Outdoor Gas Fireplaces

How to choose an outdoor gas fireplace

Work out whether you are buying a fireplace or a shell

This is the distinction that causes the most disappointment in this category, and it is not always obvious from a product title. A complete outdoor gas fireplace arrives with its burner, ignition system and log set or refractory already fitted and certified together as a single appliance; you run a gas line to it, finish the surround, and it works. A firebox is the insulated stainless shell only. The Superior VRE4500 and VRE6000 boxes on this page are firebox-only: they include the brick or refractory liner and a mesh screen, but the vent-free log set and the gas control valve are separate purchases, and the box's heat output is simply whatever log set you put in it. There is nothing wrong with buying that way — it is how you get exact control over the flame and the masonry — but budget for the log set and control from the start, and check the log set manual for clearances before you commit to a size.

Everything out here is vent-free, and that is the point

Indoors, vent-free fireplaces are the contentious option: they exhaust into the room, so codes cap their output against room volume and many jurisdictions restrict or ban them outright. Outdoors, every one of those objections disappears, which is why essentially the whole category — including all 51 models here — is vent-free. No flue, no chimney, no liner, no roof penetration. You need a gas line and a structure to set the unit into, and that is the whole of the venting question. If you are building against a house wall, confirm clearance to eaves, soffits and windows with the installation manual rather than assuming the absence of a flue means the absence of clearances.

Traditional refractory or a linear ribbon

Traditional models put a conventional fire behind a stacked-brick or herringbone refractory panel, in a firebox roughly as deep as it is wide. They suit a patio that reads as an extension of the house, and they are the cheaper way in — the Majestic Vesper fireboxes start at $1,369. Linear models run a long, low ribbon of flame behind glass in a shallow box, often only 13 to 16 inches deep, which is why they work in a garden wall or an outdoor kitchen run where a traditional firebox would not fit. They cost more for the same width and they read contemporary; the Majestic Lanai, Barbara Jean and Superior VRE4600 lines are all linear.

Single-sided or see-through

Most of these are single-sided and go against a wall. Nine are see-through, finished on both faces so the same fire is visible from two areas at once — a dining table on one side, lounge seating on the other. It is the most striking thing you can do with an outdoor fire, and it is also the most expensive and the most demanding: you lose the wall, you finish two faces instead of one, and you need service access to both. A see-through unit in a freestanding garden wall also has nowhere to hide a gas line, so plan the routing before the wall goes up.

Ignition matters more outdoors than indoors

Outdoor units come with either a millivolt (standing pilot) or an electronic (IPI or direct spark) ignition, and the trade-off is sharper outside than it is in a living room. A millivolt system is powered by its own pilot flame, so it lights and runs with no electricity at all — useful at the far end of a garden where there is gas but no convenient outlet. The cost is a pilot that burns continuously and that wind can blow out. An electronic system has no standing pilot, so it wastes no gas between uses and there is nothing for the weather to extinguish, but it needs power. Several models here are sold in both forms so you can pick deliberately: the Kingsman OFP42 and Empire's Carol Rose 36" and 42" premium boxes each come as millivolt or IPI.

Natural gas, propane, and the conversion

Every model on this page runs on natural gas or on propane with the correct conversion kit, so the fuel available at the site does not narrow your choice of unit. It does affect the work: conversions change orifice sizing and pressure settings and should be done by a licensed gas technician, not improvised, because getting them wrong affects both safety and the warranty. Confirm which fuel you are ordering for, and if propane, confirm the conversion kit is included or ordered alongside.

Size the fire to the space, not to the wall

Complete units here run roughly 30,000 to 70,000 BTU. Outdoors that figure behaves very differently from the same number indoors: there is no envelope to warm, so almost all of the benefit is radiant heat felt by people in the direct line of the fire, and wind carries the rest away. Do not size an outdoor fireplace the way you would size a furnace — size it visually to the wall or the seating group, and treat the BTU number as an indication of how far back you can still feel it. For a large exposed patio, patio heaters will do more for comfort than a bigger firebox will.

