Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms Infrared Patio Heaters

I'm looking to purchase a couple of infrared patio heaters and wondered if there was anyone with experiance that could advise me.
The company/model that has been recommended is Heat Outdoors and their Shadow 11 3kW ULG. The company was highly reviewed by The Times last year.
My concern is that having no knowledge other than the gas/firepit options for outdoor heating I'm reluctant to spend around £1200 without hearing some independent experiences.


Worthers

3kw of heat won’t be very impressive outdoors, to prove it, you could hire any 3kw infrared heater to try. They’re all the same effectiveness despite what any review says.

If you can use kerosene, look at the Sealey IR20 or the posh looking Rexnordic ones, they’re good.

I have two IR heaters in the garage, in fairness I never use them as IR heaters only heat the person, the surroundings are cold, so I use a propane space heater. I would have thought a fire pit would be far more effective outside, something to look at and a fraction of the price.

Years ago Ebbw Vale RFC had electric heaters suspended from the roof of the seated stand. They were above your head and you could feel some heat coming down. I went there once in mid winter and it did help a bit as you could feel some radiated heat. I don’t know what wattage they were but there were several of them and not that big.
The layout of the area you want to heat will be important. How sheltered is it? When in the steel industry I remember standing near furnaces and you could feel the hot/cold difference between opposite sides of your body. Once I was next to a 150tonne ladle casting into moulds, my front was warm but the wind was blowing snow onto my back through the open end of the casting bay 30 yards away.
Managing the space your heater has to cope with will be important with windbreaks. Being able to move them to suit helps. Could you hire a heater to see how efficient they are? Remember, too, that the colder it is the more clothing you wear as well. Having been to Northern Norway in winter and experienced outdoor heating ( whilst drinking hot drinks!) the combination of clothing and heaters varied. Oslo harbour had ice in it but heaters, clothing, and gluhwein kept us glowing. Hamburg Christmas markets have outdoor heaters.
Don’t look for huge heat output to allow naked outdoor seating!

Whats wrong with a hat, coat and gloves? Scott of the Antartic never had a patio heater!

Daughter has a large gas patio heater and it is pretty ineffective if you are more than 4/5 feet away from it and if there is more than a slight breeze then it is almost useless.

I wouldn't bother and just get a thicker jumper!

I remember at an environment conference turning a room full of Swedes into a quivering mass of indignation when I complained that our latest polystyrene was difficult to burn. When they finished berating me I asked if they had any idea how much old engine oil I had to soak it in to get a good blaze going.......

They never did get my Brit sense of humour. 🤣

BR
Colin

Pretty sure that there are building regs at least in Scotland that determine a new build conservatory is not allowed to have a heating system installed..? That possibly being the case, then I suspect the climate police would frown somewhat at the idea of a patio heater....?

However I can well understand that Covid restrictions force us to think of extending comfort to the great outdoors... !

Colin, I suspect a career in politics might not have suited you...

When I was Europen Engineering Director at Reckitt & Colman we owned the zip firelighter company. That is basically where you polymerise polystyrene with paraffin in it.
It was made in Eire just north of Drogedha. For the last 5 miles or so of the journey the paraffin smell grew stronger & stronger. On my first visit. The Chief Engineer asked me "if I could be smelling the paraffin". I made some process changes to contain VOCs fairly quickly.

Be careful, a few of the "outside" pubs down here have removed their heaters as a result of the tree huggers coming down here and complaining, so check your neighbours out first maybe.
I have only sat near one once and tbh thought they were a total waste of time.