Patio heater?

[Drama Llama]

Someone suggested a patio heater as a way to extend our outside time with family and friends.  We live where the weather sometimes goes below freezing, but where we don't get a ton of snow.  We have an elderly family member, and a younger kid whose asthma can be triggered by cold, so looking for ways to allow them to visit with family outside as it gets colder.

We don't have any kind of porch, so it would need to be all the way outside.  We've got active kids, and while the youngest is 6 and so old enough to not stick fingers in it or something, I'd want something where a flying soccer ball wasn't a disaster.   We have an elderly family member who loves to sit outside and watch the children play, and keeping him warm and allowing someone from outside our bubble to sit with him would be one of the goals, that and outdoor meals. 

Ideally, I'd like it to be something we could put away in the garage when we weren't using it, because the space we'd put it gets used for other things, like sidewalk chalk, and roller skating. 

 

[Matryoshka]

We just got a fire pit.  (metal, raised above the ground, with a removable grate for ashes and open metal mesh over most of the top to reduce sparks).  We have a wood stove inside, so have plenty of wood, and that made sense for us.  It will be easy to pick up and bring inside the garage or shed for storage off-season.

My brother apparently got some kind of radiant thing that's up in the air??  I haven't seen it, but my parents have been over since he's had it and say it's something a lot of restaurants have (?) but that you have to be pretty much right under it to get the heat.  Because - heat rises!  Why would you want the heat source above you?  This confuses me.  And you can't have a bunch of people gather around it.  This is a similar problem even with radiant heaters that are on the ground - they face pretty much one direction, so if you're trying to distance as well, that's hard.

I've encouraged my parents to get a propane-fueled heater for their patio.  Sometimes they look fire-pit-like, but I've also seen some that are kind of in a table-like thing?  I think they could give the same kind of 360-degree warmth as a fire pit, if you selected one with the right design.  My parents don't want to deal with wood.  My mom would really like something she could plug in, but my dad's with me on the one-direction heating issues with something electric.

[Matryoshka]

19 minutes ago, Dreamergal said:

We are also considering patio heaters because the outside needs to be livable even though we have winter barely. We have a fire pit but it is not portable. This is what we are looking at 

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Hampton-Bay-48000-BTU-Stainless-Steel-Patio-Heater-NCZH-G-SS/302563841

Ideally we would love one with wheels to go back and forth between the front porch and patio, but could not find one. 

That must be the kind of thing my brother got?  My wood-burning fire pit also from Hampton Bay, and I got it at Home Depot! 😄 

We got this one, but there are many styles.

This or this or this is the kind of thing I was thinking my parents should get...

19 minutes ago, Dreamergal said:

Better order fast though, they are getting sold out. 

Yes, this.  I just happened to be in Home Depot, looking for something else entirely, and there was a huge display.  I called dh and told him I wanted to buy one right then, because I knew there would be at best no selection if I waited, and they'd probably be sold out.  I was in Home Depot again about a week ago, and I didn't see a single one.

Edited October 12, 2020 by Matryoshka

[mathnerd]

Costco sells a good one (could be out of stock online, but, the local costco had it 3 weeks ago). A lot of my friends have put one of these on their patio for socializing. My son's old piano teacher had one in the patio for students to converge there after recital (pre-Covid times) and it was cosy and made winter evening recitals tolerable. I think that you might want to check how many BTU's of heat you need for your outside seating area before you decide to purchase one.

https://www.costco.com/spiral-flame-patio-heater.product.100516048.html

 

[Drama Llama]

We might also get a fire pit, but for this, I want something that's fast and easy and portable.  Like the kids are playing outside after watching, Ggpa's watching but he's getting a little cold, so we wheel something over and turn it on?  An hour later he goes inside, and we turn it off and move it out of the way so the kids can play four square in the same spot.  Does such a thing exist?  

The fire pits look heavy.  Getting it out of the garage, dealing with wood, lighting it, supervising it, waiting for it to cool enough to put it away.  That seems like using it would be an event.  

