How to install a commercial infrared heater
Updated: 22 October 2026
The lead looks short, the bracket is still in the bag, and a coiled extension reel is the obvious next step. That reel is the mistake this page is here to stop. You can often screw a plug-in heater to a sound wall. You cannot invent a circuit, a weather rating or a clearance the manual never gave you. Heights below are examples of how manuals are written, not a figure to copy onto a Radi8 or a Devola. The ten listings, with shelf prices from 19–20 October 2026, are in our [commercial infrared heater comparison](/hub/heating/commercial-infrared-heater). Peter F. compared those amazon.co.uk pages with public UK guidance. There was no lab test. A purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
The lead looks short, the bracket is still in the bag, and a coiled extension reel is the obvious next step. That reel is the mistake this page is here to stop. You can often screw a plug-in heater to a sound wall.
The lead looks short, the bracket is still in the bag, and a coiled extension reel is the obvious next step. That reel is the mistake this page is here to stop. You can often screw a plug-in heater to a sound wall. You cannot invent a circuit, a weather rating or a clearance the manual never gave you. Heights below are examples of how manuals are written, not a figure to copy onto a Radi8 or a Devola. The ten listings, with shelf prices from 19–20 October 2026, are in our commercial infrared heater comparison. Peter F. compared those amazon.co.uk pages with public UK guidance. There was no lab test. A purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Connection | Lead | Mount note | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  SOUTHEATIC SOUTHEATIC 3000 W halogen wall heater | 13 A plug in one review | Called short | About 0.5 m clearance | 7.4 | about £179.97 | View offer |
 Mirrorstone Mirrorstone Ionis 1200 W bar | Plug-in band | Short at height, in a review | At least 2.1 m, in a review | 8.0 | about £148.94 | View offer | |
| Best value |  Pro Breeze Pro Breeze 2000 W halogen patio heater | 182 cm lead | Maker: no extension | About 2.8 m, in a review | 7.2 | about £79.99 | View offer |
On this page
Read the manual before you drill
Height and clearance belong to the heater in your hands. A sample outdoor manual for a different product, the Tombling HLW1500, asks for at least 1800 mm above the floor, 500 mm above the heater and 1 m in front, on an outdoor supply with a 30 mA RCD. One retailer talks about 2.2–2.5 m and a 45 degree aim. Those sentences show the shape of a proper instruction. They are not the clearance for any ASIN in this set. Use the paper that arrived with the unit. A SOUTHEATIC wall-heater review cites instructions asking for about 0.5 m of space all round. A Mirrorstone reviewer says plug-in bars of this type go at least 2.1 m above the floor. A Pro Breeze review mentions a fitting height around 2.8 m if the instructions are followed. Three heaters, three numbers. If your booklet disagrees with a blog, follow the booklet. If the booklet disagrees with the amazon.co.uk title, stop and resolve that before you drill. Pro Breeze reviews are the clearest case: the title says IP65 and outdoor, and several buyers say the carton says indoor only. Electrical Safety First’s patio-heater advice is for portable patio heaters: a UK 3-pin plug, an RCD on outdoor sockets, do not cover the heater, keep combustibles clear, and do not use that kind of patio heater indoors. The far-infrared bars in this set are indoor listings. Do not push a Radi8 or an Ionis outside because a patio leaflet said outdoors. The job of choosing a bar versus a patio tube sits in the buying guide.
Fix the bracket, then aim at people
The bracket has to land in something that can hold the heater, not in hollow plaster alone. Pro Breeze reviews mention an 8 mm masonry bit. Devola reviews say the wing nuts will not hold an angle and that two people are needed to fit the heater. That is ordinary DIY friction, not a sign the product is tool-free. If the bracket only aims downward, as Devola reviewers report, you will heat the floor in front of the wall rather than the people at the table. Set the angle while a second person holds the weight, then tighten it and watch whether it creeps. Aim the face at the occupied spot. Infrared heats people and surfaces in line of sight. A bar pointed into an empty aisle, or a patio tube pointed into open sky, wastes the wattage you were careful to choose. Do not cover the heater to soften the glow, and do not hang coats, stock or a tarpaulin in the clearance the manual states. A Pro Breeze reviewer put foil on a ceiling above the heater. Treat that as their workaround, not as a method, unless your manual tells you to protect that surface. Luxeva’s listing includes tip-over protection and a floor stand. Reviews say the base is light and that people weigh it down because wind or a bump can tip it. A weighed base is still a trip hazard in a doorway. The hanging SOUTHEATIC needs a gap above the case because a review says the top gets hot.
