You LOVE spending time on your patio, enjoying a relaxing evening cocktail or entertaining friends for a barbecue on a Saturday afternoon, but suddenly summer is over, the leaves turn color, the air turns crisp, and it’s time to pack it in as far as outdoor living is concerned. Or is it?
What if you could turn the page of your calendar to October and even November and continue to enjoy your patio and do all the things you did in the warmer months? You can do so if you choose to invest in a propane patio heater!
With such a heater, you will have chosen an efficient and low-cost option that will allow you to live as if summer hasn’t yet ended. Eat, drink, or just relax on your beautiful patio while your neighbors are indoors watching you with envy, or stubbornly enduring the cool air as they sit on their own patios huddled under blankets.
Let’s look at more details, such as the benefits of and safety practices associated with propane patio heaters, and see why this might be the smartest investment you could make if you’re not quite ready to give up your outdoor living as summer becomes a memory and fall settles in.
What is a Propane Patio Heater?
A propane patio heater is a portable device that heats up your outdoor space with propane gas. Propane patio heaters come in all shapes and sizes. They might be tall or short free-standing units, hanging or wall-mounted units, or even smaller tabletop devices.
The heat from a propane patio heater is not distributed by a fan but is radiated by a reflector on top of the unit that directs the heat downward and disperses it in a given area.
The device is attached to a propane tank, usually 20-, 40-, or 100-lb. tanks depending on the size of the area you are attempting to heat.
Benefits of a Heater vs. a Fireplace
What makes a propane patio heater a better option than, say, a fireplace or fire pit?
First, propane will heat more quickly and have a greater heating capacity than a fireplace (generally a propane patio heater will heat areas up to 15 degrees higher than a fireplace or other heating device); thus, heat is created fairly instantly using this type of heater. A patio heater will also be portable, so you can move the unit around as needed, wherein a fireplace will be a stationary unit.
A propane patio heater is also more beneficial than an electric fireplace or other units in that you do not need any cords or outlets for operation.
Finally, you can control the amount of propane used when using a patio heater as opposed to a fireplace, so you can reduce the amount of gas you’re using and thus save money and cut down on the need for buying propane during the season.
How Much Propane is Needed and How Long Will It Last?
The amount of propane you’ll need for a patio heater and how long that propane will last will depend entirely on the size of the tank and how much you use the heater.
Basically, a 20-lb. tank holds 430,00 BTUs of liquid propane gas. If your heater burns 40,000 BTUs an hour to heat your desired space, then the propane will last nearly 11 hours. Depending on usage, this might only last a week or two at most. A 100-lb. tank would hold enough propane to last you approximately six weeks, again depending on usage.
Safety
Safety is a key issue when using any type of propane heating unit.
For a freestanding propane patio heater, you want to ensure that the unit is sturdy and secured so it will not fall over and potentially start a fire. You might opt for a heater that has an on/off switch, so you won’t have to ignite it manually; such a switch is also a smart option in that the unit can be turned off quickly in an emergency.
Many patio heaters also come equipped with a tilt shut-off valve; this is a great safety feature that you might want to consider when shopping for your propane patio heater.
Unless the manufacturer states otherwise, a propane patio heater should not be used for covered patios or porches; these units are generally designed for outdoor use only.
Where Can I Buy the Propane?
If you live in North Carolina or in the Mount Joy, PA, area, then the answer is simple: Diversified Energy is one of the top propane retailers with 25,000+ customers throughout NC as well as portions of VA, SC, and PA.
Gas Up Your Home
Don’t let your patio time go away with the weather! Let us help you warm your favorite outdoor space!
Your propane is delivered quickly and professionally by our experienced technicians using a GPS computerized delivery system and, if chosen, an automatic delivery schedule.
In addition to propane delivery, Diversified Energy propane generators and other products offer unprecedented quality. We offer gas line and propane product installation, maintenance, emergency response for propane leaks, and storage tank rentals, and above- and underground tank installation.
In short, Diversified Energy is your go-to when it comes to any of your residential propane needs.
