Open Element
Canonical Link Element
|
|
Proctor Silex K2070Y 1 Liter Electric Kettle $11.39 Housed in a smooth, modern-looking design, this 1000-watt electric kettle rapidly boils up to 1 quart of water for coffee, tea, instant soups, and more. The unit features a detachable cord and a nonspill spout for graceful serving, plus a generous handle with a secure grip. Its immersed heating element provides a rapid and quiet heating process, making it ideal for the office, home, or college dor... |
When electricity is supplied to an heating element what is it that stops the element being live?
Like an immersion water heater or an oven element.
If you touch them you just get burnt not electricuted. (Even if you touch an earth).If it is an open curcuit what regulates the current?
Some heating elements are live, and some are not. Wire heating elements (in some electric kettles) are live, so it is not a good idea to touch them or stick your finger in the water that they are heating! I will describe the other type of heating elements as "tube" type heating elements. This is the type you often find in ovens and in some electric kettles. This type has the live wire running down the centre of a metal tube, however there is an insulator inside the tube between the wire and the outer metal tube. These are safe to touch as long as there is no fault in the element and as long as you don't mind getting burnt!!
The other point to make is that one end of the element is "live" while the other end is "neutral", or very close to "earth" potential. So, for the wire elements, it depends where you touch it as to whether you will be electrocuted.
