Gas Patio Heaters Guide
As any outdoor heating equipment expert can tell you, there is a choice to be made between gas patio heaters and electric patio heaters (unless you intend to buy one of each!). Nevertheless, both products are extremely effective at providing warmth outdoors and any decision between the two must be based on which will better suit your requirements. Therefore, careful consideration must be paid to this before a purchase is made.
Gas patio heaters have one significant advantage over electric patio heaters in that they can function in wet weather. Indeed, they are usually described as weather resistant so far as they will not give up the fight even after the British summer has long since hung up its gloves. The importance of all-weather performance cannot be understated as it is usually because of poor weather conditions that patio heaters are required in the first place!
Notwithstanding this, gas patio heaters by nature require supplies of gas in order to function. Propane, butane or natural gas are the standard fuel types on which gas patio heaters operate.
In respect of propane and butane, which are both LPG (liquid petroleum gas), the former is by far the most versatile fuel source. Indeed, propane gas patio heaters can perform extremely well even throughout winter whereas butane gas patio heaters, which are relatively efficient, are limited to cool but not cold temperatures. Hooking up your patio heater to a natural gas supply negates the issue of requiring cylinders but as this is potentially very dangerous it must only be carried out by a CORGI registered engineer (in the UK at least).
As for the availability of gas supplies, this is usually not a problem, especially where propane cylinders are concerned. At maximum heat, a standard LPG gas patio heater will burn approximately 1kg of fuel an hour, although typical usage would result in a cylinder lasting up to six weeks. Gas and electric patio heaters cost roughly the same per KW (about 9p) so there is little between them in this respect.
One concern of consumers is that gas may not be the safest option. However, all models should offer ignition and pilot light controls in addition to a safety cut out system if the heater is knocked over whilst alight. Beyond this, naked flame is to gas as water is to electric, so no product is completely hazard free.
In summary, gas patio heaters are more weather resistant than similar outdoor heating products and they offer effective heating up to a radius of 5 metres.
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