I see the new fancy solariums in many a European barn and would love some respite for me and my horses from those cold days for bodywork, farrier, clipping, etc. But I’m wondering about the difference(s) in the fancy horse version vs the infrared patio heaters. Are they safer? Different technology?
I have seen infrared heaters like those used in garages, workshops, and porches mounted in wash stalls. I like the setup with heaters on the perimeterband angled inward to focus roughly on the horse’s back and sides. That is what I would probably do in my own barn as my LED ceiling lights occupy the center.
The pictures of equine heaters I found look like they use individual infrared bulbs in individual fixtures all mounted in a into a curved structure shaped like a horses back, and installed in the ceiling directly centered over the horse.
I used two infrared fixtures to heat my garage workbench for 30 years. Never had an infrared tube burn out. The indoor/outdoor cats slept under them at night during winters.
Ensure that your barn wiring can handle the load. And either way I would install with a timer switch and not a plain on-off. It appears the equine models may be waterproof. I know there are weather-resistant patio heaters, but don’t know about truly waterproof. If I learn more anything about the safety of one type vs the other I will update.
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Having stood under the heaters on the side and solariums, solarium put out red light plus radiant heat vs the heaters only heat.
I really want a solarium but it’s not in the budget so adding 2 heaters and wiring for a solarium so we can upgrade eventually.
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Is there some benefit to having red lights plus heat rather than infrared tubes and the orange light they produce?
The solarium fixtures have a StarTrek vibe that would not really fit in with my barn ambience.
Red light therapy is for reducing inflammation and a bunch of other really cool scientific things.
I use it for my shoulder and it really helps soreness and swelling.
Forget the barn, I want one of these solariums in the house, for me. I’d probably have to fight the cats for it though
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Thanks everyone! While I agree that the Red Light Therapy is beneficial, I don’t know that I’m willing to spend all that extra $$$$ for that feature. I’m mostly concerned about safety. My plan is to include some in a new barn build, so I can ensure the wiring is sufficient, but I’ve heard about water drops from bathing a horse hitting the glass bulb and them shattering. I figured they had to increase the safety in the more modern iterations of a heat lamp. I do plan to have them installed on a timer switch as well, even though this will be a small, private barn where I don’t need to worry about boarders leaving it on. I have been known to forget things myself and I’d rather not learn this lesson the hard way!
I think Schneiders has a heat lamp that has metal elements vs glass which seems safer to me - anyone try those?
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