[KungFuPanda]

I recently read that patio heaters are one of those hard-to-get items like bikes, sewing machines, and exercise equipment. I haven’t shopped myself, but I really want one. Actually, I just want them to make heated patio furniture. 😬

[Moonhawk]

Okay, so this is coming from someone who has very little experience with cold so my "suggestion" is actually a question. Have your rock salt grains ready.

Would an electric blanket on him keep him comfortable and able to watch wherever (assuming a cord can reach him) but not be a danger to the kids and flying soccer balls? It would make it so that HE is the only beneficiary, true, but it sounds like a lot of these options don't cover many bodies/space. Or maybe you can have a fleet of blankets available so that way whoever is visiting can be comfortable and also distanced. GG can have his special blanket so cross contamination isn't an issue, and other "frequent visitors" maybe have their special ones too. 

[Matryoshka]

20 minutes ago, BaseballandHockey said:

We might also get a fire pit, but for this, I want something that's fast and easy and portable.  Like the kids are playing outside after watching, Ggpa's watching but he's getting a little cold, so we wheel something over and turn it on?  An hour later he goes inside, and we turn it off and move it out of the way so the kids can play four square in the same spot.  Does such a thing exist?  

The fire pits look heavy.  Getting it out of the garage, dealing with wood, lighting it, supervising it, waiting for it to cool enough to put it away.  That seems like using it would be an event.  

Yeah, I'm pretty much thinking of it for when I want to have someone over to visit.  I'm very good at starting wood fires quickly (since that's how we heat part of our house in the winter), and if I'm having someone over, I want it to stay lit for a while.  Once I put it there, I plan to leave it in one place for the season.  My kids are grown, we all pretty much will be sitting!  And it needs to stay on the patio area (which we're still working on finishing... might be just dirt for a while); can't go on the grass.

I wonder if any of the propane heaters are reasonably portable?

[mommyoffive]

I was reading that those gas heaters suck gas fast.  I have no experience with it though. 

[wintermom]

The only outdoor 'patio heater' that would be worthwhile where I live is a hot tub or sauna. Not a super solution for inviting neighbours, but fun for me! 😀

[Pam in CT]

We've long had one of the tall radiant ones that lots of restaurants have.  Pros: attractive, sheds some light as well as heat.  Cons: A lot of the heat is head-high, which is higher than sitting-at-table-level; and they're not very portable.  Now that we have the other model, I've become convinced that this model is really meant to be under a tent, so the heat is captured by the tent ceiling and walls (which may not be what you're looking for if your goal is COVID air circulation).

Because COVID, we've recently invested in two different types that screw onto a propane tank -- something like this (with two disks, aiming in a particular direction) and this (with one radiant heating element).  Pros: correct height for sitting at table, easily portable to different parts of the yard or pop in the trunk to take to a park or a friend's house; the one with the disks is "aim-able" exactly where you want to direct the heat. Cons: butt ugly. I mean, seriously industrial ugly.

I love covered metal fire pits, and they're attractive; and we're planning to get one so my husband the newbie chicken farmer can continue to sit out there communing with his "ladies" as the weather turns. But they really don't throw off enough heat unless you're right there beside them, so while good for socializing not so good if you actually want to EAT at a TABLE.

[bibiche]

@BaseballandHockey Fire pits aren’t ideal for asthmatics, so you might want to cross that off your list. 

[Drama Llama]

6 minutes ago, Pam in CT said:

We've long had one of the tall radiant ones that lots of restaurants have.  Pros: attractive, sheds some light as well as heat.  Cons: A lot of the heat is head-high, which is higher than sitting-at-table-level; and they're not very portable.  Now that we have the other model, I've become convinced that this model is really meant to be under a tent, so the heat is captured by the tent ceiling and walls (which may not be what you're looking for if your goal is COVID air circulation).

Because COVID, we've recently invested in two different types that screw onto a propane tank -- something like this (with two disks, aiming in a particular direction) and this (with one radiant heating element).  Pros: correct height for sitting at table, easily portable to different parts of the yard or pop in the trunk to take to a park or a friend's house; the one with the disks is "aim-able" exactly where you want to direct the heat. Cons: butt ugly. I mean, seriously industrial ugly.

