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Patio Heaters

Commercial Patio Heaters for Restaurants in Toronto & Canada

A patio heater takes the chill off an outdoor dining area, and you'll want one when your patio empties out as soon as the temperature drops in the spring and fall, or when you'd like guests to stay seated late into the evening. Every commercial patio heater in this collection comes from Omcan. The Omcan 47879 Pyramid Patio Heater is a propane model rated at 42,000 BTU that heats roughly 113 to 175 sq ft and rolls on built-in casters, so it suits an open patio with no outlet nearby. For spots with power, the Omcan 31432 Patio Heater is a 1,500W electric unit that comes with a wall-mounting bracket and a remote control, while the Omcan 43124 Column Heater is a 1,500W electric model with a tip-over safety switch. No matter where you're located — a restaurant patio in Toronto, a rooftop bar in Mississauga, or right here in Vaughan — Phoenix Food Equipment gets patio heaters to you across the GTA and nationwide across Canada.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions we hear from operators.

How many patio heaters do I need for a restaurant patio?

Start with the area you need to warm. The Omcan 47879 Pyramid Patio Heater covers roughly 113 to 175 sq ft, so divide your patio's square footage by that range to estimate how many propane heaters you need, and plan for the low end of the range on windy or very cold nights. A 400 sq ft patio, for example, works out to about three or four pyramid heaters. The 1,500W electric Omcan 31432 Patio Heater and Omcan 43124 Column Heater put out far less heat, about 5,100 BTU each, so they suit a single table or entrance rather than a whole patio. Browse more equipment in our business appliances collection.

How long does a 20 lb propane tank last on a patio heater?

A 20 lb propane tank holds roughly 430,000 BTU of fuel, so a heater burning 42,000 BTU an hour, like the Omcan 47879 Pyramid Patio Heater, will run about 10 hours on a full tank at full output. That is a rule of thumb, not a figure from the product page, and real runtime drops in wind or when the tank isn't full. The pyramid heater takes a standard 20 lb propane tank, so plan to swap tanks between services and keep a spare on hand for a busy weekend.

Are patio heaters safe to use on a restaurant patio?

Look for built-in tip-over protection and safety certification, then place the heater carefully. The Omcan 47879 Pyramid Patio Heater has an anti-tilt switch that shuts it off automatically if it's tipped over, plus a protective guard around its inner glass tube, and the Omcan 43124 Column Heater has a 360° tip-over safety switch. All three Omcan heaters are ETL certified. Set a heater on level ground, keep it clear of umbrellas, awnings, and anything flammable, and never run a propane heater in an enclosed space because of carbon monoxide. Follow the manual for clearances, and check your local fire code before installing one on a covered patio.