The Complete Guide to the Bromic Tungsten Smart-Heat Range
The Bromic Tungsten Smart-Heat series is one of the most specified outdoor heating lines in commercial hospitality — and increasingly, in high-end residential outdoor spaces. It's the heater you see mounted above the terrace at upscale restaurants and boutique hotels, and for good reason: it delivers powerful, directed infrared warmth with a rugged industrial character that suits everything from covered patios to exposed rooftop terraces.
The range spans electric, gas, and portable models, a full controller ecosystem, and mounting accessories for nearly any installation. This guide covers the entire line: how the underlying infrared technology works, what separates each series, and how to choose the right configuration for your space.
How Infrared Heating Works — And Why It Wins Outdoors
Conventional heaters — gas convection, forced air, standard electric — all work by warming the air around them. Indoors, that works reasonably well. Outdoors, it's almost pointless: the moment warm air rises or a breeze comes through, the heat is gone. This is why standing next to a traditional patio heater on a cool breezy evening still leaves you cold unless you're within a foot of it.
Infrared heating solves this at the physics level. Instead of warming air, infrared heaters emit radiant energy that is absorbed directly by people and surfaces — the same mechanism by which the sun warms you on a cool but sunny day. Wind doesn't carry radiant energy away. The warmth stays where it lands.
When you stand in the beam of an infrared heater, your skin, clothing, and the furniture around you absorb that energy and warm up directly. The air between you and the heater is largely unaffected, which is why the warmth feels immediate and personal rather than distant. It also means infrared is significantly more energy efficient outdoors than convection alternatives — you're not paying to heat air that immediately escapes.
Every heater in the Tungsten range applies this principle, whether the radiant energy comes from an electric element or a gas-fired ceramic burner.
Tungsten Electric: Design Meets Serious Heat Output
The Tungsten Smart-Heat Electric is the wall- and ceiling-mounted workhorse of the line, available in 2000W and 3000W single-element and 4000W and 6000W double-element configurations (220–240V), in black or white. It's designed to heat specific zones rather than warming the air generally, and a few things set it apart from cheaper infrared heaters:
- Focused beam pattern — the element and reflector geometry direct heat into a defined zone rather than scattering it, making it effective at greater distances than generic infrared heaters
- Low light emission — many infrared heaters glow orange-red at full power, creating uncomfortable glare in evening settings. The Tungsten runs at a wavelength that produces very little visible light, so the heat arrives without the harsh glow
- Silent operation — no fan, no moving parts, no noise. That matters in hospitality and residential settings where ambiance counts
- Corrosion-resistant stainless body rated for year-round outdoor exposure
- Adjustable tilt bracket for precise heat direction, wall or ceiling mounted
- Smart-Heat control compatibility for dimming and zoned operation (covered below)
For homeowners, the Electric is ideal for covered patios, pergolas, and outdoor dining areas where a clean, permanent heating solution is preferred over a portable unit. For commercial operators, it provides the consistent zone heating needed to keep outdoor seating profitable year-round without cluttering the space with freestanding heaters. Tungsten Electric models also carry the strongest warranty in the range — more on that at the end.
Tungsten Gas: Built for Everything Else
Most outdoor heaters are designed for fair-weather use. The Tungsten Smart-Heat Gas is built for everything else — wind, cold, and year-round commercial duty. Available in natural gas and propane, in 300 Series and 500 Series output ratings, it sits at the top of the Tungsten lineup for raw heating power and environmental resilience.
- Full stainless steel construction resists corrosion and weathering
- Ceramic burner delivers consistent, even radiant heat across a wide zone
- Wind-resistant design maintains flame stability in exposed conditions
- Automatic gas cut-off activates if the flame is extinguished unexpectedly
- Wall or ceiling mount with adjustable tilt
- Smart-Heat controller compatibility for zoned or remote operation
The safety engineering matters in real-world conditions: the automatic shut-off cuts gas flow if the flame goes out — whether from a gust of wind or an accidental bump — preventing gas from flowing unburned. The wind-resistant burner housing reduces nuisance outages in the first place, so you're not constantly relighting on breezy evenings.
