Review: Thermo Tiki Deluxe Propane Outdoor Patio Heater – Pyramid Style

Thermo Tiki Deluxe Propane Outdoor Patio Heater - Pyramid Style

8.8

Function

7.8/10

Design

9.3/10

Build

9.4/10

Pros

  • Has a very aesthetic design that will look great on your patio
  • Easy to use with a Auto-ignition
  • Uses Stainless Steel

Cons

  • Just Gives off enough heat, but not really meant for heating purposes in the first place
(Last Updated On: February 10, 2018)

 

One of the more exotic looking patios heaters are the pyramid shaped one. Most of the patio heaters on the market are ones that have a more rounded dome shape and they resemble a lamp post if you keep staring at them. With that said, the ones that have pyramid shapes definitely make a patio look more Hawaiian rather than modern. That said, that’s not really the only difference as there’s a difference with heat output that either a dome shape or pyramid-shaped patio heater has to offer.

Patio heaters that are shaped like a dome are known to offer more heating output, while pyramid ones are weaker. With that said, it should be pretty obvious which one to go with at the same time, you should reserve your choice until you read our review on this Thermo Tiki Deluxe patio heater.

Function

 

The BTU output that this Thermo Tiki has to offer is 38,000 BTU. The BTU output is basically a measurement of how much heat that a patio heater is able to output and in this case, the heat output isn’t exactly too much. That’s because most other patio heaters with a dome have a BTU up to 46,000 and that means they’re able to provide more heating.

With that said, Thermo Tiki does mention that their patio heater has reported to reach up to 45,000 BTU when it’s at its highest setting but at the same time it doesn’t really make sense to say that this is a 38,000 BTU when it can reach 45,000 BTU at times. Overall, it’s most likely the brand just reaching for straws and trying to be truthful and still over-promise the power output this patio heater. It sounds about right too and that’s because pyramid patio heaters don’t feel like it outputs a lot of heat, not only because of its heat output but also because of its structured design.

Feeling the Heat:

At the top of the heater where the grill is (basically where the heat comes from), it’s a smaller grill than a dome-shaped patio heater. As a result, the heating output while the patio heater is on is going to be less since there’s a smaller opening for heat to come out of. As a result, it’s not just because this Thermo Tiki patio heater has a low power rating but it’s also because it has a design that restricts the heat from coming out of the heating grill.

Thermo Tiki has mentioned that this heater is able to provide heating up to a 15-foot diameter but they’re definitely being on the generous side as you’re not going to feel much at all at that range. Instead, we’re going to say that it definitely fits within the 8-foot range and so you have to be pretty close this heater if you really want to take advantage of it. Also, if you’re wondering what type of weather this patio heater should be used in then we recommend using it in 50-degree weather when it’s not too windy, as this one isn’t really meant for bone-chilling 30-degree weather.

Fuel Usage:

It’s a propane-powered patio heater and it’s compatible with a 20lb propane tank. The patio is heater is able to last up 10 hours if you have it running near its highest heating output, but at the same time, not everyone is going to be using this patio heater at its highest setting and that’s why there have been numerous reports of this patio heater being able to last much longer with a single propane tank. Just how long? Well, you’re able to use a propane tank for entire seasons or even two seasons depending on how you’re using this patio heater.

Design

When it comes to putting this Thermo Tiki patio heater together, it’s quite easy. Of course, that’s more of a subjective statement, as “easy” could really mean anything but at the same time, this patio heater does come with some detailed instructions and the parts are label alphabetically matched up with instructions. Also, the images have arrows that tell you exactly where each of the parts go. It would help if you have someone else with you for assembling this product as they can hold certain pieces in place to expedite the process. At the same time, it’s not a necessary thing to have and the best part is that it already comes with its own screws and tools such as a screwdriver.

Or if you want, you can pay for Expert Assembly that’s offered by Amazon and have someone else build this patio heater for you.

Size and Weight:

The size of this Thermo Tiki patio heater is your same basic size and that would be it having a 7 foot and 6-inch height. Of course, it’s quite a heavy patio heater as it weighs 54 pounds.

