Natural Gas Patio Heaters & Outdoor Gas Heaters

A natural gas patio heater is the set-it-and-forget-it way to heat an outdoor space. Plumb it to the line that already feeds your grill or your house, and it runs every evening of the season with no tanks to swap, no runtime limit and the lowest cost per hour of any outdoor heater. BBQ Kitchen Pros carries commercial-grade natural gas patio heaters from Bromic, Sunglo, SunStar, Sunpak and Twin Eagles: wall and ceiling mounted infrared units from 23,600 to 50,000 BTU, post-mount and hanging models for open terraces, and a portable that connects to a quick-disconnect fitting. Every one is made in the USA and backed by an owner who has been installing them for 20 years. Free shipping on orders over $99, no sales tax outside New York, and a price match guarantee.

Why Heat a Patio With Natural Gas

Most people start shopping for outdoor heaters because they want to use the patio past October, and most end up comparing three fuels. Piped gas wins on three counts, and it is worth being clear about each so you know whether the plumbing is worth it.

• Running cost. A therm delivers roughly 100,000 BTU and costs $1.50 to $2.50 in most of the country, so a 40,000 BTU unit runs for well under a dollar an hour. The same unit on exchange propane costs two to three times that, and an electric model of equal output would draw more power than a standard circuit can supply.
• No tanks. A 20 lb cylinder holds about 430,000 BTU. At 40,000 BTU that is roughly 10 hours of heat, which sounds fine until the tank empties halfway through a dinner party in January. A line-fed unit never runs out, never needs a 40 lb cylinder hauled across the deck, and never asks you to hide a tank cabinet in the design.
• Output. These infrared units put out 23,600 to 50,000 BTU, two to four times what a 240V electric element produces. For an open-air terrace, a windy rooftop or a restaurant patio with 30 seats, that extra output is the difference between taking the edge off and keeping people seated.

The tradeoff is installation. You need a line run to each location by a licensed plumber or fitter, sized for the total BTU load, with a shutoff at each unit. Where a line is already nearby, that is a half-day job. Where it is not, it is still cheaper over three seasons than buying tanks, and it adds the kind of permanence that buyers and appraisers notice.

Mounted, Post-Mounted or Hanging: Choosing the Right Configuration

Line-fed heaters come in three configurations, and the right one is set by your ceiling height, how open the space is, and whether you want the unit to disappear or to be a feature.

Wall and ceiling mounted infrared heaters

These are the long, slim 48-inch units from Bromic, SunStar, Sunpak and Twin Eagles. They mount on a wall bracket or hang from the ceiling at 8 to 12 feet, angle down toward the seating, and warm a zone of roughly 100 to 215 square feet each. Because the heat is directed, you can place several across a space and warm every table evenly rather than crowding people toward one post. This is the configuration we recommend for covered patios, pergolas, restaurant terraces and any space where you do not want to give up floor area.

Post-mount and hanging heaters

The classic mushroom-head patio heater, built for a permanent line rather than a tank in the base. Sunglo makes the industry standard: a 50,000 BTU head on a permanent post bolted to the slab, a portable post that connects to a quick-disconnect so you can store it in the off-season, or a hanging version that suspends from a beam or pergola rafter when you want the warmth without the pole. Post-mount units radiate 360 degrees and suit open spaces with no walls or ceiling to hang from: pool decks, open courtyards, hotel terraces and the outer edge of a restaurant patio.

Portable units with a quick-connect

A handful of premium models can run off a line without being fixed in place. The Bromic Tungsten Portable and the Sunglo portable post both roll to where the guests are and plug into a flush-mounted quick-disconnect box in the slab or the wall. You get the runtime and economy of piped gas with the flexibility of a freestanding unit, which is why clubs and event venues specify them.

How Many BTUs You Need

Heater output is rated in BTU per hour, and the honest answer to "how many do I need" depends on how much weather you are fighting. Use these ranges as a starting point and we will refine them for your site.

• 23,600 to 25,000 BTU: about 100 to 160 square feet. A four-seat table under a covered patio or a sheltered corner of a deck. Bromic Platinum 300, Sunpak 25,000.
• 34,000 to 39,800 BTU: about 144 to 215 square feet. The most popular size for a six- to eight-seat dining area, an outdoor kitchen island or a hot tub surround. Bromic Platinum 500, Bromic Tungsten 500, Sunpak 34,000, SunStar 35,000, Twin Eagles 37,000.
• 50,000 BTU: about 200 square feet in an open or windy site. The commercial standard for restaurant and hotel patios, and the only sensible choice for a unit with no walls around it. SunStar 50,000, Sunglo 50,000.

Three rules of thumb from two decades of installs. First, exposed sites need the next size up: wind strips radiant heat off people faster than any spec sheet accounts for. Second, two mid-size units spread across a space always beat one large one in the middle, because infrared heat falls off with distance and people at the edges feel it most. Third, buy two-stage if you can. A two-stage valve runs at roughly 60 percent on mild nights and full output in December, which saves fuel and lets you tune comfort instead of switching on and off.

Natural Gas vs Propane vs Electric

Every model on this page also runs on propane with the right orifice or conversion kit, and we sell a full range of electric patio heaters as well, so this is a fair comparison rather than a sales pitch. Here is how the three fuels line up for an outdoor space.

• Piped natural gas gives the highest output, the lowest hourly cost and unlimited runtime. It requires a plumbed line and a fixed or quick-connect location, and it is for open or well-ventilated outdoor areas only. Choose it for a permanent patio you will use for years.
• Propane gives the same output with no plumbing, so it suits renters, rooftops without a line and anywhere you want to move the unit. The costs are tanks to refill and a tank cabinet to live with. See our propane patio heaters.
• Electric gives clean, silent, flame-free heat with no combustion, so it is the only option under a low ceiling, in a screened porch or an enclosed sunroom. Output tops out around 6,000 watts per unit, about 20,000 BTU, and each one needs its own 240V circuit. Choose it for covered and enclosed spaces, or where open flame is not permitted.

