Fire Pit A Few Queries

[Witterings]

Thinking about getting a half decent fire pit as there's still going to be some social distancing this summer and likely to be in the garden with friends rather than inside and apart from last year when we had the most amazing summer it's normally too cold to comfortably sit outside in the UK much after 7.00pm so it's a toss up between fire pit and a patio heater.

Do fire pits actually give out much usable heat or do you have to be virtually sitting on top of them to really benefit.

If you get one with a grill .... do you just cook with wood / logs burning or use charcoal instead?

The one other thing that holds me back is whilst I love the look of them and a crackling fire .... the smell kind of puts me off. Not when you're sitting there at the time but you go to bed that night, shower the next day and put clean clothes on that aren't full of the smell of smoke but when you go to bed that night all the bed linen stinks of smoke from where you've lain the night before and you get up the next morning smelling of smoke again it seems to take days to get rid of the cycle.

Maybe I'm just overly sensitive to the smell but it is something that could easily put me off using it that much but interested to hear others thoughts.

 

[sean donato]

if you dont like the wood smoke smell then imo get your propane deck heater. If you can get over that, the wood has better ambiance, and heats fine with a decent fire going. Not unusual for us to to be sitting 10+ feet away from a fire ring and still be half hot. Would depend on the size of the fire ring as well. But ours is roughly the same size as a 55 gallon drum round and about 1.5 feet high give or take. May be a bit larger round then a 55 gallon drum thinking about it but its close.

 

[Witterings]

the wood has better ambiance

Must admit that's my reason for wanting one along with being able to chuck a burger / sausage on ... we have a wood burner inside which I absolutely love guess I'm just a bit of a pyro at heart

If it wasn't for the smell think I'd already have ordered one.

 

[Drptrch]

36*F and sitting 4 feet out and comfy.
Spendy, but a Rumford style fireplace throws some insane heat

https://www.rumford.com/

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[CentaurG2]

Have you thought about using compressed sawdust logs?? From what I understand, they burn super hot, very clean with little to no ash. Don’t know what they smell like as I have never burned one but they might be just what you are looking for.

 

[Philbert]

I keep getting unsolicited ads for ‘smokeless stoves’, such as the ‘Solo Stove’, and ‘Breeo’. No experience with them, but might be something to look into?

Philbert

 

[Witterings]

Have you thought about using compressed sawdust logs?? From what I understand, they burn super hot, very clean with little to no ash. Don’t know what they smell like as I have never burned one but they might be just what you are looking for.

I'll definitely take a look and see what I can find out about them!

I keep getting unsolicited ads for ‘smokeless stoves’, such as the ‘Solo Stove’, and ‘Breeo’. No experience with them, but might be something to look into?

Philbert

Worth looking into as well!

I was also thinking about it and maybe looking at wind direction on a specific night arranging the seating accordingly .... we do have a really cheap one that one of the kids put on their present list years ago but maybe what made it worse was they were burning anything wet or dry ... not sure if seasoned wood may make a difference.

Daft part of it is I absolutely love the smell of a real fire ... it's dealing with it the days after that aren't so great.

 

[Philbert]

Our neighbor had a fire pit. One night, due to local atmospheric conditions (?), it set off the smoke detectors at a nearby church. We watched all the fire engines show up, confused fire fighters wandering around, then finally wander up the alley, following their noses to solve the mystery.

Philbert

 

[Witterings]

I'm just wondering if a Chiminea may be the answer .... although they don't seem to have grills but could get a really small / travel BBQ as well if I really wanted to do some food.

 

[sean donato]

Idk if anything is made like it commercially, but one of the neighbors down the lane a bit has, what I would call an outdoor fireplace. Its homemade, basically looks like a firepit with a chimney suspended over it. He made his out of some kind of block, but it has a std masonry chimney in the center. Suspended by a block arch of sorts. Rather ingenious. Never been invited over for a fire, but it does seem to keep any smoke over head level. Took him and a few guys half a summer to build.

 

[Ronaldo]

I keep getting unsolicited ads for ‘smokeless stoves’, such as the ‘Solo Stove’, and ‘Breeo’. No experience with them, but might be something to look into?

Philbert

I've looked into the Solo and Breeo fire pits and it looks like they work great for reduced smoke but dont put off much sideways heat. Mostly just sends the heat straight up.

Sent from my SM-G930VL using Tapatalk

 

[president]

I keep getting unsolicited ads for ‘smokeless stoves’, such as the ‘Solo Stove’, and ‘Breeo’. No experience with them, but might be something to look into?

Philbert

I saw a solo stove i action last night.all that its cracked up to be
no smoke once it under way tons of heat ,fire weaves around the wood
slow and captivating.I use a stainless washing machine tub
but have ordered one myself .My wife will enjoy it with me
since there isnt the need for musical chairs to avoid the smoke

 

[Knotholez]

I saw a solo stove i action last night.all that its cracked up to be
no smoke once it under way tons of heat ,fire weaves around the wood
slow and captivating.I use a stainless washing machine tub
but have ordered one myself .My wife will enjoy it with me
since there isnt the need for musical chairs to avoid the smoke

The solo stove bonfire model is the real deal imo. I'm addicted to fire, I fire my pit nearly daily. I have been through many fire pits, always rot through and there stuck in one spot. I recently got one of the bonfires and all I can say is I'm happy with the purchase. I now fire it up on my front deck, 2 1/2 - 3 feet from the door. Or wherever I choose,

 

[oldfortyfive]

I got one of the little Solo cook stoves. It works great with no smoke once up and running. In an email ad from them last month it appears they are coming out with a wide funnel type top to deflect and radiate the heat out around it.

 

[Mad Professor]

Dig a firepit and build a stone wall heat reflector in a semi-circle a few feet behind it. Size depends on size of the crowd and what you might cook.

Get a suspended steel rod to run above and across the pit to hang cast iron kettles and dutch ovens. Add a metal grate that can be used as a grill or as another place to suspend cast iron cookware over coals/fire. Have several sizes of large rocks to put the grill on, and raise lower it depending on the fire. You can drag coals from the fire for the dutch oven or to feed the fire under the grill. Large rocks can also be heated in the fire then moved to where you want more heat. You can dig a side trench off the pit to drag out coals to to facilitate cooking and still have a roaring blaze if needed

Besides the steel rod for hanging kettles, a spit with barbs for roasting meat or whole animals. We've done turkeys, 1/4s of deer/steer, pigs. This was a big pit and we started with a large pile of quartered 4' long hardwood splits early morning, to have a bed of coals by 10-11 AM and start roasting.

Steak on a stick is another favorite. Sqewer a thick steak on a long green hardwood sapling and suspend it over the coals using rocks for props.

 

[FXJenkins]

I’ve built a few firepits and have loved them all, big little or short or tall. No, smoke from a cured dry wood does not saturate or linger in your clothing like the stench of a cigarette smoke filled bar. Many would say a properly built fire with cherry or hickory has a pleasant aroma to it. I believe there is something natural, maybe primitive, but certainly therapeutically calming about gazing into a campfire with friends. I also recognize the benefits of the Solo Stove line, of which I own their first model, and now several more. They are great in neighborhoods where wood smoke is frowned upon and local ordinances are in place. But I do love an open campfire.