Plug, fused spur, or electrician
Mirrorstone’s shared bullet is the practical split. From 1.2 kW to 1.8 kW, the listing says you can plug in. From 2.4 kW to 3 kW, it says hardwire. The 1200 W Ionis is the first group, and a review says the lead still does not reach, so the mount height is what makes a short cable fail. The 2400 W Ionis is the second group. Do not put a 13 A plug on it because the smaller bar was plug-in. Radi8’s 3000 W bar prints 13.04 A at 230 V and does not say plug or hardwire. Electrical Safety First treats 3000 W as the top of a 13 A socket, not spare capacity. That printed current is an electrician’s question, not a DIY assumption. The 1800 W Radi8 prints 7.83 A and also leaves the plug unstated. SOUTHEATIC’s wall heater arrived, in one review, with a 13 A fused plug already fitted. A plug on one sample does not prove the circuit can spare 3000 W beside other loads. Devola reviews include a lead that is too short at about 2 m, a melted household socket on the 2000 W model, and a 2-pin plug on one 2400 W unit. A 2-pin plug is the wrong plug for a UK socket. Do not file the pins off. On a dwelling, including a garden and many outbuildings, electrical work sits under Approved Document P in England. Outdoor sockets should have RCD protection. A warehouse, shop or café terrace is a workplace under the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989. Who should buy which listing sits on the best commercial infrared heaters page.
Stop before you switch on
Do not add a coiled extension because the lead is short. Pro Breeze reviews say the maker advises against an extension because it may overheat, and the stated lead is 182 cm. Luxeva says not to share the cable or fuse with another appliance, and to avoid extension leads unless the conductor is at least 2 mm². A reel rated for a lawnmower, wound up under a 2 kW load, is a common way to heat the reel rather than the people. If the socket is in the wrong place, move the socket. That is the electrician’s job when it is a new outdoor point or a fused spur. Stop if the plug warms, the breaker trips, you smell burning, or water has been into the case. Devola’s 2400 W file includes a leak after light rain. Pro Breeze’s file includes buyers who returned the heater unused because the manual forbids outdoor use. None of these listings is a demonstrated bathroom heater. Stop as well if the only control is a remote you do not have a spare for. A heater you cannot switch off, mounted at 2 m, is not installed. It is stuck. The workplace version of the same mount, including zone heat over a bench rather than a terrace, is the workshop guide.
Common questions
Can I fit a commercial infrared heater myself?
You can often fix a plug-in indoor bar or a patio heater to a sound wall if the listing says a plug is allowed and the manual’s clearances are in your hands. Mirrorstone’s 1.2–1.8 kW band is the plug-in group in this set. You should not hardwire a 2.4–3 kW model, add a new outdoor socket, or treat a café terrace as a DIY circuit. Those are electrician jobs. A workplace sits under the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 even when the bracket itself is only two screws.
How high should it be mounted?
Use the height in the manual for that model. A sample outdoor manual, not one of these ASINs, says at least 1800 mm above the floor. A Mirrorstone review says plug-in bars of this type go at least 2.1 m up. A Pro Breeze review mentions about 2.8 m if the instructions are followed. A retailer range of 2.2–2.5 m is someone else’s average. Copying one number onto every heater in this comparison will either leave the beam in the wrong place or break a clearance the maker stated.
What clearance do I leave around it?
The manual wins. A SOUTHEATIC wall review cites about 0.5 m all round. The sample HLW1500 manual, which is not a listing here, asks for 500 mm above and 1 m in front. Electrical Safety First says not to cover a patio heater and to keep combustibles clear. Do not hang stock, a curtain or a tarpaulin in that gap to hide the glow. If your booklet and the listing disagree, do not drill until you know which instruction you were sold.
Is an extension lead safe if the cable is short?
No, not as a coiled reel under a kilowatt load. Pro Breeze’s lead is 182 cm, and a review says the manufacturer advises against an extension because it may overheat. Mirrorstone’s 1200 W lead fails to reach in a review once the bar is at mounting height. Luxeva says to avoid extension leads, and if one is unavoidable the cable should be at least 2 mm² and not shared with another appliance. Put the socket where the heater is, instead of stretching a reel across the patio.
Does a garden socket on a house fall under building rules?
In England, electrical safety in dwellings includes gardens and many outbuildings under Approved Document P. An outdoor socket wants RCD protection. That is separate from a workplace. If the terrace belongs to a café, or the unit has employees, the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 apply and Part P is the wrong rulebook to hide behind. Northern Ireland and Scotland have their own building routes. The plug still has to be a BS 1363 plug, not a 2-pin plug with the pins altered.
When should I stop and not switch it on?
Stop if the plug is warm, a breaker has tripped, you smell burning, the case has leaked, or the heater is in a bathroom the listing never claimed. Stop if the carton says indoor only and you were about to leave it in the rain. Stop if the only remote is missing and there is no switch on the case. Do not open a live element to look for the fault. Photograph the manual line that conflicts with the title, and get an electrician in before the next attempt.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources first. amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts are from the listing files for this set, read on 19–20 October 2026. Page updated October 2026.
- HSE, temperature in the workplace: what the law says (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, regulation 4 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- GOV.UK, Approved Document P (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Electrical Safety First, plugs and fuses (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Plugs and Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Tansun, infrared heater buyer’s guide (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Infrared Heaters Direct, buying guide (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015 (retrieved 20 October 2026)