Patio Heaters Reviews

Patio heaters have been around since 1961 but became more popular recently, initially with bars and restaurants trying to provide a more pleasant environment for patrons forced outside by anti-smoking laws. They since have spread to home use as a means of extending the patio season. A freestanding patio heater, in the most favorable conditions (no wind) and in mild weather (above 60 degrees F), can warm up to a 20-foot radius by what feels like as much as 20 degrees. Patio heaters are powered by natural gas, propane or electricity and warm people and objects (but not the air) through radiant heat in conjunction with a reflective domed panel. There are standalone patio heaters, tabletop models and heaters that are mounted overhead to a ceiling or support beam. Patio heaters also come in commercial and residential grades – commercial patio heaters are more sturdily constructed to withstand daily use and have more efficient mechanics, and thus are more expensive.

While a patio heater sounds like a surefire solution to a chilly outdoor space, patio heaters of any kind won't do much to make the outdoors very tolerable in temperatures below 55 degrees Fahrenheit or in winds exceeding ten mph. They make relatively mild weather more pleasant, but they are not capable of making a patio toasty in cold or windy weather. Most gas heaters won't work at all if it's very windy since they can't stay lit. So, a patio heater is only a good solution in mild, non-windy weather.

There are few credible sources for reviews of patio heaters, and we found no reviews from websites that have no commercial interest in selling a patio heater to you. Consumer Reports did a brief report in 2003, but none of the three patio heaters tested are still current. The online retailer PatioHeatingPlus.com reviews 20 models with a paragraph or two on each, but while it offers occasional mild criticism about a product's appearance or, in one instance, potential sootiness, it recommends all the models it reviews and really offers little help in determining which is the best deal in a given price range. User reviews at Amazon.com, Walmart.com and HomeDepot.com are of some help.

Since we found no credible reviews for patio heaters, and since owner feedback is also very minimal, the models included in ConsumerSearch Fast Answers are representative of the different types of heaters out there.  ... Continued

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We found no good comparison reviews of patio heaters, and only a handful of owner-written reviews for these models. For this reason, the models included in ConsumerSearch Fast Answers should be considered as representative models in their type.