While most people won’t really think about going outside during the winter, there are others who see a certain beauty when the outdoors are covered in a blanket of snow. Though the scenery can be rather breathtaking, the problem is the bitter cold.
If you want to enjoy the outdoor scene of your porch during the winter, you’ll need some sort of heating so that your teeth won’t chatter while outside.
That’s where the patio heater comes in.
Patio heaters in the winter are great for those who like spending time outside during the cold weather. Other than that, they’re also useful for keeping you warm if you need to do some outdoor winter chores such as shoveling the snow and such.
If ever you need to buy one of these patio heaters in the winter, here are some of the things you should know:
How It Works
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The first thing that you probably must know is how the heater works. First of all, patio heaters for winter make use of certain energy sources to produce heat. There are typically three energy sources that are available for use. These are electricity, natural gas, and propane fuel.
The one that you choose will depend on how much heat you want to produce, how much are willing to spend on energy cost, and which type is easiest to install.
Patio heaters usually emit heat either through radiation or convection. For radiation, infrared devices are typically used to emit heat via electromagnetic waves that are present when the heater is turned on.
Convection, on the other hand, makes use of a resistor to produce heat. The resistor is usually heated up through electric current and produces hot air. The hot air is then emitted through heater, so that the surroundings can feel it.
How Much Power Can It Produce?
Heating power is usually measured in BTU. The higher the BTU, the stronger the heat that can be felt. This also means that higher BTU can result in further coverage. So,
if you have a heater that has a strong BTU of for example, 45,000, the heat can reach a distance of 20 feet.
What Types Are Available
When we talk of type, we usually refer to the design. There are typically 3 designs to choose from:
- Tabletop outdoor patio heater
- Freestanding patio heater
- Mounted patio heater
- Commercial patio heater
The one you choose will ultimately depend on your eye for design and the space available for it to fit your patio.
Safety Tips
The last thing you need to consider is safety. Though they don’t look dangerous, patio heaters emit extreme heat which may harm you if you don’t handle them properly. Fortunately, most heaters today have timers, which allow them to turn off after a specific amount of time. Some even have auto-off functions that kick in if ever the patio heater falls down or if an object gets too near it.
However, not all products have these features. For this reason, you need to observe some of these safety tips:
- Keep away from animals and children
- Keep away from objects that are flammable
- Make sure it is locked in its place so it won’t fall down
- Always turn it off when not in use
Conclusion
If you’re interested in getting one of these outdoor patio heaters, you need to at least study about it. The information given above are some of the important facts that you need to know about these heaters so that you’ll be ready to use one when the time comes. If you know these things, you can have a relaxing and fun winter outside.
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