Getting Your Bathroom Heat Just Right
When you’re picking out an infrared lamp for the bathroom, your first instinct might be to just go for the most powerful one on the shelf. But here’s the thing: bigger isn’t always better. It’s all about how much space you’re actually trying to warm up. If you go overboard, you’re just throwing money away on your electric bill. But if you go too small? You’ll still feel that annoying chill the second you step out of the shower.
Finding Your Fit
I usually break it down by the size of the room. If you’ve got a tiny powder room—something under 4m²—a 250W to 400W shortwave lamp is plenty. It warms up the space instantly without turning the room into a sauna. For those medium-sized bathrooms (between 4m² and 8m²), you’ll want to bump it up to 600W or 800W. Heat tends to wander off faster in these rooms, so you need a bit more punch to keep that cozy feeling wrapped around you. Then you have the big master baths or wet rooms over 10m². For those, I’d suggest either a couple of 800W units or one heavy-duty 1200W array to make sure there are no cold spots.
A Quick Word on the Technical Stuff
Higher wattage gets you warm faster. That’s the win. But it also puts more stress on your circuit breaker. If you’re installing a 1200W lamp, please double-check your wiring. If the wires are too thin, they can actually heat up. That leads to voltage drops, which is a fancy way of saying it’ll kill your lamp way sooner than it should. The cool thing about shortwave infrared is that it doesn’t waste time heating the air. It goes straight for you. That’s why a small infrared lamp can actually feel warmer than one of those massive, clunky convection heaters.
Where to Put It
Mount your lamps directly overhead. Infrared heat travels in a straight line. If you tuck the lamp too high or angle it toward a wall, you’re basically heating up your tiles instead of yourself. And since we’re talking about bathrooms, don’t forget the waterproof rating. Look for at least IP44. It’s the bare minimum to make sure steam and splashes don’t fry your electronics.