How hot should this get?

[UTH]

It might be an “how long is a piece of string” question, but I’m asking because I’ve had someone cast doubt on whether it’s working properly. It’s plugged into a socket rather than “plumbed in” to the mains, not sure if that makes any difference?
But when it’s on, I wouldn’t say it’s exactly blowing me away by how hot it is, even when standing fairly close…..

[Snow and Rocks]

Not particularly is probably the best description.

The only one's I've had any luck with are the Shadow Fatboy linked below which use a parabolic shaped reflector that really focuses the heat to quite a narrow intense strip.

I have ours pointing directly down on a 3 seat outdoor sofa from ~2m above and on full heat I'd describe it as properly hot. I only really use it on full power in winter when it's good enough to sit out on a frosty night in a t shirt or light jumper. It only covers the one sofa though and they're not cheap but I wanted to be able to sit out all year round in Aberdeenshire.

https://www.heat-outdoors.co.uk/electric-patio-hea...

[UTH]

Snow and Rocks said:

Not particularly is probably the best description.

The only one's I've had any luck with are the Shadow Fatboy linked below which use a parabolic shaped reflector that really focuses the heat to quite a narrow intense strip.

I have ours pointing directly down on a 3 seat outdoor sofa from ~2m above and on full heat I'd describe it as properly hot. I only really use it on full power in winter when it's good enough to sit out on a frosty night in a t shirt or light jumper. It only covers the one sofa though and they're not cheap but I wanted to be able to sit out all year round in Aberdeenshire.

https://www.heat-outdoors.co.uk/electric-patio-hea...

Well this is what concerns me......as part of my whole pergola install......that heater was 3 times the cost of the one you linked!!

[UTH]

I'm guessing it's the 2000W one and as part of my install they've added £££ to it!

Not overly impressed right this minute

https://www.bromic.co.uk/product/tungsten-smart-he...

[Snow and Rocks]

Ah, apologies, I assumed it was one of the cheap varieties that I tried first.

How far above the seats is it? Could it be repositioned to heat a smaller area? I initially had heating the whole seating area in mind but with ~2kw, I quickly realised that was unrealistic unless I only wanted to take the chill off.

[_Rodders_]

UTH said:

I'm guessing it's the 2000W one and as part of my install they've added £££ to it!

Not overly impressed right this minute

https://www.bromic.co.uk/product/tungsten-smart-he...

That's got to be a joke, looks about £20 from B&M. Is it literally just a resistive heater?

[OutInTheShed]

_Rodders_ said:

That's got to be a joke, looks about £20 from B&M. Is it literally just a resistive heater?

I've got a radiant heater, two 400W halogen tubes.
How hot?
The filaments get bright red hot.
How much heat though?
2x400W like it says.
You could get a plug in mains energy meter and check it's drawing its rated power, but radiant heat doesn't go very far.

Full sunlight is pretty close to 1000W per sqm, which feels nice enough on a calm day with an air temperature of 15degC or so, but it doesn't take much wind or a much cooler ambient and you'll want a lot of watts or to focus it on a small area.
Gas patio heaters are often 8kW?


My little 800W heater is a useful thing to warm where I'm working in a garage that's not too draughty and just a bit too cool for comfort.
I mostly use it to heat things I'm working on, e.g, to make epoxy set.
I think I paid £12 for it, which about what these things are worth.

[UTH]

_Rodders_ said:

UTH said:

I'm guessing it's the 2000W one and as part of my install they've added £££ to it!

Not overly impressed right this minute

https://www.bromic.co.uk/product/tungsten-smart-he...

That's got to be a joke, looks about £20 from B&M. Is it literally just a resistive heater?

Don't worry, I am sitting here getting slowly more annoyed at the idea this thing cost £1k and I cannot for the life of me work out why.

[Panamax]

Would I screw a 2kw heater directly to a piece of wood? No, but maybe I'm a wuss.

If it was mine I'd want a fireproof board of some sort behind it. Perhaps the sort of thing that's sold for installation behind consumer units or near log furnaces.

[UTH]

Panamax said:

Would I screw a 2kw heater directly to a piece of wood? No, but maybe I'm a wuss.

If it was mine I'd want a fireproof board of some sort behind it. Perhaps the sort of thing that's sold for installation behind consumer units or near log furnaces.

It's actually screwed into the metal frame of the pergola, but I can see how it looks like it's into the wood

[UTH]

Here's the position of it in relation to the seating. Basically no chance of feeling any benefit from the sofa, if I turn it around sitting on the stools you get some benefit, but not exactly roasting

[Simpo Two]

£869!!!

'Tungsten Smart-Heat® Electric. Expand your living space with the Bromic Tungsten Smart-Heat® Electric series'. That's the same tech as the two-bar electric fire I had in my bedroom as a child.

[Jeremy-75qq8]

At that distance you stand no change. They are short range and highly directional.

[OutInTheShed]

Simpo Two said:

£869!!!

'Tungsten Smart-Heat® Electric. Expand your living space with the Bromic Tungsten Smart-Heat® Electric series'. That's the same tech as the two-bar electric fire I had in my bedroom as a child.

Two bar!
Your parents were rich!

:-)

[UTH]

Jeremy-75qq8 said:

At that distance you stand no change. They are short range and highly directional.

Ok well that makes sense, guess it's just unrealistic to expect to be warm in the middle of winter sitting on that sofa haha.

[craigjm]

UTH said:

Ok well that makes sense, guess it's just unrealistic to expect to be warm in the middle of winter sitting on that sofa haha.

What is distance? I have a 2kw similar unit and the area for heat is just under 2m away and it works great, its bolted to the wall at a sharper angle of what you have there

[Nezquick]

I'd want to be able to sit out there in my boxers and nothing else in -5 temps for nearly £1000. Jesus!

[UTH]

Nezquick said:

I'd want to be able to sit out there in my boxers and nothing else in -5 temps for nearly £1000. Jesus!

Indeed, that's what I was hoping for/expecting

[silentbrown]

Would be interesting to see what a thermal imaging camera makes of that. I'd expect your roof panels to get too hot touch , and not much else.

[UTH]

silentbrown said:

Would be interesting to see what a thermal imaging camera makes of that. I'd expect your roof panels to get too hot touch , and not much else.

Yes, probably right. I can angle it differently, so I'm just going to point it at the stools and accept it was a waste of money