our new outdoor patio heater, assembled and ready to go
I’ve been thinking about purchasing an outdoor patio heater ever since we built our new deck a couple of years ago.
A couple of months ago I got serious, did my research and purchased one. Originally, I was looking at a stainless steel model but in the end I picked a heater that has a brown tube and a wicker basket to hide the propane tank.
The patio heater is pictured to the right.
I don’t have a lot of spare cash and when I purchase something I tend to do a fair bit of research to make sure I’m getting a good quality product at the best price.
Here’s a list of the different avenues my research took:
- Local stores that specialized in outdoor heaters and barbecues
- Local hardware stores like Home Depot, Lowe’s and Rona
- Visiting sites online that sold outdoor heaters
What to consider when purchasing a new patio heater
- One of the biggest things to consider is price. I noticed a few different price points. They start around $150, the mid-rand is around $300 and the high-end is around $500. These price might be slightly different in your area, but you get the idea. And like anything you can get more expensive than this if you want to 🙂
- Can you get spare parts and get it repaired if something goes wrong. I found this was only possible with the high-end models. So this is something to consider.
- The biggest issue with patios heaters is that something gets into the burner area and the tube gets plugged. For some reason spiders like the smell of propane and they like to crawl into this area.
- Originally, I was going to get a natural gas model and then plug it into a gas connection on the outside of the wall. This will save a lot of time replacing propane tanks. In the end I decided to go with a propane model so that I could move it around on our deck. This turned out to be a good idea. Are new deck is big and we have an area for eating and just sitting around. I can move it between the two areas depending on what we are doing.
- If you are going to move it around, make sure you get one with wheels. This makes it really easy move and it will be easier on your deck or patio instead of dragging or rolling it. They can be pretty heavy with a full propane tank.
- If you do go with a model that uses a propane tank, don’t forget you will need to purchase this. About another $40.00.
Which heater did I purchase and why:
I really wanted to purchase the high-end heater, but in the end the dollar amount won out and I went with the mid-range model. I like the people at Gasland and their price was competitive to the same model at a different shop. I also new that they could get parts and service the propan heater, but I’m thinking if I take good care of my heater it should last a few years. I will updated this post if that doesn’t pan out.
Here’s the reasons why I purchased the Paramount Wicker Patio Heater from Home Depot:
- I thought the price was reasonable and affordable.
- I purchased it from Home Depot and I’ve always been happy with their service and return policy.
- 46,000 BTUs is a lot hotter than the lower price model and very close to the high-end heaters.
- The brown wicker matches our wicker furniture.
- Better quality than the lower end models.
Assembling the patio heater
It took me a couple of hours to assemble the patio heater. I could have done this quicker, but I also filmed the process and that added to the assembly time. And here is the video of me assembling the heater:
What is your experience wtih purchasing and assembling an outdoor patio heater? Please leave a comment below if you have a comment, tip or question.
Speak Your Mind