patio heater

Patio Heaters As Outdoor Accessories

Fireplaces or wood-burning stoves have become commonplace in homes where the winters are long, dark and cold. In any given cold-climate city or town, the woodcutters start their businesses around the first week in October. Racks of wood outside back doors become as oft-seen as roses were in the spring. Plus, we now have indoor stoves that burn pellets – cleaner and more efficient than raw-cut firewood.

If we’re safely warmed by our stove or fireplace, why would we want to venture outside to lounge on the patio when the temperature hovers around forty degrees? Simple; patio heaters are gaining enormous popularity as outdoor accessories. In mildly cool areas of the country, we need not be deprived of the glorious site of a star-filled sky and the smell of fresh balsam pine. With a patio heater, we can enjoy the outdoors in autumn rather than retreat into our centrally-heated homes. There’s something magical about gathering around an open fire –indoors or outdoors- and patio heaters are rapidly becoming sought-after accessories.

How Do I Choose A Patio Heater?

There are so many styles and sizes of patio heaters, it just depends upon you own personal preference. Many heaters are actually built into the patio itself as an in-ground fire pit. Fuel such as wood, charcoal and pellets are used in these heaters. Others are built out of brick or ceramic and can take any shape desired by the buyer. Most popular among these free-standing patio heaters are those that are round, pot-belly stove shaped, or square. Each has a “pit” area for the fuel to be burned, plus a ventilation hole on top. The type of ventilation needed depends upon the fuel you plan to use in your patio heater. Cut cordwood burns hotter and longer, but pellets burn cleaner, with less smoke. Patio heaters do more than provide warmth on a crisp November night; they also provide ambiance and style to your patio setting.

Choose a patio heater that you can comfortably afford, taking into account the additional expense of the fuel you plan to use. Describe your patio setting to the merchant, or better still, do business with a merchant that will come to your home and suggest the style of patio heater best for your setting and desires. Also take into account the frequency of which you plan to use your patio heater; occasional use until “hard” winter sets in or more frequent use if you live in a climate with milder winters. This is an accessory that, properly cared for, will last for many years. Consider your patio heater as you would your indoor fireplace; as an accessory that will become a significant part of your family life. Choose a style that you’ll still appreciate many autumns and winters in the future.

Evenings With An Outdoor Patio Heater

How many of you will disagree that spending a cool evening outside in the patio during the transition of winter into summer (and the reverse) is a joyful experience? Many, if not most, since the scene lacks the real source of enjoyment and comfort-an outdoor patio heater that will not allow you chill or have Goosebumps in the lurking cold of the early spring. A wide variety in the size, design, and fuel sources has facilitated choosing an outdoor patio heater according to individual liking.

Fuel Sources Of Patio Heaters

Most commonly, an outdoor patio heater will run by any of the commonly used fuels: natural gas, propane, electricity, wood/wood substitutes, and Alcogel. How much space the heater keeps warm depends on the heater’s size. It might be a few feet or the whole of the outside yard.

Varieties Of Outdoor Patio Heaters

The selection of an outdoor patio heater depends on both the design and the fuel source of the heater. One of the most popular varieties is the Umbrella Type Patio Heater. Fuelled by propane gas, these heaters are ideal for keeping larger spaces warm (up to 20 feet in diameter). The heat is radiated out through the cylinder at the top while the fuel burns at the bottom of the heating unit.

Another popular variety of outdoor patio heaters is the Wood Burning Patio Heater. These type use wood and its derivatives as fuel. While these are attractive choice for people caring for economy, some areas have laws against wood combustion in the property so their selection depends partly on the area where one lives. A luring thing about wood patio heaters is that these can be purchased with a cooking grill, so that you can enjoy making a hot snack while feeling the cool weather outside.

The material of composition of patio heaters varies. Many outdoor patio heaters are made of stainless steel. They can also be purchased with an antique copper finish, painted black, and other materials depending on individual taste.

