Fire Pits – The Complete Buying Guide
For those of us who want the feeling of peace and relaxation that camping gives, but we want it at home, or on evenings when we can’t get away to the countryside, a fire pit is an excellent way to bring the joys of camping into your own garden.
A good fire pit is safe, beautiful, and provides entertainment, company, and even an alternative way to cook! They can be portable, built-in, made of a variety of materials, and come in any size you could want.
What Choose a Fire Pit?
Grilling: One of the most satisfying functions of a fire pit is that of a grill. Cook your food in the fresh air, listen to it sizzle, and smell the savoury aromas of your favourite grilled food. All you need is a cooking grate and a suitable spatula or set of tongs.
Table: A fire pit table lets you keep all of your cooking supplies, food, and other items in a neat, safe and clean place while you cook on the open fire. Choose the size, height and style, and it will band into the décor while proving very functional.
Décor: Speaking of décor, a firepit can add to the rustic charm of a back garden, or bring drama and focus to an elegant patio setting. Lighting, seating, and decorative stonework can all add to the bespoke look of your fire pit.
What are fire pits made from?
Stainless Steel
More hard-wearing than regular steel, stainless steel is a shiny, industrial look that stands up to the weather for a substantial period of time. It will need to be cleaned now and then to keep it looking new and sharp.
Stainless is more expensive than regular steel, but if that’s the look you’re going for, it is well worth it.
Copper
Copper marries the rustic feel of antique styles with the shine and clean lines of more modern tastes, resulting in a beautiful fire pit that exhibits sophistication and a comfortable atmosphere. Copper will show its age if unattended, but a reasonable cleaning now and then will keep it looking new. A round bowl with a flat rim around the top is a beautiful design that shows off both the material and the shape of the fire pit.
Steel
Steel fire pits are as varied as your imagination and can be highly decorated or sleek and clean-lined. They can look like raw steel or be coloured to a wide variety of looks.
To avoid rust and wear, go for a powder-coated option – or enjoy the rustic look of a chunky, rusty fire pit and you can be worry-free regarding maintenance.
Cast Iron
Cast iron fire pits are sturdy, hold up well to the weather, and are available in a number of styles and finishes. Choose a bucket shape for a deeper stack of fuel or a bowl shape for wider, shallower burning. Either style can come with cooking grills, thought they are more common on the bowl shape.
Aluminium
Aluminium is also a good choice for an outdoor heater or fire pit. Aluminium does not absorb the heat as much as something like iron will, but it radiates it out from the fire itself very effectively. Aluminium is lighter that most other fire pit construction metals, does not rust warp or crack, and will last for years with very little maintenance.
Polyresin
Though they look like stone, polyresin fire pits are much easier to make – especially if they include intricate or detailed decoration on them – as they are poured into a mould and produced much more quickly and cheaply than stone. They are also much less likely to crack or degrade than stone, and are very low maintenance.
Glass
Glass pebbles, specially made for fire pit interiors, undergoes a special production process that melts it down to remove chemicals that might otherwise be released from them during a fire, and then cooled and tumbled to result in a smooth, river-pebble shape.
The resulting pebbles look great, reflect the light of the fire in beautiful ways, and absorb and emit heat in a regular way, keeping your fire at a more constant temperature, for longer.
What do you burn in a fire pit?
Here are the main types of fuel you can burn in a fire pit:
- Charcoal : Charcoal has (almost) the romantic appeal of wood, is fairly easy to start, and burns more steadily and evenly than wood. There is very little setup involved compared to pipe-fed fuels, as all you need to do is buy a bag of charcoal and (probably) some fire-starter to help get it going.
- Propane : Propane fed fire pits are portable, cheaper to run than natural gas pits, and look just as good as their alternate-fuel counterparts.
- Wood : Wood is the traditional fuel for fire pits, as it smells good (depending on the type you choose) and is readily available both from retailers and from forests and brushlands where deadfall can be found lying around. You’ll need a variety of sizes though, and you’ll need to keep it dry.
- Bio-Ethanol : This is a bit trickier to find than non-bio fuels, but burns evenly and efficiently and with no smoke or ash left over. It is a clean-burning alternative.
- Gel : This is a chemical fuel that burns without emitting smoke.
- Natural Gas : Natural gas fire pits are almost always built in, so that they can be attached to the mains gas line system that feeds your home. They are run from your home system in a similar way that a hob would be. Natural gas is cheaper than many fuels, but the initial setup will be significant.
Classic Features of a Fire Pit
A spark screen is an excellent addition to a fire pit, as it keeps sparks and burning embers in the pit itself. Flying sparks, popping coals, or the light particles that float up from lighting using paper can all be a safety hazard if not kept within the pit.
A wood grate is a metal structure that lifts the wood from the ground, allowing for better airflow through the stack and therefore a brighter, more regular fire.
The right fireplace can also function as a pizza oven. These not only keep you warm and dry, they can also produce delicious, artisan pizzas – fun for the whole family to enjoy.
Mosaic tops are a purely decorative touch that can bring a touch of style to your fire pit, helping you to express your own aesthetic.
Eco-friendly fir pits are made to work especially well with fuels that do not pollute as much, allowing you to stay warm and happy while protecting the planet.
Novelty theme fire pits feature a unique design that makes the fire pit truly reflect your style. An image cut out of the side can display a jumping deer, a wolf, or a bonsai tree shape with flickering flames behind it – a rustic statement that is beautiful and charming.
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