6 Things to Consider When Buying a Patio Heater

6 Things to Consider When Buying a Patio Heater

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6 Things to Consider When Buying a Patio Heater

If you’re looking to buy a patio heater then there are a number of things you need to think about before splashing your cash.

Some will be more important to some than others but to ensure you consider all options, below you’ll find our list of the top 6 things to consider when buying a patio heater. These are some of the most important things to bear in mind when buying so please take time to read it.

1) Location

One of the most important things you need to think about is where you are going to put your patio heater. The location should be the first thing on your mind as it will dictate some of the following on our list. Are you looking for something to go on a table, is it going in the centre of the patio, on a wall, is your patio near your house, is there an electrical socket nearby, do you have access to a gas supply? As you can see the location is intrinsically linked to many other things to consider and may have an impact on a number of them.

If your patio doesn’t have access to electricity or mains gas then this will push you towards a bottled gas heater. Likewise, if your patio is next to the house and wooden cladding you may wish to opt for an electric heater. There is no one hard and fast rule and you may therefore find as you go through the list of things to consider you’ll bounce back and forth between which type of heater you want until you reach the final decision.

2) Patio heater size

The size of your heater means two things, firstly the physical size and secondly the size of its output, ie how hot it gets.

Firstly let’s look at the physical size. There’s no point in having a small patio and opting for a huge patio heater that will fill all available space. You need to take a really good look at the size of the space you have and then choose something to fit. Have a think about what else you will have on your patio including furniture and number of people. Alternatively, you may decide that you want to keep all of your floor space and opt for a wall-mounted, hanging, tabletop, or parasol heater.

Once you decide on the size of the patio heater you can then look at the heat output of each within the size category to see whether they meet your requirements. At this stage, you may decide to compromise on the size or location of your heater if you need more heat.

3) Patio heater style and appearance

Style and appearance are somethings that may be important to you but likewise, it might not be. Some people will find that the look of the heater is all that matters and if this is the case you may find that some of the free-standing heaters are more appealing. Others will find that the look of the heater bears no impact on their decision and that as long as it heats thats all that matters.

Neither way is wrong and that is what makes this world so interesting!

4) Heat Output

The heat output of a patio heater alongside its physical size and the location is probably one of the most important things to consider when buying a patio heater.

Each patio heater will have in its description either the BTU or the watts that it gives out. This will, in turn, define how much space around the heater will be warmed. The higher the watts and BTU then the more heat it will give off.

5) Cost

The cost of a patio heater will affect some peoples buying decisions and not others but very similar to size, the cost of a patio heater could mean two different things.

To some, it could mean the initial cost of the heater or alternatively it could mean the running costs but either way if you have a budget you need to factor in how much the total overall costs will be. As an example, the running costs of an electric patio heater are generally much lower than a gas patio heater even though the initial purchase costs may be the same.

Even if you are happy to spend lots of money on your new outdoor heater, we’d always recommend you set some form of a budget, as this will make it easier for you to chose in the long run.

6) Fuel

You may be lucky that you can choose whatever fuel you like but this may depend upon a number of other things. Is bottle gas readily available, do you have mains gas, do you have access to an electricity supply near to your patio? All of these things will influence either your choice of patio heater or will influence your costs should you need to pay for installation.

Finally, most people find that their choice of patio heater is affected by at least one if not all of the things on our list above. Although they come in all shapes and sizes, it a decision that’s worth taking time over so do some homework and pick carefully.

If you’re ready to buy your patio heater then please visit our shop and if you’ve found our article helpful then please share it with your friends and family!