Tungsten Portable: Commercial Power on Wheels
The Tungsten Portable brings the same directional infrared performance to spaces where a fixed mount isn't practical. Unlike the mushroom-style patio heaters that scatter warmth in all directions, the Portable's tilted radiant head throws heat where you point it. It's available in propane — with a hidden tank enclosure in the base — and in a natural gas version that connects to a quick-disconnect line, eliminating tank refills entirely. A propane-to-natural-gas conversion kit and a weatherproof head cover round out the portable ecosystem.
Gas vs. Electric: Which Tungsten Is Right for You?
Both technologies produce infrared radiation — gas via a ceramic burner, electric via a resistance element. The decision usually comes down to your space and your utilities:
Choose gas for spaces without convenient 220–240V electrical access, and for high-wind or very cold environments where the higher heat output of a gas burner delivers noticeably more warmth per square foot — large open pergolas, rooftop terraces, and commercial outdoor dining in colder climates.
Choose electric for covered patios and enclosed pergolas with access to power, where cleaner installation (no gas line), silent operation, and finer control matter more than raw output. Electric is also the only Tungsten that can be fully dimmed through Bromic's controller range.
Choose portable when the heating zone moves — event spaces, flexible seating layouts, or patios where a permanent mount isn't an option.
Smart-Heat Controls: From a Wall Switch to Five Dimmed Zones
A fixed infrared system is only as useful as its controls, and Bromic's ecosystem scales from simple to sophisticated:
- Manual wall switches — single and double, indoor and outdoor rated, the straightforward on/off solution for smaller installations
- Affinity On/Off controllers — 1, 2, or 5 channels at 6000W per channel, switching connected Tungsten or Platinum heaters in independent zones
- Affinity Dimmer controllers — 1, 2, or 5 channels with smooth 0–100% output control on electric models, so you can trim heat to conditions instead of cycling on and off
One planning note: the 5-channel Affinity controllers (both on/off and dimmer) require three-phase power — they're built for commercial installations. Residential projects should plan around the 1- and 2-channel models, which run on standard supply.
Mounting and Accessories: Finishing the Installation
The Tungsten range includes purpose-built hardware for clean, code-friendly installs:
- Ceiling recess kits — flush-mount the Electric into a ceiling for a fully integrated look, in black or white, sized for the 2000/4000W and 3000/6000W models
- Low-clearance heat deflectors — for the 300 Series and 500 Series gas heaters, significantly reducing the required clearance between the heater and the surface above — often the difference between a compliant install and no install at all under a low pergola or awning
- Portable head cover — weatherproof protection that extends the life of a Tungsten Portable stored outdoors
Clearances are the most common installation stumbling block with radiant gas heaters, so check the model's clearance requirements against your structure before ordering — and reach for the deflector when the numbers are tight.
A Note for Coastal Installations
The Tungsten's stainless construction handles weather and humidity well, which is part of why it's a fixture at beach-town restaurants. But salt air is a different level of assault on any metal fixture. If your install is directly exposed to salt spray — oceanfront terraces, docks, yacht decks — Bromic builds a dedicated marine-grade line for exactly that environment. Browse our Marine-Grade Patio Heaters collection for heaters engineered for true salt-air exposure.
Shop the Bromic Tungsten Range
Browse the full Bromic collection at Wood Fire Home — free US shipping on every order. Bromic backs the range with a 1-year parts warranty, plus a 7-year element warranty on Tungsten Electric models.
REMEMBER: Gas and electric radiant heaters have strict clearance and installation requirements. Gas models must be installed by a licensed professional, and hardwired electric models require a qualified electrician. Always follow the manufacturer's installation manual and local codes.
By Matthew Murphy
