Radiant element only partially glowing

Guest100

Hi. I have a Broan 178-A in wall radiant forced air heater. It is in a bathroom with room temp about 50 deg and when I turn it on, only 20 percent or so of the element glows. I am wondering if this is normal or if the entire element should be glowing equally. It is putting out heat and feels ok but I would think in this cold temp it would glow full force as it heats the cold room. I have looked over the element thoroughly and the wire looks good, clean, no breaks or decay. Attached is a photo (rotated to the right) with the glowing areas circled. Thanks for your help.

Jamie Hall

Fan forced, I presume. This probably completely normal -- the heating element doesn't have to be glowing to be putting out heat, and the cooler the air being blown on it by the fan, the less element will be glowing. In fact, I would be inclined to try and find out if anything (dust, grime, what have you) is blocking the air flow to the parts of the element which are glowing, and clean it up.

JUGHNE

Some heaters like this need all the parts-panels-plates in place to insure that the fan moves the air over the elements.
But you say it is heating when back together?

A 50 degree bathroom makes for quick visits.

Guest100

Yes it is fan forced and yes the heater is putting out heat and seems normal. It is in an empty rental (that's why it's so cold) and after cleaning the heater and replacing the thermal overload i just noticed the element and thought it looked a little strange. Thanks for your comments - much appreciated.

JUGHNE

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