Choosing the Right Fire Pit for Your Home
You can safely use any fire pit on any kind of decking with DeckProtect
Building a deck or patio next to your home is a great way to expand your living space and enjoy relaxing time outdoors. Adding the warmth of a controlled fire to outdoor space greatly enhances the outdoor experience.
There has been an explosion in the number of homeowners buying a fire pit over the past twenty years and also in the number of fire pits and fire pit types to choose from. The number of web sites offering fire pits is now in the tens of thousands. So how do you filter through all these options and choose the fire experience that is right for you? This article will try to break down the options into various types or categories.
There has been an explosion in the number of homeowners buying a fire pit over the past twenty years and also in the number of fire pits and fire pit types to choose from. The number of web sites offering fire pits is now in the tens of thousands. So how do you filter through all these options and choose the fire experience that is right for you? This article will try to break down the options into various types or categories.
Low Priced Imported Fire Pits
At big box stores or on a number of online web sites, you can find a good functional wood-burning fire pit like the one at left sold by Home Depot for less than $200 ($169 for this one). You can find smaller or less substantial fire pits for less than $100. This type of fire pit is typically made in China from thin steel. It may be all you need. After it has been left outside for two three years, you may fine that it has rusted through at the bottom or a leg is coming off, in which case it will need to be discarded and replaced. It is actually a great deal if two or three seasons is worth the price.
Heavy Steel Fire Pits
A handful of small shops in the U.S. build fire pits made with thick steel that will last long enough to be inherited by your grandchildren. The one in this photo is made by Kansas company Rough & Rigid Custom Fire Pits. https://rrfirepits.com/ Each shop has its own style. Typically, these companies resulted from a craftsman who knew how to cut and weld thick steel making one for himself and being asked by friends to make one for them. Other shops in this category are: S&S Fire pits n Georgia: www.ssfirepits.com and Wilke's Badass Fire Pits in Texas: https://www.wilkesbadasspits.com/ in Texas.
Heavy Steel Fire Pits that Rise to the Level of Art
The one in this photo is made by Ohio Flame: https://ohioflame.com/ Another company is Fire Pit Art in Tennessee. https://www.firepitart.com/ These shops, like the ones in previous category, were started by craftsmen who made one for themselves and were pressed to make them for others. And these fire pits will also last indefinitely.
Fire Pit Spheres with Cut Out Art
The one in this photo is made by The Fire Pit Gallery in Ohio. https://thefirepitgallery.com/ Sphere fire pits with cut out art are also made by Fire Pit Art and by Back Country Custom Fire Pits in Colorado, https://backcountrycustomfirepits.com/ The Fire Pit Gallery offers a dazzling collection of wonderful spheres designed by artist Melissa Crisp. Her husband Jason Crisp is a certified welder. These fire pits, like many others made by small American companies, develop a brown patina of natural rust and have a lifetime warranty. It may seem counter-intuitive, but the rust patina protects the steel from further rusting.
Smokeless Fire Pits
The X-24 shown here is made be Breeo, the Lancaster, Pennsylvania company that invented the concept. https://breeo.com/ The fire pit has air intake (unseen) in the bottom and a double wall. The air intake brings in air which rises through the double wall, becoming hot along the way and vents through a ring of outlets near the top. Smoke is minuscule particles of wood that has not fully burned. This process burns the wood hotter and more completely resulting in almost no smoke. Several other fire pit makers have used the idea, most notably Solo Stove, whose products are made mostly in China, has become very successful with good design and brilliant marketing. https://www.solostove.com/us/en-us/
Cauldron Fire Pits
Instead of sitting on the ground, the fire bowl is raised above the ground suspended from a sturdy tripod. There are a few companies that make cauldron fire pits, but the king of this type of fire pit is Cowboy Cauldron in Utah… the company that makes the one shown here. https://www.cowboycauldron.com/ There are unique advantages to the cauldron (including being able to warm your feet under it on a cold evening), and it is very well suited for cooking and entertaining,
The Chiminea
It's a fire pit with a chimney and offers a different kind of experience. For one thing, it is enjoyed from only its front side. You don't arrange a circle of chairs all around it. A big advantage is that the smoke rises through the chimney instead of wafting into your face. It is something like a fire place, but outside. There are a lot of companies offering chimneys. Many have a ceramic composition. The one in this photo, made by Blue Rooster, a Minnesota company, is made of solid cast aluminum. https://www.thebluerooster.com/ They offer a variety of designs and sizes.
Portable Propane Fire Pits
Fire pits like this one offered by Outland Living have the advantage of not needing wood and not filling the air with smoke. They have the disadvantage of needing a source for propane. The propane tank can be placed several feet away, and it is probably easier to transport a small propane tank than a bundle of firewood. Small propane fire pits are available from several sources online, but the best source is probably www.OutlandLiving.com. (photo courtesy of Outland Living)
Massive Wood-Burning Fire Pits
You can get a very robust fire going in a 30-inch fire wood-burning. A 36-inch fire pit is big. Two American companies offer a gigantic wood bringing fire pit. The one shown here is 4 ft. square made by Frontier Designs of Austin, Texas. Carbon Designs of Arkansas also makes a similar 4 ft. fire pit. You can use large logs and get a bonfire going. https://frontierdesigns.com/ and https://carbondesigns.com/ Both companies also offer smaller fire pits.
Outdoor Wood-Burning Fireplace
If you have ever lived in a house with a great fire place, you will remember how great it was to sit by the fire, feel the warmth and watch the logs burn. You can have that same experience on your deck or patio. There are many outdoor fireplaces online to choose from. The one shown here is the Sunjoy Pirtle outdoor wood-burning fireplace offered on Wayfair.com
Propane or Natural Gas Fire Table
A lof of homeowners would prefer outdoor warmth on their deck or patio that does not involve logs and smoke. Hence, the fire table. There are dozens, if not hundreds to choose from from. Some are made from steel; some from glass reinforced concrete. The downside is that you need a source for the fuel. The most common solution is a propane tank, often enclosed in a special container that matches the fire table, sometimes wishing the fire table itself. The alternative is natural gas, which requires a professional to run a gas line under the deck and up through a hole in the deck.
Patio Heater
When what you really need is a way to stay warm on your deck or patio when the weather turns cold, a patio heater could be the right choice. The one shown here is the Revere by Timber Stoves. It burns wood pellets and reflects the heat downward, warming up an area large enough for a grouping of chairs. https://timberstoves.com/. The Tower Patio Heater from Solo Stove is another pellet-fueled patio heater. https://www.solostove.com/us/en-us/
Wood-Burning Grill
Cooking dinner on your deck or patio with an outdoor grill is extremely popular. The grill is typically fueled by propane. But what if you wanted a grill that burns wood logs or charcoal. Bree has come to the rescue with its unique design.. a stand-alone grill with a lot of cooking options. https://breeo.com/
