Patio heaters

The cold week in April is when a heater earns its floor space. This group holds 2 heaters, both listed for patio use, standing 87 and 89 1/2 inches tall. Choose where it stands before you choose which one, because the spot, the aisle and the instructions decide more than the model does.

Floor space comes before anything else

Both heaters stand tall, 87 and 89 1/2 inches, so a heater is a post on your patio as much as a piece of equipment. Draw its footprint on the plan before you draw the chairs around it, and check the width against the walkway as well as the wall.

A heater earns its spot by being near the tables that need it, and loses it by blocking the walk to the door. Think about the end of the night, too: someone has to shut it down, and someone has to cover it or roll it out of the weather. Servers need an aisle about 36 inches wide, and a guest pulling a chair back needs 18 to 24 inches more. If the heater squeezes that lane, move the heater.

Read the product page, then call the installer

The listing for each heater carries its own requirements, and those are the ones that count. Read what the page says about how it runs and what it needs around it before the spot goes on paper. Then ask whoever is installing it to confirm the spot and the clearances against the maker's instructions and your local fire code. That is a short conversation, and it is much cheaper than moving a heater after the patio is set.

The 87-inch heater is $338 and lists 31 inches wide by 18 deep. The 89 1/2-inch heater is $610 and lists 28 3/4 inches wide with no depth listed, so ask a specialist before you plan around its footprint.

Umbrellas, canopies and getting it up the stairs

Keep it clear of umbrellas, awnings and anything that hangs overhead, and let the installer set the distances. Look at patio umbrellas and patio partitions together with the heater, since all three compete for the same square footage.

Heaters arrive as palletized freight, and the truck's job ends at the dock or tailgate. After that the heater is your crew's job, stairs included, since drivers leave them alone. A rooftop heater needs a plan for the elevator or the hoist before the truck shows up. The delivery page covers how freight arrives, and the patio layout belongs in patio plans.