I love covered metal fire pits, and they're attractive; and we're planning to get one so my husband the newbie chicken farmer can continue to sit out there communing with his "ladies" as the weather turns. But they really don't throw off enough heat unless you're right there beside them, so while good for socializing not so good if you actually want to EAT at a TABLE.

Butt ugly doesn't bother me, and I can get those. 

Would you consider them safe around active kids?  

[Drama Llama]

Just now, bibiche said:

@BaseballandHockey Fire pits aren’t ideal for asthmatics, so you might want to cross that off your list. 

Would the propane things be safe for a child with asthma?   I think there are lots of downsides to the fire pit.  

[bibiche]

7 minutes ago, BaseballandHockey said:

Would the propane things be safe for a child with asthma?   I think there are lots of downsides to the fire pit.  

All fuel burners can, but IME the particulate matter in wood burning exacerbates it more. I have asthma and don’t have a problem with cooking over propane or gas, but wood fires definitely trigger my asthma. Not great for the environment either, unfortunately.

Edited October 13, 2020 by bibiche

[Pam in CT]

re safety around children:

22 minutes ago, BaseballandHockey said:

Butt ugly doesn't bother me, and I can get those. 

Would you consider them safe around active kids?  

Well, the heating element does get hot.  And they sit on the top of the propane, and so can tip over... but there's a safety shut-off that kicks in at quite a low threshold -- I've knocked ours off just dragging it a few inches closer. (The gas, as well as the light, goes off). It's really the heat that would be the concern.

The tall ones are super tippy -- although the heating element is above child-reach. So there's a tradeoff.

[Acadie]

3 hours ago, Moonhawk said:

Would an electric blanket on him keep him comfortable and able to watch wherever (assuming a cord can reach him) but not be a danger to the kids and flying soccer balls? It would make it so that HE is the only beneficiary, true, but it sounds like a lot of these options don't cover many bodies/space. Or maybe you can have a fleet of blankets available so that way whoever is visiting can be comfortable and also distanced. GG can have his special blanket so cross contamination isn't an issue, and other "frequent visitors" maybe have their special ones too. 

 

A few weeks ago I was looking at various patio heaters, weighing propane costs and fumes and then I ended up buying two electric throws instead!

[Drama Llama]

4 hours ago, Moonhawk said:

Okay, so this is coming from someone who has very little experience with cold so my "suggestion" is actually a question. Have your rock salt grains ready.

Would an electric blanket on him keep him comfortable and able to watch wherever (assuming a cord can reach him) but not be a danger to the kids and flying soccer balls? It would make it so that HE is the only beneficiary, true, but it sounds like a lot of these options don't cover many bodies/space. Or maybe you can have a fleet of blankets available so that way whoever is visiting can be comfortable and also distanced. GG can have his special blanket so cross contamination isn't an issue, and other "frequent visitors" maybe have their special ones too. 

Are there electric blankets with batteries? I don't think we have outdoor outlets that would work.

Yeah, I really only care about him, and maybe a little bit about the 8 year old with asthma.  The 13 year old with asthma is mine, but he's fine with cold.  He snowboards and played ice hockey pre pandemic.  The 8 year old is my niece, and I am unclear how much she is impacted. 

ETA: That sounded really wrong.  I CARE about other people, but they can just go by the "there's no bad weather, just bad clothing" philosophy until they turn 90 too. 

[lmrich]

I was also going to suggest an electric blanket or throw. I know you can get jackets and socks, etc.. that are heated with a battery. I have an electric hand warmer that is rechargeable. What about the old-fashioned heated water bottle? Last resort and not a really long solution.. I used to put he kids jackets and sweatshirts in the dryer before going out in the chilly morning. It wears off quickly, but it was so nice!  I know personally if I am sipping something hot, it keeps me warmer. 

[KungFuPanda]

It's time for all of these homeschoolers to learn to build rocket stoves with heated benches. 😆 My DH has been watching a lot of videos about building a pizza oven lately, so I'm wondering when that will go down.

 

Edited October 13, 2020 by KungFuPanda