Patio Heaters

Although the three propane patio heaters tested here five years ago have been discontinued, two of them have been replaced by similar models. While it's disappointing that only three models from two brands… were tested it's notable that editors found no real drawbacks to any of them. Editors do note that tall standing models can be hard to move unless you choose a wheeled version. Heating is limited, though. At 65 degrees, both standing patio heaters warm an area about 20 feet in diameter, while the table model warms an eight-foot circle, confirming manufacturers' and retailers' claims. (Note that if your table is very large, this won't be enough.) At 55 degrees or in wind, felt warmth drops dramatically.

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This brief article recommends the BernzOmatic Outdoor Patio Heater, based on testing by the Good Housekeeping Institute, but doesn't document the testing methods. Earlier tests reported in the Sept. 2001… issue recommend a cast-iron chiminea as the safest type of wood-burning outdoor heater. The specific Axxonn San Simeon chiminea tested earns praise for its 4.5-foot height (which directs smoke away), good spark guards and easy assembly.

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Quite a few of the patio heaters sold here have accumulated enough owner-written reviews and ratings to be useful. The range of ratings is dramatic, with five owners giving one of the more expensive patio… heaters (The BernzOmatic Brushed Nickel model) an average rating of only 1.6 on a five-point scale, while two others earn average ratings above four. Ratings of fire pits cover an even wider range, with a few standing out.

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One of several articles on outdoor heating at The Washington Post, this overview notes that tall propane patio heaters are actually the midpoint in options. They're more expensive than clay chimineas and… the least expensive wood-burning fire pits, but much less expensive than fireplace kits, which run around $2,000, or custom-built outdoor fireplaces that cost much more. An earlier article by Sara Schaefer Munoz, published Oct. 22, 2005, recommends four specific patio heaters, but the BernzOmatic recommended here as boosting temperature by up to 40 degrees gets unusually low ratings at HomeDepot.com and Amazon.com, where owners say it's hard to feel heat from it.

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This four-page buyer's guide provides a good overview of outdoor heater types and price ranges, covering some types not discussed in detail elsewhere. In addition to the usual propane patio heaters and… wood-burning fire pits, Jim Dulley discusses outdoor gas-log fire pits and fireplaces, tank-top propane heaters, infrared electric heaters and more. The article describes some specific models but doesn't rank them. A diagram shows how to position a patio heater for best results, and a chart helps compare fuel costs. A few specific models do get extra attention.

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This article at British garden site Garden Action is mostly a buyer's guide to patio heaters, with an interesting viewpoint on the environmental aspects. The basic argument is that if a family sits outside… on the patio into the evening, they're using less energy (and adding less carbon dioxide to the environment) than if they were sitting inside with lights and TV on, with the central heating turned up. It's not a wholly convincing argument, but it at least makes one think about when and how a family is apt to use such a heater.

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Buzzillions doesn't sell patio heaters, but publishes owner-written reviews and ratings of them. Oddly enough, the patio-heater listings are mixed in with all kinds of space heaters, so the easiest way to… show them all is to filter the list by a patio-heating retailer. Most of the reviews just duplicate the owner-written reviews from PatioHeaterStore.com, but it does let you compare prices at other stores. It's interesting to see that like restaurant and pub owners, some homeowners get a patio heater to help household members smoke outside, to keep indoor air clean.

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