What’s the Best Patio Heater Option?

What’s the Best Patio Heater Option?

FireSense offers a wide range of convenient outdoor and indoor/outdoor heating appliances, including both versatile electric patio heater and powerful gas patio heater options. Demand for patio heating has risen over the last year as we have moved toward outdoor socializing even during the winter cold. But what’s the right choice for your needs? 

Gas Patio Heater vs. Electric Patio Heater: 

The first decision in choosing a patio heater depends on whether you prefer an electric heater or a gas heater – either LPG (propane) or NG (natural gas). 

LPG heaters offer the greatest versatility in outdoor locations, as they are self-contained with their own concealed onboard propane tank, and therefore relatively portable. Natural gas heaters must be connected by plumbing to a gas supply (usually a public utility), so you will need to choose one or more permanent locations for your heater or heaters. (A natural gas heater can be disconnected for seasonal storage, but moving it to a new area will require relocation of plumbing lines.) If your home or business is already plumbed for natural gas, it may be an easy choice to hire a gas plumber to run an extension to wherever you want to operate a heater, since a hard-lined fuel source does avoid the logistics of small refillable tanks. 

However, neither LPG nor NG heaters should be used indoors or in any area lacking adequate ventilation due to the carbon monoxide byproduct of burning fuel. If you have an non-climate-controlled but semi-enclosed space like a sunroom, workshop or garage, consider electric heating options, which are completely fume-free and safe for indoor use. Electric patio heaters are also inexpensive to operate since they run on standard household electrical current.

What’s the warmest heater option?

Heaters can be difficult to compare directly, since ultimately, the perceived warmth generated by a heater can be influenced by the design of the appliance (including heating unit height and reflector size) as well as the type of heating element. 

However, our core-design Fire Sense gas heaters (those with a pole-mounted burner head unit and wide platter-style reflector on top) are among the most powerful on the market, generating up to 46,000 BTUs of heat. A gas heater will generate warmth like the sensation you feel from a fire: hot and dry, with significant heat dissipated into the air around the unit. 

Fire Sense electric heaters use infrared technology to warm surfaces, including people, without significantly heating the air around the unit. We describe this type of heat as comparable to a cozy blanket or the warmth you feel from the sun on a cool day. Many people perceive this type of heat as less intense than gas heat, but one advantage is that infrared heat is largely unaffected by gentle air movement or rising heat dissipation. 

What about ambiance?

Fire Sense flame heaters include unique designs that create both gentle warmth and ambiance, with a mesmerizing vertical dancing flame. Use a patio flame heater to provide a focal point in your outdoor entertaining space, or arrange multiple flame heaters to create a cozy and elegant backdrop for a gathering area. Flame heaters are high on style and looks, but offer slightly less heating power than a pole-mounted heater.