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Quick
Tip: |
When you set up seating around a permanent fire pit, try to select easy to move furniture. That way if the wind is blowing the flame in your direction or your guests are getting smoked out, you can easily relocate. |
Fire
Pit Safety
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1. Most of the time, fire pits must be at least 25 feet away from houses or combustible material. There are some exceptions like enclosed fire pit containers such as metal kettles. However, it is a good idea to check with your local fire department to find out what the regulations are for recreational fires and open burning in your area. 2. This is pretty common sense but do not leave your fire pit unattended and make sure you have some sort of fire extinguishing device nearby. This is especially true for a wood burning fire pit. 3. I mention this elswhere on my site, but do not make fires larger than 3 feet in diameter and 2 feet high. Also, don't start a fire on a windy day and be aware that fires are usually prohibited during periods of drought. 4. If you have a wood burning fire pit, burn woods like oak and birch. Burning treated, painted or manufactured wood releases harmful chemicals into the air. It's also not a good idea to burn large amounts of paper, cardboard or other household trash. |
How to Build a Fire PitBuilding a fire pit is not as hard as you might think. In order to know how to build a firepit you must first decide what kind of fire pit you want. Are you going to build a fire pit on the patio that burns gas and uses stone and a steel fire pit ring? Or do you want to build a backyard fire pit that burns wood and allows you to do some outdoor cooking? Some of you will be constructing a fire pit that is made from stone or masonry mortared together and need to know what to put inside your fire pit to get it going. However you decide to build a fire pit I hope my site helps... Jump to a specific topic: |
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| Formal
Stone and Masonry Fire Pit Building a fire pit with formal stone or masonry makes it a permanent fixture in your backyard. You can build a fire pit with formal stone and masonry as large or small as you want, but the fires that burn inside them should never be more than 3 feet in diameter and 2 feet high. When building a fire pit with masonry you may want to line the inside with a layer of fire brick, or make the pit large enough so that fires burn several feet away from the masonry. |
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| Building
Your Own Fire Pit? The Wizard Recommends These Custom Fire Pit Kits! Build your own natural surround and drop in these "guts" and you will have everything you need to get your fire pit up and running! |
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Deluxe Electronic Ignition Fire Pit Kits |
Rectangle And Square In Ground Match Lit Fire Pit Kits |
Round In Ground Match Lit Fire Pit Kit |
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Lava
Rock
You can see here where I started putting lava rock between the rock base and
the steel fire pit ring. The idea here is to lightly cover the steel fire pit
ring with the lava rock. You can actually manipulate the flame by some degree
by rearranging the lava rock. The lava rock I used is pretty small but I would
recommend using larger lava rock. In my opinion it gives the fire pit a better
appearance. |
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Red Lava Rock 1.5 Qt
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| Fire
Pit Logs | ||
 Campfire
Outdoor Ceramic Gas Log Set - This log set is made of ceramic
fiber and designed for outdoor use. The logs look realistic and it
looks like
a real campfire. It is available in several different sizes below. |
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"4 PC 17"" Campfire Outdoor Ceramic Gas Log Set"
"4 PC 24"" Campfire Outdoor Ceramic Gas Log Set" "6 PC 24"" Campfire Outdoor Ceramic Gas Log Set" |
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 Woodland
Outdoor Ceramic Gas Log Set - These logs are made of ceramic
fiber just like the logs above. They are designed so that the flame
will
bounce and curl around them just like it would on real logs. The
ceramic fiber will glow where the flame is the hottest. |
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"4 PC 12"" Woodland Outdoor Ceramic Gas Log Set"
"4 PC 17"" Woodland Outdoor Ceramic Gas Log Set" "5 PC 24"" Woodland Outdoor Ceramic Gas Log Set" "6 PC 24"" Woodland Outdoor Ceramic Gas Log Set" "6 Piece 36"" Woodland Outdoor Ceramic Gas Log Set" |
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This is what your fire pit will look like after you put everything together.
You can also add some vermiculite to make the fire look more realistic. This
is the same stuff that you put in your fireplace when using gas logs. If you
get a lot of soot buildup on your logs just use a cloth or clean bristle brush
to clean it off. |
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Vermiculite:
Make your gas fire pit glow!
Rasmussen Ember Magic Embers And Vermiculite - 6 Oz. Bag
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| Price: $10.20 | ||
Outdoor
Fire Pit Covers | ||
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Here is a photo of my formal stone fire pit with fire brick lining the inside.
It is the same fire brick used to line the inside of fireplaces. I had a professional
install the steel fire pit ring and I am using natural gas (Methane). It is a
good idea to leave a gap between your steel fire pit ring and the inner wall
of the fire pit. For example, in my fire pit the steel fire pit ring is 24" and
the inner wall is 30" in diameter. For the stone I used Oklahoma flagstone.
Before building a fire pit it's a good idea to consult your local building department.
If you are not building a fire pit on footings or a concrete slab there is a
chance the walls could settle or get damaged by frost heave.
When using steel fire pit rings you will need to decide wether to install the
gas outlet holes in an upward or downward position. If you speak to the manufacturer
they will tell you it doesn't matter. Other people will tell you LP must be
installed with the holes pointed in one direction and for Methane the opposite
direction. My advice is to mount
the holes in a downward position. The
reason you should do this is to prevent moisture from getting inside the steel
fire pit rings. Let me just say I have
seen them done both ways and this is the method I prefer. 
If you have a large gap between the fire pit ring and the base of your pit,
your next step is to put some sort of "filler" between
the bottom of your fire pit and the steel fire pit ring. Some people use sand
but
in my
case I have a drain at the bottom of my fire pit so I had to use something
that wouldn't stop it up. I had quite a big gap so I purchased a couple of
bags of rock to get the job done. However, if I had this to do over I would
have just used more lava rock as filler instead.
Lava rock is cheap and it gives your
fire pit a more uniform look. If you end up using sand just make sure you DO
NOT use beach sand. Beach sand contains
silicon
which
in turn
retains
moisture.
You would then run the risk of that moisture rusting your steel fire pit rings.
Red
Lava Rock 1.5 Qt - This is the lava rock that the wizard
recommends for your outdoor gas fire pit. It comes in a 1.5 Qt.
bag and is the same lava rock that is used for potted plants and
gardens. The lava rocks are available in red or black.
If you decide to use logs on your fire pit make sure you use UL tested ceramic
fiber fireplace logs. When you buy a log set make sure you are buying the logs
only since you won't need all the stuff that normally comes with a fireplace
set.
There is no right or wrong way to stack your logs. The logs come with a general
guideline on how to stack your logs but it is entirely up to you. Let me just
add that you should be careful when buying logs since most logs are used
in
a
fireplace
and are not round all the way around. Most logs are designed to look good
looking at them from one direction - not from a 360 degree view.
For this reason I
recommend buying the logs listed below to make sure you get
something that looks realistic
and also works well in a fire pit setting.
If
you want to protect your fire pit try one of these black vinyl fire
pit covers. These also come in handy if you did not build a
drain into the bottom of your custom fire pit and you want to make
sure the rain stays out. The cover is available in 3 different sizes:
35", 45" and 53".