophysics, the IR-A and IR-B ranges are referred to as deep heat. InfraROTmed heaters emit over 80% deep heat.
Full-spectrum heaters can be built in different technical ways. In physics, they are also called bright heaters because they emit visible light. They start glowing immediately after being turned on and do not require a preheating time.
Difference in heating elements: There are heating elements with very thick heating wires, which emit significantly less IR-A and -B compared to those with thinner wires (InfraROTmed). Heating elements with opaque quartz glass also do not allow the radiation to pass through as efficiently and are therefore less effective. The InfraROTmed heating elements are additionally equipped with a red filter to increase the proportion of red light.
Difference in housing structure:
Flocked grid in front of the heating element: Here, both visible and invisible radiation can pass through unhindered. This is often perceived as rather unpleasant, and these infrared heaters can be difficult to clean. Dirt can enter the interior through the grid.
Glass ceramic/filter disc: IR-A and IR-B are powerful enough to penetrate filter discs and can be equipped with such filters. The advantage is that a large part of the visible light and a significant portion of IR-C are filtered out. These infrared heaters emit red light (or pinkish-red with a white filter disc) and are therefore called red light heaters. They are a form of red light lamp.
Category 2:
Infrared heaters with a small proportion of deep heat – about 3-5% IR-B
Most dark heaters fall into this category. They are called dark heaters in physics because they do not emit visible light, meaning they remain dark. The color of the heating element has nothing to do with this; it can also be white.
The most well-known are ceramic heaters and Incoloy heaters.
The structure is similar for both. A heating wire is surrounded by a solid casing (ceramic or metal) and filled with non-conductive filling material. These infrared heaters are very sluggish and require time to warm up after being turned on. They also react very slowly when dimmed, which is why the control often relies on air temperature.
Calling these heaters deep heat radiators is not entirely incorrect, but 3% compared to over 80% with InfraROTmed can be somewhat misleading for the end customer. Especially weak ceramic heaters also require a specific surrounding temperature to heat up an infrared cabin.
Incoloy heaters (with a metal casing) are used as heating elements in sauna stoves.
Category 3:
Pure IR-C Heaters
This category includes panel heaters. They are primarily known as wall-mounted radiators or infrared heating systems. The structure of panel heaters in infrared cabins is identical. A thin heating wire is integrated into a relatively large surface that it heats. Panel heaters require a very long preheating time and are difficult to regulate. In infrared cabins, the walls almost need to be completely lined around the seating area, which is especially inconvenient in cabins with more than one seat. With two seats, this is no longer possible.
Especially in imported cabins, you often come across curiosities, such as infrared heaters with various heating elements installed. This results in the reflectors behind each heating element becoming very narrow, and the heat distribution becomes very weak.
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