Anyone who’s ever tried to heat a doorway or an open patio knows the struggle. You turn on the heat, but the wind just carries it away. It’s a losing battle. You’re basically trying to heat the entire outdoors, which, as you can guess, doesn’t work. That’s why we use shortwave infrared. Here is the secret: these units don’t bother with the air. Instead, they send heat straight to your skin and the surfaces around you. It feels like stepping into a patch of sunlight on a winter day. You flip the switch, and boom—you’re warm. No waiting around for a room to “warm up” while you’re shivering. Dealing with the weather Since these live outside, they have to take a beating. Rain, humidity, splashes—the works. To keep everything from shorting out, we tuck the guts of the heater into rugged, IP-rated housings. We use tempered glass and tight gaskets to keep the moisture out. When you’re wiring these into a wet area, that seal is the only thing keeping your electricity where it belongs. A few things to keep in mind Now, there are a couple of catches. First, these units are powerful. They pull a lot of current, so you’ll want to make sure your electrical panel can handle the load. You don’t want your breakers tripping right when the rush hits and everyone is freezing. Then there’s the placement. These lamps gethot. Really hot. If you mount them too low, you’re going to end up with “hot spots” that make people uncomfortable—or worse, someone gets a burn. We usually suggest keeping them at least 2.5 meters up. Get the spacing right, and you get a nice, balanced glow. Get it wrong, and you’ve just built a scorching ceiling.