Patio heaters are cylindrical, tall, top-heavy structures that spew flames. Harsh winds, fallen debris, and even drunk visitors can make fear of tipping over a reality. If you have a patio heater, you should avoid this!
Patio heaters are a terrific way to keep your garden warm into the early hours of the morning, but their top-heavy design can make them a tripping hazard if not steadily secured.
If your patio heater tips over, it can cause severe damage to the unit and your patio and severe consequences for your home, such as a fire that could cause extensive damage. Before using propane patio heaters for outdoor space; propane heaters with propane tank or any outdoor patio heater with natural gas line connection, you must know how to keep patio heater from tipping over?
Fill your reservoir, connect the stem to a stable structure with a racket strap, and re-evaluate the heater placement to put it in a safe spot to prevent your patio from tipping over. Test the anti-tilt switch each season as an added precaution by following the manufacturer's recommendations.
1. Check Your Reservoir
Reservoirs are built into many patio heaters to prevent them from toppling over.
If your patio heater has one, it will be located at the bottom of the unit. Varied versions will have different needs, but the reservoir is usually filled with sand or water, weighing the unit down.
If you're fortunate enough to have one, your only responsibility is to keep it full. The patio heater should be suitably weighted down as long as the reservoir is full. It's doubtful that you'll need to do much after the initial pour if you fill the reservoir with sand.
However, if you opt to fill the reservoir with water, you should check it every few weeks and refill it as needed.
2. Secure the Stem
Your task has become more challenging if your patio heater lacks a reservoir. If your patio heater doesn't have a reservoir, the easiest way to avoid it from tipping over is to secure the stem to a solid structure.
If your outside space has any pillars, wrap a thin ratchet strap around them and your heater. It should be sufficient to maintain the vertical position of your patio heater.
Warning: Make sure your ratchet straps are a safe distance away from the flames of the patio heater. You risk catching the straps on fire if they are excessively tight.
If you don't have any pillars, you'll have to get creative. To brace your patio heater, build a free-standing structure or use stakes and high-tension rope to draw it down from numerous sides (think of how a utility pole is tied down).
3. Keep an eye on your placement.
One neglected strategy for preventing your patio heater from tipping over is to install it in a secure location. Many people will try to maximize the heater's output to cover as much ground as possible.
4. Test the tilt-switch
Placing your patio heater away from your patio's main walkways is a simple strategy that can help prevent accidents.
Many patio heaters have an "anti-tilt" valve that stops the gas supply when heavy movement is detected. You should check if yours is still working regularly, following the manufacturer's directions.
5. Install the Patio Heater on the Ground
Permanently affixing your patio heater to the ground is one of the most effective ways to safeguard it. Bolts and other permanent fixings can be used to accomplish it. Read your owner's manual to make sure nothing is blocking you from securing your patio heater in this manner; you don't want to nick any critical parts, as this could cause your patio heater to malfunction.
You'll need to think about a permanent location for your patio heater. Before proceeding, ensure it's secure in stable ground, such as concrete or brick. Avoid putting your patio heater on the grass or in the soil.
6. Position Your Patio Heater Properly
Even if you've weighed down your patio heater, you should still think about where it should go to avoid it toppling over. Even the most well-balanced patio heaters will topple if they are not correctly installed. Here are some things to consider.
Place your patio heater on a level, sturdy ground. It could happen on a deck, patio, concrete, sidewalk, and other surfaces. Just make sure it's out of the way so no one trips over it or knocks it over accidentally. Never place your patio heater on grass, mulch, or explosive or unstable surfaces.
Please keep it away from low-hanging branches, overhangs, and other debris that could potentially knock down your patio heater. Remember that your patio heater's center of gravity is high due to its design. When knocked from the top, it is easy to fall.
Keep your patio heater away from doors and windows and well-ventilated locations. You don't want to breathe in any of the gases while indoors, and if you're away from doors and windows, you're less likely to get knocked over. Setting up your patio heater in a low-traffic area is preferable.
7. Examine the Weather
It is dangerous to use your patio heater in certain weather conditions, mainly when it is windy. If the wind speed is greater than 10 miles per hour, you should avoid using your patio heater.
If you use your patio heater during severe wind conditions, it is more likely to tipping over, regardless of how well weighted it is. It will also extinguish the flame, rendering it unusable until the pilot light can be re-ignited. In fact, your gas patio heaters, mounted patio heater, natural gas patio heaters, or propane heater, all need attention and safety measures.
8. Attach a Fire-Resistant Structure to the Patio Heater
Instead of adding weight to the bottom, you can connect your patio heater to a strong structure, either permanent or just hefty, to keep it from tipping over. It might be pillars, stone adornments, or anything substantial enough to keep the patio heater from tipping over.
Keep in mind that everything you use to secure your patio heater must be fire-resistant, including the materials you use to ensure it. Bungee cords provide excellent fire-resistant ties. Avoid rope, plastic, and other materials that will melt or burn at low temperatures.
Also, if the structure is painted, make sure that the paints are not oil-based. Paints should be flame retardant; hence painted surfaces should be avoided if possible. The most significant materials are stone, brick, and concrete.
9. Add Weight to the Base of Your Patio Heater
Because each patio heater is built differently, you'll want to be careful while adding weight to avoid further destabilizing it.
If your patio heater has a reservoir at the bottom, you can use it to give it more weight and balance. Most people fill the reservoir with water or sand but make sure it's fire-resistant if you use something else.
While sand adds a modest more cost to the project, it is frequently the safest because it does not need to be refilled. It's a solution that you can set and forget. Test the stability of the reservoir by filling it with sand or sandbags.
It should be heavy enough that the patio heater will not tip over even if you apply pressure to one side. If it isn't, add some more sand. Just make sure there isn't enough that it spills outside the patio heater.
If you use water, you'll need to check the reservoir every few weeks to see if it needs to be refilled because the water will evaporate over time.
It means that depending on the volume of water, your patio heater may be insecure at times. Depending on the unit, you may be able to add water directly to the patio's base, or you may need to utilize fire-resistant water carriers.
Check the owner's instructions if you have any questions about how to weigh down your patio heater. They'll give you any directions or requirements you need for adequately weighing down the reservoir in your patio heater and what you should avoid doing so to avoid accidentally injuring it.
Conclusion
The simplest way to keep your most patio heaters from tipping over is to ensure it’s securely fastened before using it. It will give it more stability to prevent it from toppling over due to people bumping into it, strong winds/inclement weather, dogs knocking it over, and other mishaps.
Consider securing your patio heater in one of three methods for the most outstanding results.
- Fill the base of your patio heater with weight.
- Fix your patio heater to a sturdy, fire-resistant structure.
- Affix your patio heater to the ground permanently.
You may secure your patio heater from tipping over in various methods in addition to the ones indicated above. Whether you are using outdoor heater i.e., propane tanks, british thermal units, electric patio heater, electric heaters, mounted patio heaters, or electric patio heaters you must use strategies for protection.
