Heat Your Patio, Balcony, Terrace or Party Area

How Outdoor Heating Works with a Radiant Heater, fireplace, fire basket and Fire Glass Bowl Table

Cold is Of Course About Location, Location, Location

Depending on your location, the days when you can sit outside on the patio, balcony or terrace in the evenings or at night, without shivering can be few and far between.

Patio heater makes possible what nature alone can not do: in spring and autumn, but also on cool summer nights, it ensures pleasant warmth under the patio roof. We present you the advantages and disadvantages of the most popular heaters, with which you can bring your terrace to a comfortable temperature.

But before it comes to concrete heaters and their advantages and disadvantages when using on the terrace, we have to make a detour to physics. After all, heating the terrace is very different from heating closed rooms – mostly because the terrace is an open space.

Heating principles and heating in closed rooms
You need to know that heat can be transferred in different ways:

thermal radiation
Heat conduction (conduction)
Heat flow (convection)
It would go too far at this point to describe in detail the three types of heat transfer. Therefore, we summarize the most important things for you:

Thermal radiation means the heat transfer, at which thermal energy (heat) is transmitted by electromagnetic waves (infrared radiation, infrared light). The most important source of thermal radiation is the sun.
Heat conduction means the heat transfer form in which heat is transferred through bodies from higher temperature regions to lower temperature regions.
Heat flow means the type of heat transfer in which heat is transferred from flowing liquids or gases.

A heater in the house, which sends the heating water heated by a heat generator through the heating pipes to the connected radiators, produces heat according to the principle of heat flow. It is therefore also called convection heating or convection heating. The heater heats the cold air on the radiator, causing it to move, rising and allowing colder air to sink down, which in turn heats up. So the air in the room is constantly circulated. Infrared heating (IR heating), on the other hand, does not heat the air in the room, but rather bodies that are affected by their radiated heat in the long-wave spectrum, including living things, furniture or component surfaces such as walls, ceilings, floors. These partially absorb (absorb) the light and convert it to heat. Such heated bodies give heat to the room again. Radiation components that are reflected heat further bodies and surfaces.

Good to know: Humans perceive mild radiant heat most pleasantly. It penetrates up to 0.3 millimeters deep into the human skin. The heat radiation that provides an IR heater is perceived similar to that of the sun or a fire.

Heating a patio – a physical challenge with limited efficiency
It is clear that heating an open terrace is like filling a bottomless pit. A heat that is generated on the terrace is constantly being transferred to the naturally colder surroundings: literally heating up the whole district.

Heating a terrace only makes sense if it is covered. Then the heat stays longer underneath. From a physical or energetic point of view, one or two side walls would be even more heat-efficient so that a partly closed terrace would be used for heating.

Electricity or gas? 10 reasons that speak for an electric radiant heater
After a long winter, summer is finally here. We spend more and more time outdoors, and many restaurants have been setting up their tables outdoors for a few months now.

In the evening, however, it is still quite cold, so often different types of radiant heaters are used to maintain a pleasant temperature even after dark. Below are ten reasons why an electric radiant heater is preferable to a gas-fired radiant heater.

1. An electric heater consumes less energy because all the energy is used to heat a surface, which in turn reflects the heat. In a gas-fired radiant heater, the energy is used to heat the ambient air, d. H. the required energy dissolves in the truest sense of the word in the air.

2. An electric radiant heater is also safer than the gas-powered alternative. This is due to the fact that no gas cylinders are required, which always pose a certain risk due to their combustible content. In addition, unlike the gas patio heater, there are no open flames.

3. Another disadvantage is that the burning gas of a gas deck heater is sensitive to draft. On the other hand, an electric radiant heater can also be installed in areas exposed to wind and weather.

4. An electric radiant heater is virtually maintenance-free, unlike gas-fueled alternatives where gas cylinders need to be changed on a regular basis. In addition, hoses and valves must be cleaned regularly to ensure that the unit is working properly, even with an electric radiant heater.

5. An electric heater heats up as soon as you turn it on. You do not have to wait for the gas to warm up the system before you feel an effect.

6. In certain areas, such as B. on glassed terraces or balconies, the oxygen supply for the use of gas radiant heaters may be insufficient because gas for the combustion process requires oxygen so that the flame does not go out.

, 7. In addition, when burning gas carbon dioxide, which favors the greenhouse effect. You can avoid all this if you decide to use an electric radiant heater.

8. Modern electric radiant heaters are extremely powerful, even in the smaller version. This simplifies the positioning, as they do not take up any precious space on the terrace.

9. There are also electric radiant heaters that can be installed directly under a canopy or a parasol. This is not possible with a gas-fired radiant heater, as there must be no open flame near textiles or other flammable materials.

10. In addition, the operating costs of an electric radiant heater are lower. A standard gas bottle lasts about half a day before it needs to be replaced. In comparison, the power consumption of energy-saving, electric radiant heaters in relation to the generated heat is much lower, call us here: (888) 556-8121.