So we're having a very large gathering for Christmas this year. Unfortunately our house isn't big enough to seat everyone inside for dinner, so we figured we'd get a propane patio heater and people can also eat on the deck. I buy a heater and set it up, and the damned thing is too flippin tall! It's only 10 inches away from our aluminum awning. Nothing in the specs said anything about clearances, but the heat above this thing was intense! I contacted the manufacturer and they said the heater required 44 inches of clearance. What the hell!? Why wouldn't that little tidbit be listrd in the specs?
I find this out on Friday and the panic starts setting in. With the temps forcast in the high thirty's to low forty's I have to find something besides the little heaters that attach to propane tanks. I go online and find a outdoor pellet stove that gravity feeds the pellets and doesn't use electricity. The heat rating is damn near double what the propane heaters put out and the chimney comes in sections so it can be used as tall or short as you want. Checking the dealer locator there's a dealer 120 miles away with one in stock and they're open Saturdays! Road trip! I went up early morning. Looked the stove over and brought it home. Because of our awning I'm running it with just two sections of chimney and it's perfect! Because it's a stove, the entire thing puts out heat. And with the dampers full open it puts out a lot of heat! When I drop the shades our deck is nice a toasty.
Sorry for the long post, but had to share.