If your looking for one of the best patio heaters available, the Fire Sense Commercial Patio Heater makes for an excellent choice. With a sweltering 46,000 BTU’s of heat output, easy piezo electric ignition, multiple colors and a wheeled base, this makes those crisp fall and winter nights something to look forward to.
When it comes to heating large exterior spaces, nothing gets the job done quite as well as a dedicated propane patio heater. The Fire Sense Commercial Patio Heater combines all the elements of a great propane patio heater into on awesome package and looks good while doing it. One of the first things we really loved about this unit was the ability to pick it up in six different color choice depending on your personal preference. We hate when manufacturers limit your choices to one or two options. This outdoor patio heater comes in black, bronze, copper, mocha, stainless steel and a mocha/stainless steel hybrid color scheme. Once fully assembled they look great on any deck or patio and really help to provide functionality without the loss of style. You can check out the other color option here.
Speaking of assembly that is one of the main sticking points we have with this unit. While the overall concept is fairly straight forward, actual assembly can be a bit tricky with the vague and confusing directions as well as hardware that is sometimes scattered in the box and not clearly labeled as being already attached to the unit. Even for someone who is pretty handy, be prepared to spend an hour or two to have this propane patio heater up and running. Also be sure to wear gloves during assembly. A few of the nuts, bolts, and flame deflectors can have small burrs on them which may be extremely sharp. No sense in cutting your hand when you’re just looking for a relaxing evening, a few drinks with friends and watching the big game on an outdoor projector.
Once completed the Fire Sense Commercial Patio Heater uses a standard twenty pound propane tank installed in the base of the unit as fuel. We found that we were able to get right around ten hours of burn time out of a standard tank before we needed to swap it out for another. This is more than enough for a long night out on a very chilly day or a few shorter evenings under the stars. With an impressive 46,000 BTU burner you’ll be toasty warm even at a distance of 6-9 feet from the unit. The ideal temperature to use a unit such as this is between 50 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit. While this outdoor patio heater can be used in lower temperatures, you’ll have to get significantly closer for it to be effective.
Height wise the Fire Sense Patio heater comes in right at 7’2″ from the bottom to the top of the deflector cover. With a unit this tall you’ll have to make sure you have overhead room in order to properly place it. However on the flip side, this is great for larger gatherings and for taller individuals as is spreads out the ambient heat over a much larger radius which is great for when a crowd wants to gather around, plus it won’t burn the top of your head by being too low.
Another item we wanted to discuss was the wind stability of the unit. We would really have liked to have seen this outdoor patio heater come with a water or sand weight system to help stabilize it in heavy winds. Right out of the box it is a bit too tall to be safe in any substantial wind and some additional weights would have gone a long way to remedy that situation. However so long as you place it in an appropriate area you shouldn’t have an issue with it toppling over and ruining the party. Plus with the wheeled base that is included, anyone can very easily roll the Fire Sense Patio heater out of the way and into a more sheltered location. As with all patio heaters, the wind also greatly effects the heat performance of the unit, strong winds cause the burner to be unable to concentrate the heat in a single area. You’ll need to keep that in mind when finding the right home for this unit.
Lighting up this patio heater is a simple as pushing a button with the built in piezo electric starter and requires next to no work. Plus with the included Safety auto shut off tilt valve you’ll never have to worry about venting un-burned propane into the atmosphere if the unit gets damaged or knocked over. We know that some days are much colder than others, especially farther to the north, thankfully there is an easy flame adjustment knob near the electric starter so you can quickly control the flame to your desired level. The durable stainless steel burners are extremely rust resistant and are an excellent choice of materials for any outdoor environment. Plus with the double mantel heating grid you’ll have a very even heat distribution which eliminates hot and cold spots and provides consistent, even heating.
Overall the Fire Sense Commercial Patio Heater is one of the best patio heaters on the market and provides excellent ambient heating. While it may be a bit hard to initially assembly, once completed it is very easy to use and because it uses a standard propane tank, is extremely versatile. The wheeled base makes it extremely portable and it can easily be rolled around to different locations on your patio or backyard and re-lit with the push of a button. While it is a bit light in regards to stability, if placed in the right location you’ll have many season in which you can enjoy the outdoors and not ever have to worry about the cold again.
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