Home & Garden: Common Problems with Gas Patio Heaters

Gas Patio heaters are one of the simplest patio heaters available for installation in outdoor spaces. They are extremely easy to maintain and it is possible to troubleshoot many of the problems that occur in them without the need to call someone in.

In order to troubleshoot the problems, you need to understand the nature of the problems that are usually encountered in gas patio heaters. If you aren’t sure about what you’re doing though, it’s always best to call in an expert, as messing with gas appliances can be dangerous. With the help of Thermofilm, we’ve outlined some common issues that you could encounter with outdoor Heaters.

Common problems encountered in a gas patio heater include:

1.Not enough Gas
One of the common mistakes that people come across is assuming that even a small quantity of remaining gas in the cylinder is sufficient to fire the gas burner. However simple this may sound, it’s one of the most likely problems with firing the boiler, and if the available remaining gas quantity is not sufficient, then it won’t be able to create the pressure required for firing the gas burner. In such cases, the gas cylinder needs to be replaced by a new cylinder. Usually you can tell by the weight, but if in doubt, get a refill.

2. Gas Pipe Blockage
In certain cases, the gas burner might burn for a few seconds intermittently and then go off completely. When such a scenario occurs, you need to check whether the gas pipe has become blocked. In order to check the gas pipe, remove one end of the pipe from the regulator attached to the gas cylinder and the other end from the gas inlet at the top of the gas heater. After removing the pipe, an air blower can be used to remove the dirt that has blocked the pipe.

3. Flip switch problem in the gas regulator
In certain cases the flip switch that comes as part of the gas regulator can turn the gas cylinder valve down. This can cut off the gas supply or decrease the supply of gas to the gas heater. Flip switches need to monitored regularly as they can be accidentally turned on.

4. Gas Burner Blockage
The gas burner can get blocked with prolonged usage due to various reasons. In addition to blocking the burner, the aperture settings might also go out of alignment causing unequal distribution of heat generated to one particular portion of the gas heater. The aperture settings can get disturbed due to various factors including rough handling and usage of hard tools.

These are some of the common problems that are usually encountered with a gas heater. However, if you’re unsure of what has caused the problem, or if it can’t be fixed, then there are a great range of new gas patio heaters available that may save you a lot of time and trouble.