There are few things more sociable, enjoyable, and wholesome than gathering around a fire pit with friends and family, eating, drinking, sharing stories, and basking in the warmth of a patio heater. Depending on the space available in your garden, the style of fire pit or heater that appeals to you, your budget, and which type of fuel you think best, there is a range of options for your lawn-heating needs. Read this guide to narrow down your fire pit and patio heater choices.
Space: Fire Pits or Patio Heaters?
If you dream of sipping wine with your partner in the evening on the patio, reading ghost stories to your children by a crackling fire pit, or having your friends around to eat, drink and chat the night away, warmed by a heater in the garden, you will want to invest in a fire pit or patio heater. Depending on the space available to you, you may prefer a wall-mounted or narrow-based patio heater, or alternatively, a grand, impressive fire pit as the main feature of your yard. Whichever lawn-heating option you go for, you’re in for a treat!
The Style of Heater
Now for the fun part – choosing your patio heater or fire pit. If you have decided to buy a patio heater, consider which color and style suit your lawn’s aesthetic. You could go for a discreet wall-mounted black patio heater, or else a shiny silver stainless steel piece that will give your patio a European outdoor restaurant vibe.
If the fire pit option is more appealing, you could choose a fire bowl, whose round shape invites social circles to gather around the flames and is incredibly aesthetically pleasing. Or else, a fire pit table, for a dramatic and bold finish to your lawn. You can browse through pictures of patio heaters and fire pits at FirePitSurplus.com to make an informed choice on which style is best for you. While you’re there, another important consideration will likely spring to mind: the price.
How About the Price?
As there is a range of heaters and fire pits available, understandably there is also a wide range in terms of cost. You can spend anything from just under $300 to over $2000 on a patio heater or fire pit, depending on its features, materials used, size, and appearance. Whatever your budget, you can find an affordable heater that suits your needs.
Fire Pits: Wood or Gas?
Firstly, it is time to move with the times and eliminate wood from our fire pits. Choosing a gas patio heater instead of a wood-burning fire pit eliminates the presence of red hot embers, smoke, and ash. You will also avoid the need to gather and store wood for your fire pit. This makes a gas fire pit a safer, more efficient, and more practical choice.
Fire Pits: Propane or Natural Gas?
Propane has several benefits, including very easy installation. You can simply hook up a propane tank to your fire pit and you’re all set. A smaller propane tank also allows you to move your fire pit around the yard, making it more versatile and maneuverable. Propane is also inexpensive, however, the downside is you will need to make trips to refill the tank. If you are using your fire pit at full strength, a 20lb propane tank will be used up in around four hours, while a moderate flame could burn for up to eight hours.
Natural gas, by contrast, offers an unlimited amount of gas to your fire pit, so you will never run out. However, natural gas is more expensive and involves more upheaval to install as you need to connect your fire pit to a gas line. Therefore, once the fire pit is installed, it cannot be moved. Natural gas is the lower maintenance option once the fire pit is set up and has the added perk of being more eco-friendly.
BTU
British Thermal Unit (BTU) is a measurement for how much heat is needed to raise the temperature of a pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit. The higher the measurement of BTUs, the more flame and the more heat. Propane burns at 2,500 BTUs, while natural gas at the same volume uses 1,000 – 1,500 BTUs, making propane more efficient.
This guide has briefly detailed five key considerations when choosing a patio heater or fire pit for your garden. Considerations to keep in mind include how much space is available in your garden, what style of heater goes with your lawn’s aesthetic, which options work with your budget, and, if you choose to buy a fire pit, what kind of fuel is preferable to you.