Abstract: The present invention is a method of optimizing radiant and thermal efficiency of a gas fired radiant tube heater. A heat exchange blower receives intake air and delivers intake air through a heat exchanger as pre-heated air to a combustion air blower. The combustion air blower receives pre-heated intake air from the heat exchanger and then provides the pre-heated intake air to a burner for mixing with fuel. The fuel-intake air mixture is burned in the burner thereby producing combustion gasses which are fired into a radiant tube. The exhaust combustion gases pass through the balance of the radiant tube and through the heat exchanger where residual heat is transferred and extracted from the combustion gases to pre-heat the intake air. The turbulators are configured to increase the turbulence within the radiant tube and are placed within the initial 10? to 30? of the radiant tube after the burner to increase the tube temperature and the radiation emitted from this section of the radiant tube.

Abstract: The present concept is a patio heater assembly. The patio heater assembly includes a base and at least one support platform spaced from the base that is supported and attached to a vertically extending rear upright and at least one vertically extending forward upright. The uprights are attached at one end to the base and the other end to the at least one support platform. There is a pole moveable between a collapsed position and a raised assembled position that includes at least one pole flange at a bottom end of the pole. The pole flange rigidly connects to the support platform when in the raised assembled position, thereby maintaining the patio heater assembly in the raised assembled position. While in the collapsed position the pole flange rests on the base.