Patio heater buyers guide – Stay cosy in style

A patio heater makes all the difference between standing around in the garden freezing your bits off, and enjoying a lovely time with the people you like best. Here’s our patio heater buyers guide, providing everything you need to know to make a great decision.

Our patio heater buyers guide – Be lusciously warm outdoors

First, the look…

There are so many different styles, from heaters with a tall, thin classic lamp post look to contemporary designs fitted with a long slim glass tube where the flame flickers. This longline Capri patio heater from Lifestyle comes with lovely traditional looks and a shining metal finish which looks awesome after dark. It also comes in black and a smart bottle green.

We adore this fantastic design, full of personality. How would the particularly elegant design below fit in with your garden design?

We also have versions that sit down low to keep seated people lovely and warm, as well as providing light. This beautiful award-winner of a design from Enders, for example, does exactly that – and it comes in a variety of sizes, in grey or black.

There are small tabletop patio heaters like this Lifestyle Sirocco, below, ideal for creating a cosy focal point for eating, drinking and merriment while seated. Such fun.

The best patio heater fuel?

Propane – or sometimes Butane gas – is the name of the game here, no-mess fuels that burn cleanly and safely. Many heaters can run on either gas. The best patio heater designs come with a space inside the body itself for the gas cylinder, so nobody can fall over it or damage the gas hose and regulator.

The gas is readily available, along with refills for your cylinder, at specialist gas outlets and at some garages and DIY stores. You might want to keep a spare cylinder handy so you never run out of gas.

It’s worth knowing the gas versions are less energy-intensive than electric. They radiate the heat via a burner and emitter screen, and you’ll need a suitable gas hose and regulator. Both are easy to find online and cost very little – but many quality patio heaters include them for you.

Because you store the gas bottle inside the body of the heater, at the bottom, they tend to be really stable. And one more thing about gas – never burn it indoors, it can give off fumes.

Some patio heaters run on electricity, in which case you’ll need to plug yours in and make sure the cable is safe, not a hazard people can fall over. This might restrict how far from the house you can place the heater, although you can always buy a good, long extension cable.

The eco model above is a super choice when you want to save on fuel and be kind to the environment.

What about the kilowatts?

So how much heat do you need? Small table top heaters tend to come in at 3 – 4 kilowatts, enough to keep the immediate surroundings cosy. Some of our popular patio heaters give off a mighty 8 kilowatts of heat, and at the hottest end of the scale there are models that radiate 11 to 15 kilowatts with ease, powerful enough for pubs, restaurants and company smoking areas, and loved by our commercial customers.

Your choice depends on size of the space, what you’ll be doing in it, at what times of year, and how many people you want to keep warm.

Then there’s the BTU…

Some manufacturers provide the heat coverage in BTUs, others actually quote the surface area in square feet or metres. BTU is a measure of the actual heat output, and it depends on the product’s power rating. Click here to know more about British Thermal Units.

Perfect for much more than your patio

It makes sense to sit it on a flat surface, of course, but because a patio heater runs on gas or electricity you can stand yours on decking, whether it’s wooden or a composite material, and even on the grass, and it won’t catch fire. Just make sure over-excited kids, pets and grown-ups who’ve had one too many can’t knock it over. Maybe arrange chairs around it so wobbly people and crazy animals can’t get too close 😉

Patio heater buyers guide – What it’s made from

Stainless steel is the best choice if you live somewhere salty, for example on the coast, and if your place tends to get humid. Steel patio heaters are great for drier areas.

Patio heater safety tips

It’s the same with any kind of garden heater. Leave at least 50cm clear above the heater and at least 60cm all the way around it. Or follow the maker’s instructions. Never use one of these in an enclosed space unless it is very well ventilated indeed. If you can buy a model with tilt protection, which turns itself off automatically if it falls over, that’s great.

Keeping your patio heater in good nick

Some patio heaters come with fitted covers to keep them in good condition through the year, but you can also buy generic covers in various shapes and sizes, to fit all sorts of different models. To keep yours clean wipe it with a soft damp cloth to get rid of dirt, dust, grit, bird poo, leaves and whatnot.

They’re usually fairly easy to wheel around. If you don’t buy a patio heater cover they’re easy enough to store in a dry shed or garage through winter or when not being used.

Now you know what’s what, which patio heater will you choose? Because we always insist on quality, those we sell are all well worth the money, a good investment in a magical garden leisure lifestyle.