Eight heaters from five makers, propane, natural gas and electric, from a $87 tabletop to a $1,246 wall unit. We lined up the heat output, the coverage, the safety listing and the warranty each maker publishes, so you can compare them on one page.
By Matt DawsonRanked list · Updated October 22, 2026 · 14 min read
We may earn a commission when you buy through links on this page. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Every spec below is the maker's own published figure, with the source and the date we read it. Learn more ›
Prices: each maker's own store, read October 22, 2026. Fire Sense shows a higher crossed-out price above each of these. Seals are our editorial picks, not certifications.
Shop for a patio heater and the same three numbers meet you on every page. A heat output in BTU or watts. A coverage area in square feet. A sale price with a bigger price crossed out above it.
The heat outputs on this page run from 10,000 BTU to 48,000 BTU. Two of the eight makers name a safety listing on the product page. Three publish a coverage figure. One publishes two different coverage figures for the same heater.4
This page puts that in order. On October 22, 2026, we read each maker's product page, warranty page and store price. We set the numbers side by side, each with its source and date. Where a maker doesn't publish a figure, the table says so. We didn't test these heaters, and where something is our opinion, we say so.
One detail tells you a lot, and it sits at the bottom of the spec list: the tilt switch. A standing heater that falls over keeps burning unless a switch cuts the gas. Six of the eight name one. The two that don't are wall and ceiling units, which can't fall.1,2,3,4,5,6
How to read a heater page
BTU and watts measure the same thing: how much heat comes out. A propane heater states BTU per hour. An electric heater states watts. One kilowatt is 3,412 BTU per hour, so a 4,000-watt electric heater puts out about 13,600 BTU, which is the figure Infratech's own sheet gives for its 4,000-watt element.8
Coverage is the maker's number, not a law of nature. Bromic states 65 to 160 square feet across four sizes.7 Mr. Heater states 750 square feet in its spec table and up to 1,200 square feet in the description on the same page.4 Wind, the height of the heater and the air temperature change what you feel. Read coverage as the maker's claim, and compare makers on BTU.
Look for a listing, not a logo. An ETL, CSA or UL listing means a lab checked the heater against a safety standard. Fire Sense names an ETL listing on its pyramid heater and Bromic names Intertek ETL on the Tungsten.2,7 The other six pages we read name none, which doesn't mean they have none. Ask before you buy.
A tilt switch and an auto shut-off are two different things. The tilt switch cuts the gas when the heater tips. The auto shut-off cuts it when the flame goes out. The Fire Sense tabletop names both, plus an oxygen sensor for use near a wall.3
Fire Sense's own published figures. Checked Oct 22, 2026
Start with the one that names a listing. Fire Sense publishes 40,000 BTU, a glass flame tube the full height of the heater, an auto-shutoff tilt valve and an ETL safety certification on the product page.2 At $227 on the maker's store on October 22, it's the cheapest heater on this page with a named listing.
The pyramid shape is the point. The flame runs up a quartz glass tube inside a stainless frame, so you see the fire and feel the heat from every side. It weighs 65 pounds assembled and takes a standard 20-pound propane tank in the base.2
The warranty is the soft spot. Fire Sense's warranty page returned an error when we read it, and the one-year figure comes from retailer listings, not from the maker.2
Fire Sense's own published figures. Checked Oct 22, 2026
The highest heat output on this page is also the lowest-priced standing heater. The Commercial Series publishes 48,000 BTU from a mushroom reflector, a piezo igniter and a tip-over protection system, at $154.25 on the maker's store on October 22.1
Two things to know before you order. The page's web address carries one model number and the page itself shows another, so check the SKU on the box against the listing. And the page names no ETL or CSA listing.1 For a heater that will stand on a busy patio, we'd pay the $73 more for the pyramid above and get the listing.
30,000 BTUPropane33 intallTank in the baseWind screen
Mr. Heater's own published figures. Checked Oct 22, 2026
A tall mushroom heater puts its burner eight feet up, where the wind is. Mr. Heater puts the burner at table height, inside a wind-resistant screen, with the 20-pound tank in the base below it. That's why it is 33 inches tall and why it stays lit on an evening when the tall ones flicker.4
The maker publishes 30,000 BTU, electronic ignition and a tip-over shut-off. The coverage figure is the one to read twice: 750 square feet in the spec table, up to 1,200 in the text. We use the table.4 The warranty length isn't on the page we read.
Bromic's own published figures. Checked Oct 22, 2026
No tank, no flame, no clearance to the ground. The Tungsten mounts on a wall or a ceiling and heats what sits under it. Bromic publishes four sizes, 2,000 to 6,000 watts, with coverage of 65 to 160 square feet, an IPX4 water rating and an Intertek ETL listing. It's the only heater here with a published side clearance, three feet.7
The warranty is the longest on the page: two years on the heater and seven on the elements.7 It needs a hardwired circuit and a separate controller, and it costs $798 to $1,246 on the maker's store. For a covered patio with power already there, it's the one we'd fit.
