Getting the Height Right: A Guide to Mounting Your Infrared Heaters
If you’re setting up infrared heaters for an outdoor dining area, you’re probably thinking about one thing: keeping those seats filled when the temperature drops. But there’s a trick to it. If you hang the units too high, the heat just vanishes into the night air before it ever reaches your guests. Too low? You’ll have customers complaining that their heads are roasting while their toes are freezing. It’s a balancing act. How the heat actually works Here’s the thing about short-wave infrared. It doesn’t bother heating up the air around it. Instead, it goes straight for the target—meaning your customers. When you’re mounting these to a ceiling, you can’t just slap them up. You need enough breathing room between the heater and the ceiling. If it’s too tight, the heat soaks into the structure. That’s a quick way to warp your panels or set off the fire alarms. Not a great look for a Friday night rush. Then there’s the “throw.” If you mount a unit at 3 meters, you’ll cover a wide area, but the heat will feel a bit softer. Drop it down to 2.2 meters, and the heat becomes much more intense right at the table. That’s usually the sweet spot. When people feel consistently warm, they linger. They order another round of drinks. They spend more. It’s that simple. The business side of things Think of these heaters as a way to buy more real estate. You’re basically turning a dead patio into a money-maker all year round. But a quick heads-up on the power: the bigger the punch, the bigger the electrical draw. If you’re planning to run ten 2kW units at once, check your breakers first. You don’t want the lights going out just as the patio gets full. A few tips for the install Use high-temp cabling. No shortcuts there. Also, try angling the heaters just a bit. If they point straight down, you get “hot spots” that feel unnatural. A slight tilt helps the heat hit the torso and legs. Get the height right, and you’ll stop watching customers walk away because it’s “too chilly” outside.