Many of our customers run both: infrared gas units along the open edge of a terrace where the wind hits, and electric under the covered portion by the house. If you want help laying that out, send us a sketch and we will mark the locations.

Patio Heater Brands We Carry

We stock the brands we would install ourselves, which means American-made infrared units with stainless or marine-grade construction, replaceable parts and manufacturers who answer the phone. Each one is also available for propane, and every model below ships free.

Bromic Platinum and Tungsten

Bromic is the designer's choice. The Platinum Smart-Heat gas models hide the burner behind a ceramic mesh screen so there is no visible flame, in 300 (23,600 BTU, 160 square feet, from $2,367) and 500 (39,800 BTU, 215 square feet, from $2,657) sizes, each with a directional reflector and an optional on-off or dimming control. The Tungsten Smart-Heat gas line is the workhorse version: 300 Series from $1,828 and 500 Series from $2,087 for wall or ceiling mount, plus the Tungsten Portable at 38,500 BTU for sites with a quick-disconnect. Both lines are wind-rated to handle an exposed terrace, and both outsell every other mounted gas patio heater we carry.

Sunglo

Sunglo has built post-mounted patio heaters in the USA for more than 50 years, and the 50,000 BTU Sunglo post heater is what you see on hotel terraces across the Northeast. Choose a permanent post with manual ignition (from $1,882) or a 24-volt electronic ignition you can wire to a wall switch (from $2,304), a portable post with quick-disconnect (from $2,236), or a hanging model for pergolas and beams (from $2,070). Black or stainless finishes, 113 square feet of coverage per head, and parts that are still available for units installed 20 years ago.

SunStar and Sunpak

These two make the 48-inch commercial infrared units you find in serious restaurant patios. SunStar offers 35,000 BTU (from $2,193) and 50,000 BTU (from $2,673) two-stage models with wind-resistant glass, in standard black or marine-grade stainless for coastal properties, with a switch, wireless remote and heat shield as options. Sunpak covers 25,000 BTU (from $2,585) and 34,000 BTU (from $2,756) single-stage units, plus the TSR two-stage with wireless remote and the TSH two-stage hardwired for a wall control, both from $3,080. If you are heating a commercial space on a budget per square foot, start here.

Twin Eagles

The Twin Eagles 48-inch infrared heater (37,000 BTU, $2,899) matches the brand's outdoor kitchen line in brushed stainless, ships with a remote, and converts between fuels with a $45 kit. If you are building a Twin Eagles kitchen, it is the one that belongs above it.

Gas Line, Clearances and Controls

A line-fed heater is a permanent appliance, so plan the installation the way you would a grill or a fireplace insert. The three things that matter are the line, the clearances and how you want to switch it on.

• Mounting height and clearances. Wall and ceiling units mount at 8 to 12 feet with the manufacturer's clearance to combustibles above and beside them, usually 12 to 36 inches depending on BTU. Post models need clearance from umbrellas and awnings above the head. We include the clearance sheet with every quote so your contractor knows the numbers before the first hole is drilled.
• Outdoor use. These units are certified for outdoor and well-ventilated covered areas, not for enclosed rooms, garages or screened porches. For those, use electric.
• Ignition and controls. Manual pilot ignition is the simplest and most reliable. Electronic ignition lets you wire the unit to a wall switch, a timer or a thermostat, so a restaurant can turn the whole patio on from the host stand. Two-stage models add a high-low valve, and several offer a wireless remote.
• Mounting hardware. Most models include a basic bracket; adjustable wall and ceiling kits, pole mounts and recess kits are in our patio heater mounting brackets collection.
• Parts and conversion. We stock replacement thermocouples, glass, reflectors and orifice kits, and every model here can be converted between fuels if you move or add a line later. Browse patio heater accessories or call us with a model number.

Where Line-Fed Patio Heaters Work Best

Having installed patio heaters for two decades, we have a clear picture of where line-fed heat makes the most sense.

• Restaurant and bar patios. Extending the season by six to ten weeks on 20 outdoor seats pays for a full installation in one winter. Mounted two-stage units on a wall switch are the standard spec.
• Outdoor kitchens and dining pergolas. The line is already there for the grill, so adding a tee is a small job. Ceiling-mounted Bromic or Twin Eagles units keep the floor clear.
• Pool decks and open courtyards. No walls to hang from, so post-mount Sunglo units do the work, often on a portable post that stores in summer.
• Hotels, clubs and event venues. Quick-disconnect boxes in the slab let staff roll units out for an event and away for a wedding photo.
• Covered porches by the house. If the ceiling is under 8 feet or the porch is screened, this is where we steer you to electric instead. Open-flame units belong where the air moves.

Pair the heater with a fire pit or outdoor fireplace and you have a space that reads as warm as well as feels warm; the heater does the actual work of keeping people comfortable, and the fire gives them somewhere to gather.

Why Buy From BBQ Kitchen Pros

We are an authorized dealer for every brand on this page, and the owner has spent 20 years installing outdoor kitchens and patio heaters, so when you call you talk to someone who has mounted the unit you are asking about. Orders over $99 ship free in the continental US, there is no sales tax outside New York, and we match any authorized dealer's price. Before you order we will confirm BTU, mounting, clearances and controls for your layout, and after you order we are the people who answer when the installer has a question.

Frequently Asked Questions