Keeping Things Safe When Your Heater Meets a Steamy Bathroom
Putting an infrared heater in a bathroom or a wet room isn’t as simple as just picking a waterproof box. You’ve got high-voltage heat on one side and steam and splashing water on the other. That’s a recipe for trouble if you aren’t careful. When we build our IP55 units, we don’t just check a box. We obsess over the seal between the electrical terminals and the quartz tube. That’s where the real danger hides.
Let’s talk about moisture
You’ll see “IP55” on the spec sheet, which basically means it can handle dust and a few splashes of water. But in a bathroom, the real enemy isn’t a splash—it’s the steam. Vapor is sneaky. It gets through standard seals way easier than liquid water does. To stop that, we use high-temperature silicone gaskets and beefy cable glands. We also use moisture-resistant potting compounds to keep the power supply completely separate from the heating element. Because if water hits those live terminals? You’ve got a short. And nobody wants that.
Making sure the electricity stays put
We want total insulation. To get there, we use ceramic insulators at the ends of the tube. We love ceramic because it doesn’t wear down after a thousand heat cycles, and it won’t conduct electricity even when it’s damp. The wiring is just as important. We use double-insulated, heat-resistant cables. That way, the jacket doesn’t melt and leave you with exposed live wires. One more thing:**please use a dedicated RCD or GFCI breaker.**No matter how good our seals are, a breaker is your safety net. It’s the last line of defense.
A few things to keep in mind during install
Here’s the thing about small bathrooms: they get hot. Fast. The IP55 rating keeps the electronics safe, but the outside of the unit can still get hot enough to burn you. Give it some breathing room. Make sure there’s at least 500mm of space between the heater and anything that could catch fire or melt—like shower curtains. If you crowd the installation, the internal wiring can overheat. Eventually, that heat breaks down the insulation, and you’re back to square one. Give it some space, and you’ll be golden.