A wood-burning fire pit is a wonderful addition to any family home, regardless of the season. It provides warmth on cool or chilly nights, and children can roast hot dogs, marshmallows, and s’mores. With the correct equipment, you can even prepare food outside. The focal point of an outdoor living area might also be a wood-burning fire pit. Let the talks begin by surrounding it with chaise lounges, patio chairs, and a small table for literature.
You won’t need to employ an entire masonry crew to install a fire pit in your backyard, which means more cookouts, nights spent outside, and most importantly, more s’mores. Many portable, independent fire pits to choose from that need little to no assembly or other installation, like outdoor grills.
What is Exactly Fire Pit?
Outdoor enthusiasts can use their backyard during the chilly winter months by installing a fire pit. It also serves as a pleasant gathering spot at other times of the year for sharing stories about ghosts, visiting with friends, and toasting weenies and marshmallows.
Think about how boring it would be to sit in a circle on your patio without a fire. Everyone would lose interest and leave right away. Warmth is provided by a fire pit, which also fires passions and inspires conversation.
Gazing at a fire pit for a long may also be soothing and intriguing. It’s amazing how any backyard gathering has ever survived without one. What began as a simple steel ring to contain the flames has developed into a class of functional designs that may improve any outdoor environment.
Best Compact Wood Burning Fire Pits
Fire pits are available in various sizes, materials, and designs nowadays. The ideal type to choose will depend on your budget, where to install it, how regularly you’ll use it, and your local codes, which may specify size or if one is permitted. Here are some of the best wood-burning fire pits:
TIKI Brand 25 Inch Stainless Steel Low Smoke Fire Pit
Features:
- Includes stand, weather-resistant cover and wood pack
- Patented internal airflow system for better fire, low smoke and less ash
- 25″ Diameter with approx. 16″ depth and diameter on the inside
- Ash pan for easy cleanup and less mess
- You can use traditional firewood, but when used with a TIKI Brand Wood Pack, you get all these benefits plus: An instant light fire, Predictable approximately 30-minute burn per pack
- Constructed with 16-gauge stainless steel and durable weatherproof powder-coated exterior in black
Amazon Basics 23.5 Inch Steel Lattice Fire Pit
Features:
- Overall Dimensions: 27.8″ Diameter x 35″ Height; Fire Bowl: 23″ Diameter
- Sturdy steel construction designed for easy assembly
- Spark screen and fire poker included
- Provides 360-degree viewing of the fire
Solo Stove Bonfire with Stand Portable Fire Pit Stainless Steel Fire Pits Wood Burning and Low Smoke Camping Stove
Features:
- Solo Stove Bonfire pushes the limits of combustion airflow efficiency and minimalist outdoor design with its stainless steel construction. It was brilliantly engineered to provide a backyard fire experience that cannot be duplicated. Our patent-pending design sold over $1.1M sold on Kickstarter.
- The camping stove has a double-wall design that maximizes airflow and the burning process. Bottom vent holes allow oxygen to feed the fire from below while channeling warm oxygen up between the walls of the stove and back into the fire.
- A complete burn means the top vents burn up the little particles that would have been smoking, and it also means no more half-burned logs to deal with.
- Catches loose ash and prevents it from clogging vital airflow. The ash pan also acts as a heat shield and reduces the heat transfer from your Bonfire to the ground beneath it.
- Get the most from your Bonfire camp stove by being able to use it in more places than ever! With ample airflow, the stand accessory allows you to use your fire pit on more heat-sensitive surfaces.
Outland Living Firebowl 883 Mega Outdoor Propane Gas Fire Pit
Features:
What to Consider While Purchasing a Fire Pit?
Here are some important factors that should be considered while purchasing a fire pit:
Style
A fire pit can be the center of your yard unless your primary goal is to dig a hole in the ground and roast a pig for a backyard luau. There are many different fire pits, from simple metal fire bowls to sophisticated, multi-level, and multipurpose devices that include a fire pit with a beverage chiller.
