Electric heating element utilizing ceramic PTC resistors for heating flooring media

A heating element for heating a flowing medium includes a heat exchanger made of a plurality of metallic bodies. The metallic bodies have a plurality of passageways extending therethrough and widened on an inlet side in a conical fashion. Positive temperature coefficient (PTC) ceramic resistor are located between adjacent metallic bodies and are encased in a synthetic resin material. The same synthetic resin material is used to form bridges extending through some of the passageways which mechanically fix adjacent metallic bodies to each other. When the heating element is combined with a pipeline system, an annular ring of the same synthetic resin material surrounds the heating element to thermally and electrically insulate the heating element from the pipeline. The PTC heating elements are electrically coupled and mechanically fixed to the metallic bodies by an adhesive, and the metallic bodies thus serving as current supply conduits.