Getting Your Bathroom Heat Right
When you’re picking out waterproof infrared lamps, it’s tempting to just go for the highest wattage you can find. But that’s not really how it works. It’s more about matching the heat to the actual size of your space. Think about your bathroom. You’ve got steam in the air and cold tiles or stone under your feet that basically suck the warmth right out of the room. That’s the battle you’re fighting. How much power do you actually need? If you’re dealing with a tiny powder room—anything under 4m²—you don’t need to turn the whole place into a sauna. A single lamp between 250W and 400W does the trick. It’s all about that direct hit of warmth on your skin the moment you step in. For mid-sized bathrooms (roughly 4m² to 8m²), you’ll want something in the 600W to 1000W range. Here is a pro tip: don’t put all that power into one big bulb. Split it across two or three lamps. It spreads the heat around so you don’t end up with one “scorching” spot while your toes are still freezing. Then there are the big master baths. If you’re over 8m², you’re looking at 1200W or more. Just a heads-up though—keep an eye on your electrical panel. If you hang too many high-wattage lamps on one circuit, you might find yourself staring at a tripped breaker in the middle of January. The deal with waterproofing Since these live in a splash zone, they have to be sealed tight. We use quartz glass and special seals to keep the steam out. There is a slight catch, though. Because the housing is sealed, some of that heat gets trapped inside the fixture. If the unit doesn’t have a way to breathe, that extra heat can wear out the filament faster. It’s just the trade-off for keeping the electronics dry. Saving a bit of cash on the electric bill Infrared is great because it’s almost instant. You don’t have to wait twenty minutes for a radiator to warm up. Because of that, don’t just leave them running. Use a timer or a motion sensor. There is no point in running a 1000W array for an hour in a small room. Just hit it hard for three minutes to get the chill out of the air, and then let it shut off. Simple.