mylittlecholla
Active Member
What is the "infrared" about?
infrared CHEs
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The infrared have visible light.
Like the lighting over the fries at the fast food place to keep them hot.
Most CHE are not infrared.
We have several members who can better explain lighting. But they might be sleeping
Like the lighting over the fries at the fast food place to keep them hot.
Most CHE are not infrared.
We have several members who can better explain lighting. But they might be sleeping
I've wondered that too. It says "infra red" on the box the CHE comes in.
infra red is actually "light" that is invisible to the naked eye in the 700nm - 10000nm range. It is what feels hot to "light". There are 3 levels of infrared light just as to ultraviolet light - A, B, and C or with infrared it is also called near, mid, and far.
The infrared heat lamps you are referring to actually also produce red light. But the bulk of the energy produced is near-IR and is used to heat things from food to chicks. It is producing "light" in the 600nm to 1500nm range predominately. So we do see the red light, but it is indeed producing mostly invisible infra red in the 'near' portion of that spectrum. Just like an incandescent bulb, but all its energy is producing some red and most IR - so a much greater portion of the "light" is near-IR with these bulbs.
A CHE is also producing infra red. But it produces energy ("light") in the 4000-6000nm range. This is more mid and far IR and is a gentler heat. Not as damaging to tissue, the energy is absorbed and does not penetrate upper layers of skin/keratin like near-IR.
A radiant heat panel produces far-IR in the 9000+nm range. It is the most gentle of IR that is still absorbed by most cellular tissue and heats through absorption, so is not damaging at all. It is what you get in a sauna.
The infrared heat lamps you are referring to actually also produce red light. But the bulk of the energy produced is near-IR and is used to heat things from food to chicks. It is producing "light" in the 600nm to 1500nm range predominately. So we do see the red light, but it is indeed producing mostly invisible infra red in the 'near' portion of that spectrum. Just like an incandescent bulb, but all its energy is producing some red and most IR - so a much greater portion of the "light" is near-IR with these bulbs.
A CHE is also producing infra red. But it produces energy ("light") in the 4000-6000nm range. This is more mid and far IR and is a gentler heat. Not as damaging to tissue, the energy is absorbed and does not penetrate upper layers of skin/keratin like near-IR.
A radiant heat panel produces far-IR in the 9000+nm range. It is the most gentle of IR that is still absorbed by most cellular tissue and heats through absorption, so is not damaging at all. It is what you get in a sauna.
mylittlecholla
Active Member
mylittlecholla
Active Member
Thank you! That's all I needed to know. I definitely don't want visible light, so I won't get the infrared CHE I saw on sale.
Yeah, a couple of times a week I'm an insomniac. You're observant. Not everyone notices that I sometimes post
in the wee hours.
Yeah, a couple of times a week I'm an insomniac. You're observant. Not everyone notices that I sometimes post
in the wee hours.
mylittlecholla
Active Member
Markw--thanks for the very helpful and informative response.
pawsplus
Active Member
My CHE says infrared, but there is no visible light--red or otherwise. You can see nothing at all in the dark. It is just heat.
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The way Mark described it, CHE can heat with infrared that is not visible as well.
So a CHE IS an infrared device.
It's just that the type we generally use for REPTILES is of a different wavelength of light.
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As always
Another note about using red heat bulbs:
The red color to the light is not that bright. Most of the energy produced is invisible, near-IR. A potential problem is that near IR just beyond the range that we, and tortoises can see, is invisible, yet the lense of the eye can still focus those wavelengths in the 700-850nm range. That is why these bulbs can burn the retina of the eye fairly easily and there is normally warnings about looking directly at them for an length of time. A regular incandescent does produce these wavelenghts as well, but there is enough bright visible light to stimulate the relflex to look away. However, with these red heat bulbs, there is a lot more focused energy that is hitting the retina than the eye can see, without the visible intense light. I would not use one over a tortoise.
The red color to the light is not that bright. Most of the energy produced is invisible, near-IR. A potential problem is that near IR just beyond the range that we, and tortoises can see, is invisible, yet the lense of the eye can still focus those wavelengths in the 700-850nm range. That is why these bulbs can burn the retina of the eye fairly easily and there is normally warnings about looking directly at them for an length of time. A regular incandescent does produce these wavelenghts as well, but there is enough bright visible light to stimulate the relflex to look away. However, with these red heat bulbs, there is a lot more focused energy that is hitting the retina than the eye can see, without the visible intense light. I would not use one over a tortoise.
