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Why Does the Heating Element Glow but Not

the Cord of Heater?
Table of content

 Why Does the Heating Element Glow While the Cord of the Heater Doesn’t?
 Why Does the Heating Element Glow but not the Cable Connected to it?
 Why Does the Heating Element Glow but doesn’t melt?
 FAQ

Why Does the Heating Element Glow While the Cord

of the Heater Doesn’t?

It is a matter of common experience when the element of the heater connects to the
electric supply, It becomes hot and starts to glow after some time. This effect is known as
the heating effect of electric current or the Joule effect. In this case, two additional points
are noticeable viz,

 Heater element glows but not the cord of the heater

 Heating elements glows but not melts
Why Does the Heating Element Glow but not the
Cable Connected to it?

Generally, the heating elements of stoves, water heaters and other electric heaters are
made-up of alloys or elements having a very high resistance, resistivity (specific
resistance “ρ”) and positive temperature coefficient “α” such as Tungsten, Nichrome
etc.

On the other hand, the power cords, cables and flex wires are made of elements or alloys
having very high conductivity such as Copper, Silver, Aluminum (which has very low
resistance etc. To understand the basic concepts, let’s see what is resistance and
conductance of a material.

 Resistance “represented by the symbol of Ohm “Ω” is the

property of a material which opposes the flow of electrons
(electricity) through it. In other words, the ability of a circuit or
material to oppose electric current is known as resistance.
 Conductance “represented by the symbol of Mho “℧”
or Siemens (S) is the ability of a circuit or material to permit
electric current flow in it. In other words, the reciprocal of respace
is known as conductivity.

Now when the supply voltage is applied across the heating element through the wire, the
cord of the heater allows the current flow easily in it. In other words, the cord of the
heater is made of conductors (having negligible resistance) where electric current easily
flows from the source to the heating element. That’s why the cord of the heater doesn’t
glow or melt.

When the current starts to flow in the heating element, it opposes the flow of charge or
current through it as the heating material has very high resistance.
While the electrons still struggle to move forward due to the mains supply. In this
scenario, the electrons collide with each other as well as other electrons in the molecule
and atoms of that material having high resistance. As a result of collision of electrons, the
heating element heats-up and starts to glow. This power dissipation (same like
in resistors) leads to the process of conversion of electrical energy into heat energy.

In very simple words, the heating element converts the applied electrical energy into heat
energy. This whole process is known as the heating effect of electric current which has
multiple and useful applications in households as well industrial purposes.

Why Does the Heating Element Glow but doesn’t

melt?

As discussed earlier, the heating element has very high resistance, resistivity (specific
resistance “ρ“) and positive temperature coefficient “α“, that’s the reason why the heating
element only glows but doesn’t melt.
Good to know:

 Resistivity or Specific Resistance “ρ”: It is the resistance

between opposite faces of a meter (or centimeter) cube (or unit
cube of that material).

Resistivity or Specific Resistance of Copper and Tungsten is 1.7 x 10-6 and 5.6 x 10-
6
respectively.

 Temperature Coefficient “α”: The increase in resistance per

ohm original reissuance per °C rise in a temperature is called
temperature coefficient OR Temperature coefficient of resistance
is the amount by which resistance changes when temperature
changes by one degree centigrade “°C”.

Positive Temperature Coefficient means resistance increases when temperature

increases in case of pure metals and alloys.

Negative Temperature Coefficient means resistance decreases when temperature

increases in case of non-metals such as carbon, insulator (paper, mica etc.) and
thermistors ( oxides of Nickel, Copper and manganese).

FAQ

Why does the cord of the electric heater not glow?

The heating element of the heater is made up of alloy which has very high resistance so
when current flows through the heating element, it becomes too hot and alows red.
But the resistance of cord with is usually of copper of aluminium is very law so it does
not glow
Why is my heating element not glowing?

If the element no longer glows bright orange or you have noticed your electric bills are
higher than usual, this could indicate a faulty element. These are all signs that it’s time to
replace the heating element in your oven, which should be done by a professional

What is the chord of an electric heater?

The cord of an electric heater is made of thick copper wire and has much lower resistance
than its element. For the same current (I) flowing through the cord and the element, heat
produced (I2Rt) in the element is much more than that produced in the cord

Why does the element in a light bulb glow and the element in
a kettle become hot?

This is because the filament acts as a resistor. Resistors get hot when electricity passes
through them. So hot, in fact, that it gives off enough energy to cause the filament to
glow. This is the same reason that the cooking elements on an electric stove glow red
when they heat up

Why is electric heater cord hot?

This amount of electricity may cause the cord to become warm – this is normal. You
should be able to put your hand around the cord and feel that it is warm to the touch, but
it should not be too hot to hold. If the cord is excessively hot, there may be a problem
with the outlet the heater is connected to

How does a heating element work in an electric heater?

A heating element is a device used for conversion of electric energy into heat, consisting
of a heating resistor and accessories. Heat is generated by the passage of electric current
through a resistor through a process known as Joule Heating
How do I know if my electric heating element is bad?

To test the element, you must measure its resistance. Switch the multimeter settings to
measure resistance and place the nodes on the two screws. A functioning heating element
should read between 10 and 30 ohms. The heating element is broken if the meter reads 1
or 0

How do you check if heating element is working?

Testing the Heating Element with a Multimeter:

The multimeter should read between 10 and 30 ohms if the heating element is working
correctly. If you get a very low or zero reading, it indicates a faulty heating element that
needs replacement
Related Topics :

Why is Zero Ohm Resistor Used? 0-Ω Resistor Applications

Why are Outlets and Receptacles in Hospitals Upside Down?

If a 1-Phase Supply is 230V, Why is 3-Phase 400V & Not 690V?

Why 3-Phase Power? Why Not 6, 12 or More for Power

Transmission?

Why are US Homes Wired Using Solid Wire rather than

Stranded Wire?

Why Do Prongs in Electrical Plugs Have Holes in Them?

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