Outdoor heating

chillidoggy

Emp_Fab said:

This year, I'm going to find me a nice big fire pit.  

Presumably, you'll be starting a thread about it?

fretmeister

I'd ban the damn things.

Put a better coat on.

Kittyfrisk

chillidoggy said:

Emp_Fab said:

This year, I'm going to find me a nice big fire pit.  

Presumably, you'll be starting a thread about it?Emp_Fab said:

I do love sitting outside in the evening with a nice fire.  As nice and warm as they are, butane/propane powered patio heaters are apparently a direct path to the destruction of the entire planet.  Something to do with something called the "Oh Zone".

Anyway.....   You can't beat a real fire.  There's something primeval about it that you can't replicate with an electric or gas heater.

Yeah, you end up smelling like you've been barbecued but that's part of satisfying your inner caveman.  It goes with cooking slabs of dead animal on charcoal.

This year, I'm going to find me a nice big fire pit.  I've had a small chimenea for years but the wind blew it over in the winter and it's fucked now.

I think I can guess how this will end...

Moe_Zambeek

Resurrecting this thread to see how @DiscoStu  is getting on with the Mensa Imus before I order one...

Freebird

Moe_Zambeek said:

Resurrecting this thread to see how @DiscoStu  is getting on with the Mensa Imus before I order one...

The climate change police will want to know too 

munckee

Moe_Zambeek said:

Resurrecting this thread to see how @DiscoStu  is getting on with the Mensa Imus before I order one...

My brother had an infra red wall mounted heater in the garden last week when I went round.  I was about 6 feet away and was lovely and warm, a mate was about 12 feet away and couldn't feel a thing.  I think you need one each!

Moe_Zambeek

I’m only really looking for one to heat me and the other half if we happen to be sitting outside. Unless the Xbox worked outside in which case we might have one more

DiscoStu

We sent the Imus back. It's only 500W and just didn't have the output to heat an open area which is what we need it for.
It's designed to sit under a table and heat 2 people's legs when you're sitting on opposite sides which I guess it would do perfectly well, but that's not how we'd be using it.
We've now got a 2000W La Hacienda height adjustable heater is a bit better. Certainly a much better heat output but still not convinced it's got a wide enough coverage.
It's got quartz bulbs which I think means that it's long-wave infrared. Ideally I think I need short-wave bulbs as the info seems to suggest that short-wave isn't affected by wind.

DiscoStu

Freebird said:

Moe_Zambeek said:

Resurrecting this thread to see how @DiscoStu  is getting on with the Mensa Imus before I order one...

The climate change police will want to know too 

Huh? Electric infrared heaters are extremely economical and eco as they don't need gas or wood/fuel. No polluting smoke either.

Kittyfrisk

DiscoStu said:

We sent the Imus back. It's only 500W and just didn't have the output to heat an open area which is what we need it for.
It's designed to sit under a table and heat 2 people's legs when you're sitting on opposite sides which I guess it would do perfectly well, but that's not how we'd be using it.
We've now got a 2000W La Hacienda height adjustable heater is a bit better. Certainly a much better heat output but still not convinced it's got a wide enough coverage.
It's got quartz bulbs which I think means that it's long-wave infrared. Ideally I think I need short-wave bulbs as the info seems to suggest that short-wave isn't affected by wind.

"...  short-wave isn't affected by wind."
Radiation (of all wavelengths) isn't affected by air movement.
I think you may be referring to air movement/wind making it appear that the heat isn't reaching the parts that you want warming, when it is actually just additional cooling that is happening.
Fairly good explanation here  https://www.infraredheatersdirect.co.uk/news/is-infrared-heat-lost-through-air-movement/

Moe_Zambeek

Interesting. Good feedback. Will give the Imus a miss

Freebird

DiscoStu said:

Freebird said:

Moe_Zambeek said:

Resurrecting this thread to see how @DiscoStu  is getting on with the Mensa Imus before I order one...

The climate change police will want to know too 

Huh? Electric infrared heaters are extremely economical and eco as they don't need gas or wood/fuel. No polluting smoke either.

It was just a light hearted comment ahead of Boris's new global warming clampdown 

roundthebend

We bought a couple of cheap infrared heaters to mount on our new pergola, the design of which means that the heaters can't be easily aimed at people sitting under it but they work reasonably well. We've sat out recently for dinner and even drinks until late at Easter. There's enough heat to keep your head and torso warm, and we've only had them on the 1350W setting. They go up to 2000W. £110 each on eBay.

mark123

roundthebend said:

We bought a couple of cheap infrared heaters to mount on our new pergola, the design of which means that the heaters can't be easily aimed at people sitting under it but they work reasonably well. We've sat out recently for dinner and even drinks until late at Easter. There's enough heat to keep your head and torso warm, and we've only had them on the 1350W setting. They go up to 2000W. £110 each on eBay.

Are they like the one aldi sells for £39.99 ? i got one and the heat output is a bit poor ,had to lower it to 1.2m high and bring close to you ,the problem with outdoor heat  unless you are under an enclosed pergola /gazebo ,heat rises so it comes out then straight into the air .

Snap

tried, and have, lots of different methods.

One thing worth looking at is a tall wood burner-  one with a high chimney, that vents above head height. 

We have a firepit, and have recently started using "smokeless" logs. They are not quite smokeless, but what they are is largely odourless. Much better than standard wood. Worth thinking about. Wood doesn't work well, you just end up choked in smoke and stinking of smoke. Nice.

Gas works well, but is not really the best thing to do. And it burns quickly and is expensive

Infra red works really well - just make sure you unroll any extension cable as they can trip out it they are coiled. Easy, convenient, directional and clean. two of those around a group of people work nicely.

One other thing worth considering is a bio ethanol fire - you can get them for a reasonable price, and they are effective. Fuel isn't exactly cheap, but then what is? A litre of fuel should burn for about 3 hours. A litre costs a couple of quid, plenty of options on amazon. We use a fancy one in the house, puts plenty of heat out and looks v cool. 

roundthebend

mark123 said:

roundthebend said:

We bought a couple of cheap infrared heaters to mount on our new pergola, the design of which means that the heaters can't be easily aimed at people sitting under it but they work reasonably well. We've sat out recently for dinner and even drinks until late at Easter. There's enough heat to keep your head and torso warm, and we've only had them on the 1350W setting. They go up to 2000W. £110 each on eBay.

Are they like the one aldi sells for £39.99 ? i got one and the heat output is a bit poor ,had to lower it to 1.2m high and bring close to you ,the problem with outdoor heat  unless you are under an enclosed pergola /gazebo ,heat rises so it comes out then straight into the air .

Not quite the same. They are infrared, so I don't believe that the heat is rising from them. I get a very warm forehead from these, but they are suspended maybe only a metre above me. And that's on the 1350W setting.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/143818586447