Abstract: An outdoor heating appliance includes a top structure having a top surface, a stationary airfoil, and exhaust openings for flue products. The operation of the heating appliance is rendered wind resistant by generating with the stationary airfoil, in a region above the top surface and in repsonse to wind, an air pressure lower than an air pressure of that wind, and by locating the exhaust openings in that region, whereby the flue products are exhausted from the outdoor heating appliance by the wind. An inlet opening may be provided below the top surface at the airfoil for receiving part of the wind, in order to sustain combustion and generate inside the heating appliance positive pressure toward the exhaust openings by guiding air from the received part of the wind through a channel to a burner in the heating appliance.

Abstract: Water heating methods and apparatus feed a combustible mixture of gas and air to an axial inlet of a cylindrical radiant surface burner and conduct water to be heated through a heat exchanger encompassing that cylindrical radiant surface burner as a cylindrical structure having first passages for combustion gases therethrough substantially radially of the cylindrical radiant surface burner and the heat exchanger.