Framing, weather and the things people forget

Every built-in model specifies a framed rough opening and clearances to combustible material, and those numbers are not interchangeable between models or even between sizes in the same series. Pull them from the installation manual for the exact model before anything is built, and note that linear boxes are shallow but tall, which changes the header height rather than the depth. Outdoors, add three things to the list: a plan for water — fireboxes are stainless and screened but standing water in the burner pan is still a problem, so most installs want a cover; access for service once the masonry is finished; and confirmation that your finish material is rated for exterior use, since interior-grade stone veneer and mortar will not survive a freeze-thaw cycle.

Outdoor gas fireplace FAQs

Does an outdoor gas fireplace need a chimney or vent?

No. Outdoor gas fireplaces are vent-free, which means there is no flue, chimney, liner or roof penetration to install — all 51 models here are vent-free designs. The combustion products go straight into open air, which is exactly why the indoor restrictions on vent-free appliances do not apply outside. What you do need is a gas line to the unit and a structure to build it into, plus the manufacturer's clearances to any nearby combustible material such as eaves, soffits or a wood-framed wall.

How much does an outdoor gas fireplace cost?

On this page they run from $1,369 for a 36-inch Majestic Vesper firebox to $10,999 for a 72-inch Empire Carol Rose see-through linear, with most complete units landing between $3,000 and $6,000. That is the appliance only. Budget separately for the gas line, the structure and exterior-rated finish material around it, and — on the six firebox-only Superior models — for a vent-free log set and gas control, which are not included. Installed cost commonly runs well above the appliance price once masonry is counted, so get the surround quoted before you settle on a model.

What is the difference between an outdoor fireplace and an outdoor firebox?

A fireplace is complete: the burner, ignition and log set are fitted and certified as one appliance, so you add a gas line and a finish and it works. A firebox is the insulated shell on its own — it comes with a refractory or brick liner and a screen, but you choose and buy the vent-free log set and gas control separately, and the heat output depends entirely on which log set you fit. The Superior VRE4500 and VRE6000 models here are fireboxes; everything else arrives ready to burn.

Can an outdoor gas fireplace run on propane?

Yes. Every model on this page is either supplied for propane or convertible to it with the manufacturer's conversion kit, so your gas supply does not limit which unit you can choose. The conversion changes orifice sizing and regulator pressure and should be carried out by a licensed gas technician — doing it incorrectly is both a safety problem and a warranty problem. Tell us which fuel you need when you order and we will make sure the right kit ships with it.

Can an outdoor gas fireplace get wet?

These units are built for exterior use — stainless steel construction, screened openings and weather-exposed surfaces rated for it — so rain and snow reaching the firebox is expected and not a fault. Standing water sitting in the burner pan is a different matter, and it is the most common cause of ignition trouble on outdoor units, so a cover is a sensible purchase even on a model rated for open weather. If the fireplace is on a covered patio, confirm the clearance to the ceiling above it, which is often the tightest dimension in the whole installation.

How much heat does an outdoor gas fireplace actually give off?

Enough to make a seating area comfortable on a cool evening, and not much beyond that. Complete models here produce roughly 30,000 to 70,000 BTU, but outdoors there is no building envelope to retain it, so what you feel is radiant heat in the direct line of the fire and very little else — and any wind reduces it further. Judge an outdoor fireplace on the size of the flame and the look of the installation rather than on BTU, and if your goal is genuinely warming a large exposed patio, overhead or wall-mounted patio heaters will do more for the same money.

Should I choose millivolt or electronic ignition for an outdoor fireplace?

Choose millivolt if the location has gas but no reliable power, because a millivolt system is run by its own pilot flame and works during an outage. Choose electronic — IPI or direct spark — if power is available, because there is no standing pilot burning gas between uses and nothing for wind to blow out, which is a real advantage in an exposed position. Several models here, including the Kingsman OFP42 and the Empire Carol Rose 36" and 42" premium fireboxes, are offered both ways.

Related collections

• Outdoor linear fireplaces
• Outdoor wood fireplaces
• Outdoor electric fireplaces
• All outdoor fireplaces
• Fire pits
• Patio heaters
• Majestic Lanai
• Indoor gas fireplaces