If you are here, then you are probably wondering, how a pyramid patio heater work and what creates that beautiful long spiral flame inside of the center-placed glass tube. Conventional mushroom heaters also have gas as their fuel but do not look nearly as good as pyramid-shaped ones. Why is that?
Outdoor gas pyramid heaters work just like a gas-powered kitchen stove. They have to be connected to a gas source – usually a gas tank via a gas pipe with a connector/regulator at the end. Once the gas is connected and opened, all you need is a spark, which can be generated just with a push of a button which then ignites the gas and turns it into a flame. The height of the flame itself depends on how much you have opened the gas tank through the regulator.
There is a bit more on how the whole system works. The gas gets sent from the gas tank through the pipe into the regulator/emitter screen, which is responsible for the beautiful spiral-shaped flame that you see inside of the center-placed quartz glass tube. Quartz is a great material, that is also used in many kitchen countertops because it will not break from the heat and will much likely show very little to no signs of soot that is usually a side product of the fire itself. The whole process creates radiant heating, which means that the heat will travel through the air, mostly from the top of your heater, and create a warm environment.
How do outdoor electric pyramid heaters work?
Electric pyramid heaters use resistors. When the electric current is passing through a resistor it will convert into heat. You can see this in action if you own an electric patio heater because the resistors turn orange when this process is taking place. One of the cons of electric patio heaters is that they are not waterproof while most of the gas-fueled ones are. But then again, why would you want to use your patio heater in the rain?
How to turn on an electrical pyramid patio heater?
If you want to turn your outdoor electrical heater, you just have to plug it into a power socket and then start it. There are two types. One uses a regular on and off switch, which you can use to turn the device on and the other one uses a nob, which allows you to set the strength at which you want your heater to run at. We highly recommend that you turn the nob or switch on your device to off before unplugging it from the power socket.
How to turn on a gas-fueled pyramid patio heater?
At first, you have to open the metal door which is located at the bottom part of your heater. Then you take out the gas pipe with a regulator on the end and connect it to your gas tank. Then you want to make sure that both the connector on your gas tank and on your heater are open and set to how powerful you want your flame to be. It is quite important that you check for leaks before lighting the heater on. After that, you put the gas tank inside of the heater and push the button to ignite the spark. The last thing you have to do is to close the metal door on your heater.
Safety tips for turning on your pyramid heater
- Make sure your heater is placed on a leveled spot. You do not want your heater to resemble the tower of Pisa or even worse, for it to be wiggly
- If you are using a heater that is powered by gas, make sure that you have a fire extinguisher nearby, just in case
- You have to make sure that there is enough space around the heater. This tip does not only serve for safety but also for practicality. If your heater has less space around it, fewer people are going to be able to warm themselves up around it
- If you are using a gas-fueled heater, make sure that the gas is not leaking. The gas companies have made this easy for you, by adding a scent to the naturally odorless gas. Just make sure to have someone without a runny nose perform this task
- Keep the doors of the gas tank closed-for gas pyramid heaters
- Keep the kids away. High temperatures may cause burns if you get too close. So let the kids be warm but do not let them get too close
- If you are using an electrical heater make sure that there is no damage on the wire and also that there is no damage to the power socket, which should have protection if it is installed outdoors
- It is a really good idea to protect the wire for those of you who use electrical heaters, to prevent people from tripping over it, which may even ruin your heater. One of the possible ways to do this is to tape the power cord to the ground with duct tape
Wrapping up
Pyramid heaters can work with gas or electricity. The first ones get gas from the gas tank which is placed in the bottom part of the heater and sends the gas to the emitter screen through a gas pipe with a regulator, with which you can set the strength of your flame. The heat then comes from the top of the device and spreads around the space. The electrical heaters on the other hand use resistors, through which the power cord sends the electrical current and transforms it into heat. It is always a smart idea to follow the safety tips that we have listed in this article for maximum protection while staying warm outside. The gas heaters can be turned on with a nob and a button which generates a spark that will ignite the gas but the electrical ones usually use a simple on and off switch or come with a nob with which you can regulate the strength of the heating device.
