A patio heater, just like any other appliance, needs regular maintenance. By reviewing your manual, you will probably have very good instructions on how to assemble and operate your patio heater. There may even be some helpful troubleshooting information if your patio heater isn’t working properly. But there is something that the manufacturer does not bother to let you know.
The warmer seasons are ending and you pull your patio heater out of storage, ready to heat up those brisk mornings and cooler nights. Turn on natural gas supply or make sure you have a full propane tank. Friends and family are eagerly waiting to stand by the patio heater, so go turn it on. Using outside heater before, knows to turn knob to pilot and push power button…click and won’t light. Ok, you try again, you click and it does not turn on again. Your guests continue to wait patiently, but slowly begin to drift in and out of the cold. He checks the gas supply again and tries the lighting process a few more times, but decides to bring the party inside.
The next day, you review the instructions and troubleshooting guide, but you still can’t turn on your patio heater and think you may need a new outdoor heater to move the gathering outside once again. However, if he knew a few maintenance tips, he could save himself the cost of a new patio heater and be the life of the party again.
What most patio heater instructions won’t tell you is that a covered or stored heater is a favorite home for spiders and other small critters. The cool, dark, confined space makes it a perfect nesting spot for our eight-legged friends. Debris, nests, and spider webs created during your patio heater’s non-use period block important working parts, causing it to not work properly or not work at all. Unfortunately, without dismantling a couple of key pieces, you’ll never be able to see the problem created by the net, debris, or nest. If your patio heater is more than a year old, it is most likely out of warranty and the manufacturer will not offer much help.
So what do you need to do now to get your outdoor patio heater working again? Almost all natural gas or propane patio heaters contain the same components of a control valve, pilot, thermocouple, and main burner. Reaching and cleaning these components is essential to get your outdoor heater working again.
Cleaning the internal parts of your patio heater:
Note: Always make sure the patio heater is cool, with any gas supply disconnected.
1. Remove the cover or reflector and the emitter screen. The pieces are usually attached to the main burner housing with four screws. Once you remove it, you will have access to the main burner, pilot, and thermocouple.
2. Remove the main burner, which is usually attached to a bracket with two to four screws. Once the main burner is removed, you will have access to the main burner orifice. The orifice is a small brass fitting with a small hole, measured in gauges. This small hole can be covered or clogged with debris, the nest, or the web left behind by the spider. Because very little or no gas can pass through the blockage, the outdoor heater will not create a flame or have a very yellow sooty flame.
3. Using a wrench or socket, remove this hole for cleaning. To clean, use compressed air or a needle to remove any obstructions.
4. Check pilot for other obstructions. Sometimes the pilot hole, like the main burner hole, will have traces of deposits from the spiders. This brass fitting will have an even smaller hole than the main burner hole. Removing the pilot hole can be tricky as different manufacturers will secure the pilot in different ways. However, most pilots will be attached to a bracket that holds the pilot and thermocouple. Loosen this bracket so you have free access to the pilot. The pilot hole will be directly above the small copper tube and just below the pilot. Remove the pilot, and then remove the pilot orifice. Clean the pilot hole in the same way as the main burner hole with compressed air or a needle.
5. On the main burner, there should be two openings near the bottom of the burner, these are called the venturi. Make sure the opening is clear of obstructions so that the air can mix properly with the gas.
6. With all patio heater parts clean, reassemble all parts in reverse order as above, but DO NOT replace cover (reflector).
7. Reconnect and turn on your gas supply. Following your operation manual, turn on your patio heater only to the pilot position. While holding the control knob in the pilot position, verify that the pilot is lit, with the flame touching the top of the thermocouple. After you have verified this, release the control knob (about 30-60 seconds) and the pilot should stay lit. If not, wait for heater to cool and follow pilot hole cleaning instructions above. Reassemble and light the pilot again.
8. Once the pilot remains lit, turn the control knob to the high position. If the main burner orifice was cleaned properly, you should see a 4-6 inch blue flame with yellow-orange tips. If the flame is almost all yellow, then the blockages in the burner venturi were not cleaned properly. The venturi allows air to mix with the gas for clean burning. If air is not mixed with the gas, a dirty yellow flame is produced.
9. With the pilot and main burner now fully operational, wait for the patio heater to cool down, then reassemble the emitter screen and cover to the housing bracket, using the same screws provided.
10. Turn on your patio heater and get back to work and be ready to have another great party, gathering or outdoor dinner once again.
Please note that with either a natural gas or propane patio heater, if you are not comfortable with gas appliances, contact a qualified gas technician.
To learn more about patio heaters, visit PatioHeatingUSA.com.
