What is BTU? How Important is this when buying a Fire Table?

When searching for a Fire Table or Fire Bowl for your home, you will hear the term BTU getting mentioned left right and center! Read along and we will explain everything you need to know before purchasing your very own Fire Table. 

What is a British thermal unit (BTU)?

BTU is a measure of the amount of heat that an item produces or can generate. In terms of a Fire Table, this would help you to determine how much warmth it will provide and how big the flame size is. BTU output will generally range from 25,000 to 90,000 on a fire pit or outdoor Gas Fire of any type. Therefore, the higher the BTU, more warmth you will feel from the fire.

One British thermal unit (Btu) is approximately equal to the energy released by burning a match to give you an equivalent! So 40,000 BTU is like having the power of 40,000 match sticks warming you up.

Fire Tables have a large range of BTU, from some cheaper models that are 20,000 to most which range from 40,000 to 60,000 BTU. Above this, some models can come with up to 100,000 BTU however this may be too much heat for some spaces, it is important to think about the proximity to which you will be sitting to the fire ie how big is the space surrounding it and how close will the furniture be? For an average Balcony setting, we would recommend staying withing the 40-60,000 BTU range. 

I often recommend that people have a look on YouTube to see how some models will perform in terms of flame size, these are accurately depicted on some videos and will give you a great idea of the heat that they will emit. 

BTU Conversions

BTU converts differently, depending on the fuel type:

Natural Gas - 1 cubic foot = 1,037 BTU, 1 therm = 100,000 BTU

Propane - 1 Gallon = 91,452 BTU

Factors to Consider when deciding on a BTU rating

- Natural gas and LP are sold by the BTU so the more BTU's a burner uses per hour the more it will cost to burn the appliance. So all in all, while you generally want a high BTU measure for your gas fire pit or fireplace, cost should also factor in your decision.

- As mentioned above, how much heat do you really need? You do not want to be singing your guests hair or leaving them with seared remains of clothing whenever they leave your home!! Think about the proximity to which you will be to the fire, In most cases, 70,000 plus BTU is overkill and not necessary unless it is a large area you are wanting to heat

We hope that this guide has helped you to define what BTU means and that it has brought you one step closer to bringing that dream Outdoor Space to life! Please feel welcome to reach out should you need any help or have any questions at all!