Heating – Page 8

Heater TypeWeight (avg)Propane Heater (no tank)60 - 120 lbsNatural Gas Heater (no tank)60 - 120 lbsNatural Gas Heater (tank)80 - 140 lbsPropane Heater (tank)80 - 140 lbsElectric Standing30-50 lbsElectric Wall Mount5-15 lbs(assuming a 20 lbs gas tank) A lot more goes into finding the best patio heater than most people realize. For starters, you need to figure out how much space you have outdoors to commit to these kinds of heaters before they start to encroach on the livable area or usable area you’re looking to heat in the first place. Secondly, you need to think about how much these heaters weigh and whether or not they are going to be safe to drop on top of a patio, deck, or right onto the ground. If you’re going with mounted heaters or portable heaters you’ll need to think about how much they weigh to figure out if there stick to your walls or if you can comfortably maneuver them around, too. Combine that with finding a heater that has the right BTU output, good energy efficiency, a gorgeous design, and the ability to keep almost on demand and the search definitely becomes more difficult than most people think at first. Below we cover the ins and outs of what you need to think about when you search for a new patio heater when it comes to their overall weight. From there we’ll dig into some of the not always intuitive reasons behind why the weight of your new patio heater matters so much in the first place! Let’s get right into it! How Much Does a Patio Heater Weigh? Gas heater detail with flame There’s no real “hard and fast” limit to how much a patio heater is going to weigh, and there’s really no industry average for these kinds of units, either. Some of that has to do with the fact that these heaters are made by so many different manufacturers and with so many different materials that it’s impossible to have an average weight. Some of it also has to do with the fact that other units are very minimalist in nature while others have every bell and whistle you can imagine. All of that adds up to extra weight (or weight savings). At the same, there is definitely a range of weights that you can expect to find when looking at patio heaters. For the most part, you’ll find units that way between about 15 pounds and 100 pounds or so – and very rarely will you find anything that fits outside of that range. Here’s a quick breakdown of the kinds of weights you can expect from different types of heaters on the market right now. Portable Units Portable units are definitely on the lighter weight side of things, though they aren’t necessarily the latest options on the market today. Yes, they have to be lightweight enough to be moved around and maneuvered comfortably. But they also usually have wheels attached that allow them to be happier than something that has to be wall-mounted, for example. Expect portable units (like the Hiland Table Top portable heater) to weigh anywhere between 15 pounds and 30 pounds or so. Wall Mounted Options Wall-mounted options are generally amongst the latest units you’re going to find, which shouldn’t surprise anyone these units have to physically be screwed into a wall and then hung there on a permanent (or at least semipermanent) basis. The Veito Blade Wall Mount Patio and Home Heater, for example, measures in at just 4.4 pounds. That represents a huge weight savings compared to pretty much any other standard unit out there, but it has to be lightweight enough for you to confidently attach it to your walls or a mounting system. Full Size Units Full size units, real standalone units, can weigh pretty much anything and everything imaginable within that 15 pound to 100 pound weight range we mentioned earlier. One of the lightest full-size, standalone units available on the market today is the Hiland HIL-1500DI Electric Patio Heater – a relatively portable heater that weighs just 21 pounds and change. In the middle is the Hampton Bay stainless steel patio heater, measuring in at about 33 pounds. At the heaviest and you have something like the Mirage 38,000 BTU unit that is a real beast of the thing, weighing in at 88.8 pounds. Add in propane tanks that weigh 20 pounds themselves in your looking at anywhere between 35 pounds and 120 pounds or more in weight for each and every one of your standalone units. Important Things to Consider When It Comes to Patio Heater Weight The overall weight of your patio heater is going to have a huge impact on how you use it, too. This is why it’s so important for you to fully understand how much your new unit ways, how much all of them are going to weigh together, and how you plan on using, standing, or mounting them in the future. Light Units are Easier (And Safer) to Hang Common sense says that lighter weight units are a whole lot easier and a whole lot safer to hang, and that definitely holds true here. All the same, don’t think that you are going to be able to get away with hanging any propane patio heater with standard drywall screws or something similar. You’re going to need to use lag bolts that are strong, heavy duty, and resistant to inclement weather. On top of that, you’ll also need to make sure that you are mounting your heater directly into wall studs as well. Those little drywall hanging inserts just aren’t going to support something like a propane heater. Heavier Units are Less Prone to Blow or Tip Over Heavier units are definitely going to be a bit of a pain to lug around and get set up the first time, but they also are a whole lot less likely to blow over or to tip over accidentally. Safety has to be one of the highest priorities when you are running the school little appliances. Every year folks end up getting injured because of a propane patio heater falling over, some of them pretty significantly (especially if the heater was on at the time). Stiff winds can certainly blow over really lightweight standalone units that are going to stand proud on a very narrow base, but with people milling around and walking near these units all the time it’s not unreasonable to assume someone might knock into that and took them over, too. Look for heavier units that can stand up to everything Mother Nature and accidental bumps have to offer. How Many Units Will You Have in a Space? Devices for heating visitors in an outdoor cafe Another consideration you may not yet be thinking about is how many units you’re going to used to heat a specific space. A lot of people (understandably) think that they have to heat a patio space with all the same kinds of units, crowding it with a couple of units that are probably too big or little to “extra” for the space that they are set up in. Nothing could be further from the truth. No, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with going with a mix of standalone heaters, wall-mounted heaters, and even portable ground-level heaters to distribute more even heat throughout the outdoor space you’re adding these elements to. This not only helps you create better flow in the spaces (using the heaters themselves to establish that float), but it also helps you to cut down on the weight of putting half a dozen or more patio heaters on top of your patio. Make Sure Your Patio Can Support the Extra Weight Your Adding Of course, if your patio isn’t built right on the ground but is instead raised (like a little deck, for example) you’ll need to be sure that it can handle all the extra weight of the heaters that you are adding into the mix. Most patios are definitely overbuilt enough to have a couple of heaters (even the 100 pounders) added, though some aren’t going to be able to take that extra weight capacity. When calculating how much weight your patio can handle don’t just think about the heaters themselves, either. Think about how many people you are going to be entertaining on those spaces at a time, how much furniture you’re going to have on the patio as well, and anything else that is going to be permanently or semi-permanently on that structure. Your patio needs to be able to support ALL of that weight – dynamically, too, with everyone milling around on the patio – without ever becoming a safety problem. Consider the Weight of Your Fuel Source, Too 3d rendering image of classic gas cylinder Finally, it’s important that you factor in the weight of the fuel that you are going to be powered your patio heater with as well. A lot of people feel like they can stick a 33 pound Hampton Bay heater pretty much anywhere they like, not realizing that a 20-25 pound propane tank is going to have to be positioned pretty close by, too. Make sure that you factor the weight of the fuel that you are going to be using to power your new patio heaters into the equation as well. Far too many people overlook this only to discover later that becomes a much bigger headache than they ever had anticipated. Consider all the details about and you shouldn’t have much (if anything) to worry about, though. Alright guys, that’s it for this article, if you are interesting in reading more about patio heaters, we have lots of cool articles related such as: Can Patio Heaters be Used on a Deck (Read This First!) Can Patio Heaters be Used on a Screened-in Porch? (Quick Facts) Do Patio Heaters Use A Lot of Electricity? (3-minute Read) Are Patio Heaters Any Good (Long Term Owners Review)