Getting Your Bathroom Heat Just Right
When it comes to infrared lamps, more power isn’t always better. I see it all the time—people just grab the highest wattage they can find, thinking it’ll be warmer. In reality, that usually just leads to a massive electric bill and a room that feels like a sauna in the worst way possible. It’s all about the space you’re working with.
Size Matters
If you’re dealing with a tiny powder room, a 400W to 600W shortwave lamp is usually plenty. It’ll get the room cozy fast. But if you’ve got a big master bath, you’ll probably want a couple of 600W units or one big 1000W+ array to keep the chill away. Here is a pro tip: don’t cram a 1200W lamp into a small stall. You’ll actually kill the lamp faster. The heat gets trapped around the casing, the element can’t breathe, and it just burns out.
Don’t Forget the Water
Bathrooms are wet. Steam, splashes, the works. Because of that, you need a housing rated IP44 or higher. We use tempered glass and tight gaskets for a reason—you don’t want steam creeping into the electrical contacts. Trust me, putting a standard industrial lamp in a bathroom is a recipe for a short circuit. And check your wires. Use heat-resistant silicone cabling. Standard insulation tends to crack after it’s been heated and cooled a thousand times, and that’s where things get dangerous.
Speed vs. Comfort
You’ve got two main choices here. Shortwave lamps are the “instant gratification” option. They heat your skin the second you turn them on, which is perfect for that shivering moment right after you step out of the shower. Longwave lamps are different. They warm up the walls and the floor. It takes longer to feel it, but the warmth sticks around. Most people go with shortwave because that “instant-on” feeling is just better. Just keep in mind that higher wattage shrinks your “comfort zone.” If the power is too high, you’ll feel like you’re standing too close to a campfire. Think about the actual distance from the lamp to where you’ll be standing before you pick your power level.