Napoleon: Riverside RSS36

An outdoor fire big enough to hold the whole patio’s attention.

Quick Facts

• Heating Capacity: 1,250–2,500 sq ft
• Viewing Area: 36 1/8″ x 30 1/16″.
• Fuel: Natural gas; converts to propane with a kit.
• Controls: Exterior panel for easy on and off; optional timer with 30, 60, and 90-minute settings.

Who It’s For

The patio empties the first cool evening of September, and the furniture sits under covers for the next seven months. You need a fire that keeps the outdoor room open after the sun goes down. If you’ve built a covered porch or a patio worth staying in and want it to work in October the way it does in July, the Riverside RSS36 is the one. Settle for a portable fire bowl instead and you get flickers at ankle height; this one gives the space a focal point you can see from every chair.

What Makes It Special

The fire itself is the feature: a viewing area over three feet wide and two and a half feet tall, with an included finishing flange so the surround runs clean to the opening and nothing interrupts the flames. From across the patio it reads as a built-in room anchor, not an appliance set outside.

It’s also built to run unattended outdoors. A high-limit safety switch shuts the fireplace down if it detects unsafe temperatures—a second layer of protection Napoleon brought to outdoor fireplaces first. Add the optional timer and the fire turns itself off 30, 60, or 90 minutes after the last person heads inside, so nobody has to be the one who remembers.

Possible Downsides

• A log set is required and sold separately—choose the standard oak, split oak, or high-definition birch kit before it can burn.
• The Prestige heat and exhaust management kit can only be added during installation, so decide on it up front, not later.
• The safety screen, weather cover, and timer are optional accessories, not included.

If you want an outdoor space that works past the first cool evening, the Riverside RSS36 is the right decision. The patio stops being a summer room and becomes where the evening ends, most of the year.

The RSS36 takes standard oak, split oak, or high-definition birch log sets, Newport brick or Westminster herringbone decorative panels, Mirro-Flame porcelain reflective panels, topaz glass embers, and a woodland media kit, plus a stainless steel safety screen, weather cover, and outdoor timer, so both the look and the operation fit the space you’ve built.