Stop Letting Your Patio Go to Waste This Winter
It’s a frustrating sight: a beautiful outdoor dining area sitting completely empty just because the temperature dropped. Most people try to fix this with standard convection heaters, but here’s the problem—they just heat the air. And in an open-air patio? That warm air vanishes the second a breeze hits. That’s why we use shortwave infrared. Instead of trying to fight the wind, these heaters send energy straight to your guests and their chairs. It’s a different kind of warmth. It doesn’t float away. It just hits you, and you feel it instantly. The gear behind the heat We use high-wattage quartz elements for a reason. Because the heat travels in a straight line, it doesn’t matter if it’s windy outside. Your guests stay warm. Depending on the size of your space, we usually go with 1500W to 3000W units. The higher the wattage, the higher we can mount them. This is key because it spreads the warmth across the whole table. Nobody likes that one “hot spot” where one person is roasting while the person next to them is shivering. Built for the elements Outdoor gear gets beat up. Rain, snow, humidity—it’s a lot. We build our units to IPX4 standards, meaning the heating elements are sealed tight so you don’t have to worry about short circuits during a storm. We also use powder-coated aluminum or stainless steel to keep rust from moving in. One quick tip: check your electrical panels. These units pull a decent amount of power, and you don’t want your breakers tripping right in the middle of a dinner rush. The bottom line for your business Let’s be honest: cold patios kill your profit. When people are shivering, they leave. Or worse, they won’t even sit outside in the first place. By setting up a smart grid of infrared heaters, you’re basically turning “dead space” back into usable square footage. You’ll notice more people staying in those seats. Just a heads-up on the setup—placement is everything. If you hang them too high, the heat thins out. Too low, and your guests will feel like they’re under a heat lamp at a buffet. We usually find that 2.5 to 3 meters is the sweet spot. Get the height right, and your guests will be happy to stick around for that extra round of drinks or another appetizer.