Sunglo PSA265 Permanent Post Patio Heater, 50,000 BTU

Sunglo PSA265 Permanent Post Patio Heater, 50,000 BTU

The PSA265 goes in and stays in. Its post mounts into the ground or the deck, which keeps the floor clear of a base and puts the heater at a fixed height, and Sunglo rates it at 50,000 BTU per hour on natural gas. It stands 93 inches overall on a 3 inch diameter post, in powder coated black or stainless steel.

Manual pilot, or a switch on the wall

This is the choice that matters. The manual version has a pilot you light by hand and a pilot thermocouple that gives 100 percent safety shutoff, and it needs no electrical connection of any kind. The 24 volt version adds a complete automated ignition system: the heater turns the pilot and the main burner on and off from a switch, so nobody walks out to each post with a lighter, and nothing sits burning between uses.

What the 24 volt version needs from you

Sunglo is specific and this is easy to miss when ordering. The 24 volt heaters require 24 VAC to operate, the installer must provide an NEC Class 2 transformer, and each heater draws 20 VA. The transformer is not supplied with the heater. Run 18 gauge wire up to 50 feet from the heater to the transformer or switch, and 16 gauge beyond that. The manual version needs none of this.

Coverage and spacing

Sunglo publishes a heat coverage of 10 feet by 10 feet and notes that coverage varies with how exposed the patio is. Their spacing guidance is 15 feet apart in well protected areas, 12 feet in semi exposed areas and 8 feet in completely exposed areas, which is the figure to plan a row of posts from. The certified wind rating is 10 mph horizontal.

Specifications

• Input: 50,000 BTU per hour
• Fuel: natural gas
• Overall height: 93 inches
• Post: 3 inch diameter, mounted in the ground or deck
• Gas connection: 1/2 inch pipe coupling
• Ignition, manual version: pilot with thermocouple safety shutoff, no electrical connection
• Ignition, 24 volt version: automated, switched pilot and main burner
• Electrical, 24 volt version: 24 VAC, 20 VA per heater, NEC Class 2 transformer supplied by the installer
• Minimum inlet pressure: 6 inches W.C. natural gas
• Clearance to combustibles: 18 inches top, 24 inches side, 84 inches below
• Heat coverage: 10 feet by 10 feet
• Certification: CSA

Before you dig

Sunglo publishes no footing detail for the post, no burial depth and no anchor specification, so the fixing is a job for your contractor rather than something we can hand you a number for. What Sunglo does require is a 1/2 inch lever handled shut off valve within 6 feet of each heater, a drip leg on each one, and 4 cfm of supply and exhaust air for every 1,000 BTU of input. Send us the layout and we will put the published figures in writing for whoever does the work.