My Life On The Deck | Decks, Plans and Outdoor Living

Outdoor living on my deck

Design

Use deck design software to design and build your deck

Deck Design Software

Do you really need deck design software to build a wood deck? This will depend … [Read More...]

Use shed plans to build your perfect garden shed

Outdoor Plans

  Who's also looking for wood plans and shed plans? If you've finally had … [Read More...]

  • Deck Design Blog
  • About
  • Disclosure
  • Deck Software
  • Outdoor Plans
  • Tiki Huts and Tiki Bar Plans
  • Outdoor Heaters
  • Outdoor Lighting
You are here: Home / Blog / An Infrared Heater Can Add Instant Warmth To Your Patios And Decks

An Infrared Heater Can Add Instant Warmth To Your Patios And Decks

June 4, 2012 By Cal Leave a Comment

I love patios and decks because they enable us to live an indoor-outdoor lifestyle. But while every door in my house opens onto a patio or path of some kind, I can’t use all of these areas all year round. Some aren’t covered, some don’t have the ability to incorporate either built-in or moveable seating, and some simply become too cold or wet when the weather is inclement.

Stay warm on your deck or patio with this infared heater that heats up to 100 sq. ft

Stay warm on your deck or patio with this infared heater that heats up to 100 sq. ft

For a deck or patio to earn its worth 365 days of the year, it needs to be designed carefully. Clearly you won’t use any outdoor area every single day of the year, but the point is that if you want to, you should be able to. Comfort is a primary consideration – and this doesn’t only apply to seating. If a patio or deck becomes too cold in winter, it won’t be a very pleasant place. This is why you should consider an infrared heater that you can use when conditions get cold and uncomfortable.

Why bother to heat a patio?

Currently my most-used patio is the one closest to my living room. It features a great built-in brick barbecue that we use all-year-round. We use it for cooking and also build fires to keep us warm on special evenings all year round.

Because the patio area is covered, it doesn’t matter if it rains. I love the sound of rain on the corrugated fiberglass patio roof, but I have to admit it can get cold sitting out there, particularly in winter. This realization led me to consider buying a heater of some sort that we could use outside.

Patio heating options

Certainly a basic cave-man fire in a barbecue, or in a similar structure built specifically as an outdoor fireplace, can keep you warm. But there are other options, specifically using gas or electricity.

The former includes both natural gas and propane heaters, some of which are portable. Most look like lanterns and are made from some sort of plated metal or stainless steel

While some electric patio heaters look just like garden post lanterns, others look like table lamps. They are made from a variety of materials including steel (which is sometimes powder coated), stainless steel, cast aluminum and even tough resin.

Examples from Fire Sense, which is available in both the US and Canada, include:

    • Ordinary pole-mounted and telescoping offset pole-mounted designs with glass covers over the heating elements. These heat quickly and are easy to adjust. They operate at 90% to 100% heating efficiency, providing a nine-foot blanket of heat in seconds. These designs are supplied with PVC covers and are portable, so you can also use them indoors if you wish.
    • Wall-mounted designs (that may also be attached to vertical decking posts). Like the various pole-mounted heaters, these have a glass front and may be used inside or outside. They are supplied with aluminum covers.

Some pros and cons of different types of patio heaters

The two most popular patio heaters – infrared and propane – both have their pros and cons. While gas is generally considered more eco-friendly than electricity, unless you have piped gas, you’re going to have to accommodate a gas bottle which will need to be refilled from time to time. The infrared types run on ordinary household electric current and are in fact considerably less expensive to run than those that use propane gas.

The electric types generally don’t heat more than a 10-foot radius, although you can overcome this problem on a larger patio by installing two, perhaps one on either side. A pro is that the heat is not affected by wind, while gas heaters are.

Both types of heaters do a good job of heating patios, although propane heaters don’t cope well in temperatures below 40 °F because the gas starts to crystallize. In addition, many people prefer the more natural radiant heat produced by an infrared heater.

Radiant heaters are available in a range of designs that will complement all styles of outdoor furniture. Just be sure you choose one that is either ETL (which means it meets the ECA energy technology criteria) or CSA approved (which means it complies with international standards and has been certified).

Filed Under: Blog, Outdoor Heaters

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Videos

Categories

  • Arbors/Pergolas
  • Decks
  • Entertaining
  • Garden Sheds
  • Outdoor Fireplaces
  • Outdoor Heaters
  • Outdoor Lighting
  • Outdoor Plans
  • Tiki Huts and Bars
  • Videos

Living

Outdoor Heaters

It's no fun if you or your guests are cold on your deck or patio. You can make … [Read More...]

Enjoying a new tiki bar

Tiki Bars and Tiki Huts

You can build a tiki bar or tiki hut that is authentic, sturdy and a lot cheaper … [Read More...]

Recent Posts

Build a lasting memory with your backyard project

(BPT) - There are regular backyard projects and then there are those special backyard projects that bring families closer together, both during the construction and while enjoying the finished … [Read More...]

Choosing the Right Decking Material for your Deck

When people talk about choosing decking material they are usually talking about the wood on the deck floor. The deck floor is exposed to the elements and gets most of the wear and tear. Besides the … [Read More...]

Do I Need A Building Permit To Build A Deck And What Is The Process?

One of the first questions you should have when planning your new deck is, “do I need a building permit to build my deck?” The best way to find this out is visit your local city hall and get a copy of … [Read More...]

5 Reasons Why Deck Plans Are Necessary and How to Create Them For Free

If you are planning on building a deck you will need a good set of plans to make a quality deck. You can pay a lot to get custom plans, but you can also get free plans or create the plans yourself … [Read More...]

Designing Your New Deck

The first part of designing your new deck is dreaming about the deck you want. I think it is a good idea to get a pen and paper and write down all of the things you want in your new deck. Think about … [Read More...]

Steps to Build a New Deck

Whether you are building a deck or having someone build a deck for you, there are a lot similar steps that you need to follow in designing and planning your deck. A couple of years ago we went through … [Read More...]

[footer_backtotop]

Copyright © 2017. All Rights Reserved. · My Life On The Deck - decks, plans, outdoor living