Best built-in
5.Infratech W-Series
Photo: Infratech
Dealer priceNot sold through our links
4,000 WElectric61 inlongUL listed3-yearwarranty
Infratech's own published figures. Checked Oct 22, 2026
The W-Series is the heater you see in a restaurant ceiling and never notice. A single 61-inch element, 4,000 watts, flush-mounted or on a pole. Infratech's own page lists a UL, CUL and CE listing and a three-year warranty; the dimensions, the coverage and the clearances come from a dealer page, because the maker's page carries no spec table.8
Price is also dealer-set. Read it as a built-in for a new patio, specified with the electrician, not a box you order on a Tuesday.
AZ Patio Heaters's own published figures. Checked Oct 22, 2026
The plug-in answer for a small deck or a screened porch. Three power settings, 750 to 1,500 watts, an anti-tilt switch and an IPX4 rating, on a stand you carry with one hand.6 At 1,500 watts it draws what a hair dryer draws, so it runs from an outdoor outlet.
What the maker doesn't publish: coverage, height and a safety listing. The warranty is one year on parts.6
AZ Patio Heaters's own published figures. Checked Oct 22, 2026
If your patio has a gas line, this is the heater that never needs a tank swap. AZ Patio Heaters publishes 38,200 BTU, a stainless body, a piezo igniter and an anti-tilt switch, at $989.99 on the maker's store on October 22, or $649 each at four or more.5
A natural gas heater is a fixed installation with a shut-off valve, so plan for a plumber. The page names no listing and no coverage figure.5
Fire Sense's own published figures. Checked Oct 22, 2026
A tenth of the pyramid's price for a quarter of its heat. The tabletop runs on a one-pound camping cylinder, publishes 10,000 BTU and, on the maker's words, raises the temperature around the table by 10 to 25 degrees. It names three safety features: an auto-shutoff tilt valve, an oxygen depletion sensor and a grill guard.3
The page showed it sold out on October 22, at $87.30. For a table for four on a cool evening it's the right size. For a patio, it isn't a heater.
Where to put it
Every gas heater's manual gives clearances, and two city fire departments publish the rules they enforce. Naples, Florida: keep the heater 36 inches from anything that burns, and never under an awning or an umbrella.9 Charleston, South Carolina: keep a portable gas heater five feet from a building and five feet from any combustible overhang.10
A louvered pergola is an aluminum roof, so it isn't a combustible overhang. That doesn't make it a free pass. Read the heater's manual for its overhead clearance before you put a 48,000 BTU burner under any roof. The electric wall units above are the ones designed to sit under one.7,8
How we ranked
We weighed four published figures, in this order: heat output against price, a named safety listing, the safety features the maker lists, and the warranty. Coverage counted only where the maker publishes one figure. We read no reviews into the ranking, and we didn't run the heaters. The seals are our editorial picks for a reader in the United States in October 2026.
Questions
Propane or electric?
Propane gives more heat per unit and needs no wiring. Electric gives steady heat with no tank, no flame and no clearance to the ground, and the two electric makers here publish the only listings for ceiling use.7,8
Can I use a patio heater under my pergola?
Check the heater's manual for its overhead clearance first. The fire departments we read rule out any gas heater under a combustible overhang.9,10 For a covered space, the electric wall units are built for it.7
Why do the Fire Sense prices show a crossed-out figure?
The maker's store shows a higher price struck through above each of its heaters. We print the price you pay on the date we read it and note the crossed-out one.1,2,3
What does ETL listed mean?
Intertek, a testing lab, checked the heater against a safety standard and lists it. Bromic prints its listing number; Fire Sense names the listing on its pyramid heater.2,7
Fire Sense, Commercial Series Patio Heater, balkenehome.com/collections/patio-heaters/products/61444 (page shows SKU 63009) read October 22, 2026
Fire Sense, Stainless Steel Pyramid Flame Heater 60523, balkenehome.com/collections/patio-heaters/products/60523 read October 22, 2026
Fire Sense, Hammered Bronze Table Top Patio Heater 61322, balkenehome.com/collections/patio-heaters/products/61322 read October 22, 2026
Mr. Heater, 30,000 BTU Low Profile Patio Heater MH30LPPH, mrheater.com/products/low-profile-patio-heater read October 22, 2026
AZ Patio Heaters, Commercial Natural Gas Patio Heater NG-BURN-SS, azpatioheaters.com, and the maker's warranty page read October 22, 2026
AZ Patio Heaters, Standing Electric Patio Heater HIL-SEH-BLK, azpatioheaters.com, and the maker's warranty page read October 22, 2026
Bromic, Tungsten Smart-Heat Electric, bromic.com/product/tungsten-smart-heat-electric read October 22, 2026
Infratech, W-Series, infratech.com/products/w-series (listing and warranty), and the BBQGuys dealer sheet for W4024SS (dimensions, clearances) read October 22, 2026
City of Naples Fire Rescue, Outdoor heaters and propane storage, naplesgov.com/firerescue/page/outdoor-heaters-and-propane-storage read October 22, 2026
City of Charleston, Portable Outdoor Gas-Fired Heating Appliances, charleston-sc.gov/DocumentCenter/View/28013 read October 22, 2026
Why you can trust Outdoor Structure Review
We may earn a commission when you buy through links on this page. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Every spec below is the maker's own published figure, with the source and the date we read it.
