Stop Letting Your Patio Sit Empty All Winter
It’s a frustrating sight: a beautiful outdoor dining area that stays totally empty from November to March. Most owners try those standard convection heaters, but they’re basically useless the second a breeze picks up. The wind just blows the warm air away, and your guests are left shivering. That’s why we use short-wave infrared. Think of it like sitting in the sun on a crisp autumn day. You feel that warmth hitting your skin immediately, even if the air around you is cold. It doesn’t bother trying to heat the whole outdoors—it just heats the people. And that’s where the money is. When a guest sits down and feels an instant wave of warmth, they relax. They aren’t checking their watch or eyeing the door. They stay for another drink. They order dessert. It’s simple: if they’re comfortable, they spend more. But you can’t just throw these things up and hope for the best. First, you need the right gear. We use waterproof units because, well, it rains. You need housings that actually protect the quartz tubes and the wiring from the elements, or you’re just asking for a headache. Then there’s the height. This is the tricky part. Hang them too high, and the heat disappears before it reaches the table. Hang them too low, and your guests will feel like their shoulders are being toasted. It takes a little tweaking to get it just right. Also, a quick heads-up on the power: these things are thirsty. You can’t just plug a whole terrace of infrared lamps into a couple of standard wall outlets. You’ll trip your breakers right in the middle of a Friday night rush, and that’s a nightmare nobody wants. You need a dedicated circuit that can actually handle the load. One last thing to keep in mind: infrared is targeted. It’s not like turning on a furnace in a room. If you leave too much space between the heaters, you’ll end up with “cold spots.” There is nothing worse than a customer complaining that they’re freezing while the person two feet away is sweating. We spend time mapping out exactly where the heat hits so there are no gaps. Get the coverage right, and your patio stays a goldmine all year round.