While researching this year's crop of space heaters I discovered numerous complaints relating to micathermic flat panel heaters. These weren't your garden variety complaints about performance or customer service, but rather accounts given by consumers relating to instances of glowing orange spots or sparks shooting from the heating panel.
What made matters worse was the complaints encompassed models from two different manufacturers which indicated to me a design flaw rather than just a chance occurrence.
This was very disappointing news in light of the fact that micathermic technology, at the time, solved two major problems that consumers encountered with other types of space heaters: slow heat up and noise.
But while doing my research, I also stumbled onto a new type of flat panel heater that incorporates an electrothermic coating instead of mica.
The electrothermic coating is a combination acetylene based carbon black particles and graphite with a crystalline content of more than 67%.
This coating is extremely versatile and is used in a number of household appliances like toasters, pop corn poppers and hair dryers. You can actually paint this coating on just about any surface, attach electrodes, and have a ready made heat source.
The new electrothermic heaters resemble micathermic heaters in design, size (about 28"W x 22"H), portability, and features including two heat settings: 1000 watts or 1500 watts, and a thermostat that cycles the heat on and off to maintain a comfortable room temperature.
Safety features include automatic shut-off overheat protection and automatic shut-off if the unit accidentally gets tipped over.
According to the manufacturer, electrothemic technology is up to 20% more efficient than the micathermic models on the market. This would mean average savings of $8 - $10 a month if you run the heater 6 hours per day.
Disclaimer: All information on this site is provided for informational purposes only! By no means is any
information presented herein intended to substitute for the advice provided to you by any health care or other professional
or organization.
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