Are Electric Patio Heaters Any Good?

Are Electric Patio Heaters Any Good

One of the enjoyable things to do is sit outside and enjoy your patio; the problem is when the temperatures start to drop. Significantly, when the temperatures drop around forty degrees, it is too cold to sit outside, and a gas or wood fire pit will not do the job. (Below) in this article, I will cover different aspects of why electric patio heaters are better than gas or even wood fire pits for outdoor patios.

Are Electric Patio Heaters Any Good?

Sale Dr Infrared Heater DR-338 Carbon Infrared Patio Heater with Tripod,...
Dr Infrared Heater DR-338 Carbon Infrared Patio Heater with Tripod,…

I will give you some tips and my little secret of what I use to keep my patio nice and warm. Not just warm but warm all year round. So, essentially what I use is electric infrared patio heaters. Electric infrared heaters can outperform gas heaters and or wood fire pits when it comes to keeping your patio area comfortable, and here’s why. An electric infrared patio heater will heat your body and all the objects around you without heating the air in between. For example, when you sit on your patio, you feel the infrared heat, and it’s almost like you’re in the sunlight. (Below) let’s cover the actual reality of electric infrared heaters vs. gas heaters.

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Electric Infrared Heater vs. Gas Heater

Most homeowners prefer gas heaters, but here’s the problem with gas heaters. The biggest problem with gas heaters is that they only seem to work when you have a fully covered roof or covered patio. For example, when using a gas heater in an open pergola with open air. In that case, what will happen with the gas heater is that a lot of heat will escape along with gravity, leaving the area where it is most needed. Compared to the electric infrared heater will only heat the objects and not the air, making it more precise. Therefore, the best solution for the open setting is electric infrared heaters. As I mentioned earlier, the infrared heat will heat the objects, including your body. That heat is going to remain down where it needs to be instead of leaving.

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Standing Gas Heater vs. Ceiling/Wall Electric Infrared Heater

Standing gas heaters work pretty well; however, the biggest problem with those is they take up much space on your patio. Suppose you have a decent-sized patio, but it is not huge. In that case, I recommend that you purchase a ceiling/wall-mounted heater to allow you to maintain good square footage.

3 Things to Consider Before Buying an Electric Infrared Patio Heater

1. Space in Your Breaker Box

Electric infrared patio heater units run on 240v hardwire and 110v electrically corded. Therefore, even though they are cost-effective to run, the 240v hardwire is going to take up a good bit of space in your breaker box. Consider oversizing your patio heating system to have the advantage of running one or two heaters as needed. For example, if you only need one unit and the breaker box has room for two. In that case, I recommend installing both units because the weather can always change.

As I mentioned earlier, you will be able to run your electric infrared heaters as needed, which means if it’s not too cold, you can run just one heater, but if the weather drops, you will have the advantage of running the second heater as well. Also, an alternative to wall/ceiling mounted 240v units I recommend is if you don’t want to deal with the installation cost. In that case, you can get a good quality freestanding or wall-mounted 110v corded electric infrared heater that will plug directly into the patio wall outlet. Keep in mind that a corded 110v electric infrared heater will not have the same capacity as a 240v unit hardwired to the breaker box.

2. Number of Heaters

The number of electric infrared heaters you need will depend on the climate in your area and the size of the patio. For example, on a 10×10 square foot patio, some manufacturers recommend one electric infrared unit. However, as I mentioned above, you can double that if you have the extra space in your breaker box. If you don’t size up your patio heating, there’s nothing more annoying than investing, and the heater can’t do it. Again, the thought process is that you can always turn down the heaters, which is the key.

3. Colder Climates

Always be aware of colder climates. Extreme wind can affect the amount of heat given off by gas heaters compared to electric infrared heaters, the heat is not given off. Therefore extreme wind is another reason why you want to double up on electric infrared heaters. Remember that oversizing is not a bad idea for heating your yard; the problem is not having enough heat for your yard.

So, electric infrared heaters are a must in any patio climate, especially in colder climates and any patio setting. I don’t believe that besides a good barbecue, there is no better investment to improve your outdoor experience than electric infrared heaters.