Other options include square designs that resemble low tables with space for a meal or drink.
Wood-Burning Laws
To begin with, you cannot use a wood-burning fire pit on a covered porch, and it is also not advisable to use one there while it is windy or beneath low branches.
Check with your homeowner’s association, city, or county for rules governing outdoor fire pits, fireplaces, or wood-burning. Some areas charge fees for infractions. A town may have wood-burning or fire pit legislation for persons tending fires under 18, in addition to safety and property limitations.
Scientists and environmental organizations make the risks of breathing in smoke from wood-burning fireplaces and fire pits more widely known. Programs like Burn Wise from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Healthy Hearths from the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) in Southern California offer information and incentives to educate people and lessen the pollution that comes from wood-burning fireplaces.
Types of Fuel
Wood can be the best option if you enjoy the sound of a crackling fire and an aroma that lingers on your clothes and hair. Ensure the pit can hold logs of an average size of 24 inches. With no pile of wood, ashes, smoke, or waste to bother with, propane or natural gas pits are often neater and can be utilized on open porches with overhead roofs.
Materials
Choose a fire bowl that will last for a long time to increase the lifespan of your fire pit. Copper can discolor, although cast aluminum is less likely to rust. Cast iron is a reliable yet weighty material.
Permanent or Portable?
Depending on its location, budget, and materials, a fire pit can be custom-built as a permanent fixture in your yard or a portable model that is easy to move around wherever the crowd gathers.
When looking for a fire pit, you must choose whether you want a gas or wood-burning fire pit.
Wood burning fire pits use wood logs, wood pellets, charcoal, or some combination thereof, and you make them the way you would an open bonfire. However, they’re generally safer and more convenient than bonfires because they’re deep enough to prevent embers from flying everywhere. They’re designed to give off less smoke, and many have ashtrays in the base for convenient cleanup.
Some also have internal fans to keep the fire going. You should opt for a wood-burning fire if you love that campfire smell, are interested in cooking outdoors, and want to generate a lot of heat. The drawbacks are the ash cleanup, the fuel maintenance, and the potential for smokiness, as well as the potential fire hazard from embers.
Gas fire pits use propane or natural gas to generate a “clean” fire, with no embers, ash, or cleanup. They’re generally safer and more consistent than wood-burning fires because embers have no fire hazards, and they can be switched on with a flip or switch or by pressing a button. They often have different heat and flame height levels.
Gas fire pits are great for elegant outdoor tables, patios, or when camping somewhere where wood fires are banned or inconvenient. However, gas fires aren’t ideal for cooking because of the potential mess, they don’t provide you with the smell of a campfire, and you’ll need to be able to store the propane tank somewhere. Tanks and gas lines must also be carefully inspected and maintained to prevent leaks.
Can you Put a Fire Pit on a Deck?
Without a fire pit mat to serve as a heat-resistant barrier, you should never use a wood-burning fire pit on a hardwood deck. Without such a barrier, wood-burning pits can also cause difficulties for concrete patios, such as spalling, cracking, and explosions. Pavers and brick patios should be able to withstand the heat just fine.
Most propane fire pits and fire tables are made to be used safely on concrete, composite, and wooden decks. However, the heat can discolor the surfaces. It is usually wisest to review the specifications of the precise model you intend to buy.
Conclusion
Outdoor enthusiasts can use their backyard during the chilly winter months by installing a fire pit. It also serves as a pleasant gathering spot at other times of the year for sharing stories about ghosts, visiting with friends, and toasting weenies and marshmallows.
Think about how boring it would be to sit in a circle on your patio without a fire. Everyone would lose interest and leave right away. Warmth is provided by a fire pit, which also fires passions and inspires conversation. Gazing at a fire pit for a long may also be soothing and intriguing.
Fire pits are perfect for creating an outdoor living area where you can unwind and socialize. Like inside fireplaces, fire pits make the ideal centerpiece for an outdoor lounging area and look great when flanked by built-in benches or outdoor sofas covered in cushions.