Outdoor Patio Heaters And Safety

While using an outdoor patio heater, remember that it is not meant for indoor use and hence should be used only in the patio. The gas cylinders providing fuel for these heaters should not be stored inside. In case of Wood Burning Patio Heaters, a chimney must be installed so that sparks coming out are limited and possible damage may be prevented. Take care that children do not play with the heater or its elements. Also, clean and maintain regularly in order to minimize the pollutants emanating from the heater. Store all the fuels and chemicals in a secure garden shed, locked and out of children’s reach.

Portable Heater – Boon Or Curse?

Imagine planning out a wonderful vacation out in the mountains and finding out that the water is ice cold while wanting to take bath. The whole day you would be miserable afterwards. Then, imagine the availability of a portable water heater. Ah! All your problems solved with one phrase.

There Are More Portable Heaters Than This

Portable water heaters are not the only ones that can be carried along for providing home-like comfort in camps in the mountains. You will also need a plain portable heater if you are sleeping somewhere in the wilderness. This is for two reasons – animals are attracted to the smell of man, and will come and investigate whenever they get it. However, they are averse to any type of fire, and fire-related things. A portable heater would he of great help to send off wild animals of nothing else.

We have reports though that sometimes the animals have been attracted because people were carrying portable heaters and these provided them with some warmth when they were feeling cold. Hence, utmost precaution should be taken when going to mountain camps, particularly when the climate is not very conducive.

Some other types of portable heaters are patio heaters which are built with open spaces in mind, and gas portable water heaters. In both the cases the heaters are tested and put through a number of rigorous hand-on use. After one month of rough usage, if the heater is still working fine, then it will be promoted in the market.

However, even then there are instances when among all these tested ones, one un-checked slipped; and as luck would have it, that particular one will be the one that would go to the most spirited customer who would fight anyone to get compensation and all from the irate customer.

It takes a lot to placate an irate customer- but the best policy till date is to accept the complaints looking chastised and then proceed in charming her/his off their feet. This part will be easy because all people are ego conscious and love a little flattery. If you can manage the right balance then the day would end in good news. Otherwise, we have lost a passenger.

Hence, for this product too, there should be a better customer-placating bias. Then, please cut out into our work. The portable heater is indeed a boon to mankind, provided it works well and does not malfunction.

The Interplay Of Humidity Air Conditioner, And Heater

The term humidity refers to the vaporized water existent in the air surrounding us. We commonly hear of relative humidity i.e. the percentage of water vapor measured in the air at a specific temperature. Absolute humidity is the total mass of water vapor in particular volume of air at a given time. It is a well-understood fact that warm air can hold greater quantity of water vapor than cold air. Since air conditioner and heater both alter the air temperature, the humidity level indoors changes significantly with their use.

Humidity Levels And Comfort

The relative humidity level for comfortable condition of the human body is between 20 and 60 percent. For home environment an average 35 to 40 percent relative humidity is optimum given an outside temperature of 20°F or more. But during winter, water vapors on windows and inside of walls occur, raising the humidity level inside. This may cause damage to the structures. In such a case, you need to adjust both your air conditioner and heater to lower degrees. The air conditioner lowers the temperature, which induces condensation on the inner sides of windowpanes. A heater, on the other hand, speeds up the process of evaporation from moisture contained in household items. However, running a patio heater in times of higher humidity inside can counter the problem to some degrees. With air conditioner and heater units, using a humidifier is the best option.

The most obvious signs of discomfort caused by low humidity levels indoors are dry nose and throat, itching, dryness of skin and hair, and irritation of the respiratory tract. To increase the humidity level, instead of an air conditioner and heater, you can use a humidifier. The increase can be brought about in three ways. First, by evaporating more water inside. Here you can use your heater to speed up the process. Take care not to set the heating level too high or you can possibly harm both your health and the indoor plants. The second way is to let air circulate through your room from a wet pad or by discharging a very fine mist of water into your room. For this, you have to add water manually on a regular basis until the desired level of comfort is attained. The third method employs direct introduction of moisture into the room, by means of a furnace.

While using air conditioner and heater for regulating temperature indoor, always use a humidity control unit so as to prevent the levels of humidity from going too high or too low and cause possible health problems as well as structural damage.