Getting Your Heater Height Right (So You Don’t Waste Your Money)
If you’re putting infrared heaters in an outdoor dining area, don’t just slap them on the ceiling and hope for the best. If you get the mounting height or the clearance wrong, you’re basically paying to heat your roof while your customers are still shivering in their coats.
The “Goldilocks” Zone
Here’s the thing about infrared: it travels in a straight line. If you hang the heaters too low, you’ll create these annoying “hot spots” where one guest is roasting and the person next to them is freezing. But if you go too high? The heat just vanishes before it ever reaches the table. For most short-wave units, you’re looking at a sweet spot between 2.1 and 3 meters. And please, leave some breathing room. You need about 0.5 to 1 meter of space between the heater and the ceiling. If you cram them too close to the roof, heat traps in that gap. That’s when the thermal cut-off switches kick in. The unit will just keep clicking on and off, which kills your heat and burns out your lamps way faster than they should.
Turning “Dead Space” Into Cash
Let’s be honest: a freezing patio in November is just wasted real estate. When you get a proper grid of heaters dialed in, that seasonal patio becomes a year-round money maker. We’ve noticed that when people actually feel warm, they relax. They stay for that extra glass of wine or a dessert they weren’t planning on ordering. It’s a simple shift, but it keeps the tables turning and the revenue flowing.
A Couple of Reality Checks
High-wattage setups feel great—instant heat the second you flip the switch—but they’re hungry. Make sure your electrical panel can actually handle the load without tripping or dropping voltage. Also, remember that infrared doesn’t heat the air; it heats things. It heats the chairs, the tables, and the people. If your patio is in a wind tunnel, the breeze can strip that warmth away. In those cases, you might want to mount the heaters a bit lower to keep that cozy feeling, even if it means sacrificing a little bit of your ceiling clearance.