Saturday, October 10, 2009

A Patio Without An Outdoor Patio Heater? by Kenny F Leichester

Any outdoors lover will tell you how important an outdoor patio heater is to their homes especially when the weather becomes so cold that spending time outdoors starts to get uncomfortable. When you are cold and shivering, it becomes hard to spend time outdoors freely and the only way to overcome that is with the use of a heater to keep the air outside warm enough for you to spend some time outdoors without worrying that you'll catch a cold. For the home, one of the popular types of heaters you can come across these days is the umbrella or mushroom type of heater.






All summer you have worked hard to make your patio look beautiful. You have spent many lovely hours beneath the outdoor umbrellas you have so enthusiastically bought. You have new patio chaises and tables as well. All will be in vain if you do not get an outdoor patio heater now. Staying out of doors without any heating facility now will amount to committing hara-kiri. Ok, I am exaggerating, but you sure will be inviting pneumonia that way.







Outdoor patio heaters are quite common these days. Anybody who has an open space and is in love with nature must have got one. Look around and you will probably find one on your neighbour's terrace. You must have seen them in the hotels and restaurants, especially those that have outdoor facilities. Of course, the ones you have seen in the public buildings are bigger and more powerful than the ones you will need at home. It is imperative to know the different types of outdoor patio heaters available to make the right choice:





1. According to the fuel they use, you can classify the outdoor patio heater into three different categories. Among them, the electrically operated heaters are the most convenient for the obvious reason. All you need to do is to switch them on. However, the ones that run on natural gas like LPG or propane are no less convenient because they too can be electrically switched on. Chimenea, which uses wood as fuel can also be easily ignited with paper or small pieces of wood. However, you need to keep the supply of fuel in mind in the last two cases. That is the only difference.





2. Next, decide if you would like to have a portable heater or a permanent structure that is mounted on a wall, on a ceiling or on the ground. Portable ones have their advantage. You can take it wherever you need it. If on the other hand, the space is small, you can use a heater that is mounted either on the wall or on the ceiling. It will keep an area of 15' to 20' around it warm and cosy. However, most of the mounted heaters run on electricity.





3. Read the user manual carefully. If it needs installation, have it professionally done to avoid mishap. Mishandling too may cause severe accidents.





4. Place the outdoor patio heater against a wall or similar structure to get optimum benefit. This will make sure that the heat waves produced by it are not driven away from you by the wind.







As I said, there are different types of outdoor patio heaters. All of them have one basic function; that is to heat up your patio. However, some of them have some added benefits as well. Take a chimenea for example. These heaters use pinion wood as fuel. Such wood has a pleasant pine aroma, which also helps to repel mosquitoes and other flying insects. Buy a table heater if your patio is small. These are regular outdoor heaters that run on natural gas, propane or electricity, but can double as a table.







Therefore, find out what exactly you want. Look at all the available models as well and find the one that matches your need most. All the heaters more or less raise the temperature by 15 to 25 degree F with in a radius of 15' to 20'. Yet, if you look carefully, you will find some that will stand out from the rest. They will have one or two added features that will make it more attractive. There is a palm tree shaped heater, which provides a 25 ft circle of warmth when you need it. It can also waft off a cool mist from its copper-coated palm leaves to cool your hot summer days.







That is why it is important to look around. You can do that by surfing the net or by visiting each shop that sells that outdoor patio heater. Nonetheless, do that before you decide on one.







About the Author

Kenny Leichester is a foremost expert in the interior design industry specializing in the outdoor or patio settings using patio furniture, patio umbrellas, outdoor cushions, patio heaters, patio lighting and so on to create exquisitely beautiful layout. His work on teak furniture are widely distributed and is a regular contributor to PatioShoppers.com.

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