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A patio heater, like any other appliance, needs regular maintenance. When you review your manual, you will probably have very good instructions on how to assemble and operate your patio heater. There may even be helpful troubleshooting information if your patio heater is not working properly. But there is something the manufacturer doesn’t bother to let you know.

The warmer seasons are ending and you take the heater out of your storage patio, ready to warm up those brisk mornings and cooler nights. Turn on the natural gas supply or make sure you have a full propane tank. Friends and family are eagerly waiting to be by the patio heater for you to turn it on. Using the outside heater before, you know to turn the knob to pilot and press the power button … click, and it won’t come on. Okay, try again, click and it won’t turn back on. Your guests continue to wait patiently, but gradually they begin to drift in and out of the cold. He checks the gas supply again and tries the ignition process a few more times, but decides to bring the party inside.

The next day, you review the instructions and troubleshooting guide, but you still can’t turn on your patio heater and you think you may need a new outdoor heater to move the gathering outside one more time. However, if you knew a few maintenance tips, you could save yourself the cost of a new patio heater and be the life of the party again.

What most patio heater instructions won’t tell you is that a covered or stored heater is a favorite home for spiders and other small critters. The cool, dark, and confined space makes it a perfect place to nest for our eight-legged friends. Debris, nest, and cobwebs created during your patio heater’s idle period, block important functional parts, causing it to not function properly or at all. Unfortunately, without disassembling a couple of key pieces, you will never be able to see the problem created by the net, the debris, or the nest. If your patio heater is over a year old, it is most likely out of warranty and the manufacturer won’t offer much help.

So what can you do now to get your outdoor patio heater working again? Almost all natural gas or propane patio heaters contain the same components of a control valve, pilot, thermocouple, and main burner. Getting in and cleaning these components is essential to get your outdoor heater working again.

Cleaning the internal parts of your patio heater:

Note: Always make sure the patio heater is cool, with any gas supply disconnected.

1. Remove the hood or reflector and screen from the emitter. The parts are usually attached to the main burner housing with four screws. Once removed, you will have access to the main burner, pilot, and thermocouple.

2. Remove the main burner, which is usually attached to a bracket with two to four screws. Once the main burner is removed, you will have access to the main burner orifice. The hole is a small brass fitting with a tiny hole, measured in gauges. This small hole can become clogged or clogged by debris, nest, or web left by the spider. Since little or no gas can pass through the clog, the outdoor heater will not create a flame or will have a very yellow sooty flame.

3. Using a wrench or socket set, remove this hole for cleaning. To clean, use compressed air or a needle to remove any blockage.

4. Check the pilot for other obstructions. Sometimes the pilot hole, like the main burner hole, will have deposits left over from the spiders. This brass fitting will have a hole even smaller than the main burner hole. Removing the pilot hole can be tricky as different manufacturers will secure the pilot in different ways. Most pilots, however, will be attached to a bracket that holds the pilot and thermocouple. Loosen this bracket so that you have free access to the pilot. The pilot hole will be directly above the small copper tube and just below the pilot. Remove the pilot and then remove the pilot hole. Clean the pilot orifice in the same way as the main burner orifice with compressed air or a needle.

5. On the main burner, there should be two openings near the bottom of the burner, these are called venturi. Make sure the opening is clear of obstructions so that the air can mix properly with the gas.

6. With all parts of the patio heater clean, reassemble all parts in the reverse order of above, but DO NOT replace the hood (reflector).

7. Reconnect and turn on the gas supply. Following your operation manual, turn your patio heater on only in the pilot position. While holding the control knob in the pilot position, verify that the pilot is lit, with the flame touching the top of the thermocouple. Once you have verified this, release the control knob (about 30 to 60 seconds) and the pilot should stay lit. If not, wait for the heater to cool down and follow the pilot hole cleaning instructions above. Reassemble and relight the pilot.

8. Once the pilot remains lit, turn the control knob to the high position. If the main burner orifice was cleaned properly, you should see a 4-6 inch blue flame with yellow-orange tips. If the flame is mostly yellow, then the obstructions in the burner venturi were not cleaned properly. The venturi allows the air to mix with the gas so that it burns clean. If air is not mixed with the gas, a dirty yellow flame is produced.

9. With the pilot and main burner now in good working order, wait for the patio heater to cool and then reassemble the emitter screen and hood to the housing bracket, using the same screws provided.

10. Turn on your patio heater and get ready for another great party, gathering, or outdoor dining experience once again.

Note that with a natural gas or propane patio heater, if you are not comfortable with gas appliances, contact a qualified gas technician.

For more information on patio heaters, visit PatioHeatingUSA.com.