Functional Components:

On the functional side, this patio heater is fairly easy to use. At the bottom, there’s quite a large door and that’s where you’re able to fit a 20lb propane tank into. The patio heater already has a 5-inch hose attachment that you can use to attach to your propane tank and once you do that, you can fully turn on your propane tank, then wait for about a minute. You have to wait for the gas to travel up the patio heater.

Then just find the two controls that are covered by the door where the propane tank goes and there are two main controls. This heater has a red ignition button that turns on the pilot light and the other control is the Switch Dial.

Push in the dial and turn it to the ignition symbol that looks like an N. then keep it held there for about 30 seconds and then you can depress it. Then go ahead and press the ignition button and that will turn on the pilot light. You can then turn the dial all the way to high and that will turn on the flames of the patio heater. Then you can change the dial from high to low or to whichever setting you’d like to turn it to.

At the bottom of the patio heater is where you’ll find the two-wheels and that can be very helpful if you want to move the patio heater around. Just tilt the patio heater towards yourself and then pull and you should be good to use the wheels and roll it to wherever you need to.

The Main Attraction

The middle of the patio heater has a glass pipe and that’s where a large fire comes through it. The fire from in the center basically has nothing to do with the heat that’s outputted from this patio heater. You can go very close to the heater and even touch the Aluminum grill that surrounds it and you still won’t be able to feel the heat of the flame within the glass. That’s something that a lot of people are disappointed at when they get this heater and it’s something that we thought we would mention if you are deciding to purchase this heater.

With that said, as a design choice, having a fire in the center of the patio heater is a very cool looking thing and it definitely adds aesthetics to the heater and you’re bound to get quite a lot of compliments when you have guests over.

Build

Structure and Material:

The specific model that we’re reviewing has a stainless steel build to it and that means it has less effect if water or general moisture were to get onto this patio heater. At the same time, there are only specific parts of this heater that are stainless steel, as the grill that covers the glass pipe where the fire comes through is made of Aluminum and that means it can potentially rust and overall, you really don’t want other parts of this patio heater to be run down.

That’s why we highly recommend using a covering for it if you’re keeping it outside while it’s not in use, and also, if you’re keeping this heater outside, you should definitely put it against your house so it doesn’t tip over and fall due to high winds as that can cause quite a bit of damage since this is a heavy product.

Safety:

This patio heater is meant for outdoor use only, however, many people still wonder if they use this heater indoors. The general answer would be a, no. However, if you’re using this heater in-doors then you should have a wide open area, the ceiling should be at least 4 feet higher than where the top of the patio heater is and it should have outside ventilation. The reason for the 4 feet high clearance is because the top of the patio heater where the reflective covering is, gets very hot and that results in it being a fire hazard.

Also, the reason that you should have good ventilation for when you’re using this patio indoors is so there isn’t a build of Carbon Monoxide which can be a fatal threat if you’re not careful.

Summary:

Function:

 

The power output this heater could be better and that’s because it’s only 38,000 BTU, while Thermo Tiki mentions that it could be higher but that’s just at certain times only. Overall, the design of the heater is what makes the heat less intense than ones that have a dome shape.

 

Design:

 

This patio heater definitely has the look with its pyramid shape and also a glass piping that goes down the middle and has a fire coming through it. It’s an easy product to use with it having enough space at the bottom to place a 20LB pound propane tank and actually turning it on is quite easy too.

 

Build:

Some of the parts of this patio heater are made of stainless and some of them aren’t, so it’s best to have a cover for it, especially if you plan on leaving it outside. Another smart thing to do is to leave it tied to something so that it doesn’t fall over on those windy days. Speaking of falling over, this patio heater has to tip over protection which means that it automatically turns off if it were to tip over and fall.

Conclusion:

This Thermo Tiki patio heater isn’t going to be for everyone and that’s because it’s mostly about the looks with this patio heater. As it doesn’t output a lot of heat due to its BTU heat output and also because the design at the top of the heater is very small and so it outputs less heat.

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