A patio heater can help you extend your outdoor entertaining season from early spring into late fall and can even make a cool summer evening more pleasant by providing warm radiance to your outdoor gathering. Patio heaters are normally fueled using liquid propane gas and utilize the same bottles that are used by BBQs. Propane powered patio heaters provide much more warmth and are less expensive to operate than a typical electric heater. This type of patio heater is also self-contained and can typically be moved around freely so you can get the heat where you want it.

Patio heaters come in a number of sizes, shapes, can colors, but the most common type is a freestanding street lantern design. These large patio heaters can send heat up to 15 feet away from the heating unit in all directions. They have a large heavy base and you can even find some units with integrated wheels for easy movement. A well built patio heater will have a heavy base so it will not be easily tipped over, and many up scale models have integrated shelves for holding drinks or small plates since people tend to congregate around them. You can expect to get 10 – 15 hours of heat from a standard sized propane bottle before in must be refilled. You should expect to pay about $250 for a patio heater of this type. Patio heaters come in many styles so can probably find a style that suits your décor. The best heaters are powder coated or are made from stainless steel.

You can also find small tabletop patio heaters that can be placed directly on your patio table, bar, or other low structure. These units use disposable camping sized propane bottles and will normally last 2 – 4 hours. Tabletop patio heaters are considered light duty compared to the full sized units and are also much less expensive.