How to Pick the Right Wattage for Your Bathroom Heater
Ever step out of a hot shower and realize you can’t see a thing in the mirror? It’s annoying. That’s where infrared heaters come in. Instead of just heating up the air, these things beam heat directly onto the glass. But here’s the trick: you can’t just grab any lamp and hope for the best. You have to match the power to the size of your room, or things get messy. Finding the sweet spot If you’ve got a tiny powder room (anything under 4m²), keep it simple. A small lamp—maybe 250W to 500W—is plenty to keep that mirror clear. For a medium-sized bathroom (between 4m² and 8m²), you’ll want to bump that up to 800W or 1200W. And if you’re dealing with a massive master bath over 8m²? You’re looking at high-output 2000W units or maybe a few lamps working together. Getting this wrong is a pain. Go too heavy in a small room, and you might overheat the mirror backing or—even worse—trip your circuit breaker. Go too light, and you’re still staring at a foggy mirror while you’re trying to get ready. The trade-offs More wattage means the mirror clears up faster. Simple. But it also puts more stress on the quartz tube. We use halogen-filled tubes because they hold a steady heat, but they still need a break. Pro tip: wire these into a timer or a humidity sensor. There’s no reason to have the lamp running 24/7. One more thing. High-wattage lamps create a very concentrated “beam” of heat. If the lamp is sitting too close to the glass, you’ll get hot spots. You need a bit of a gap to let the heat spread out evenly. Real-world installation When you’re actually wiring these in, keep an eye on your voltage. If you’re in an older house, the power can dip, which makes the lamp flicker or just feel weak. And please, use high-temp ceramic sockets. Trust me. The last thing you want is a plastic housing melting because the lamp ran a bit too long.