Alternatives to outside fire pits .

[Chum Stains]

I built a 5' round pit last summer.. made the inner ring out of carbon steel and painted high temp black then wrap the entire outside with tumbled dry stacked Bluestone.. now I'm in the process of building a grill / Pig roaster to go over the top!

 

[sportbikerider78]

I’ve used one for years. They are great


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That's awesome! Super idea. I bet they radiate heat really well.

 

[begreen]

That's awesome! Super idea. I bet they radiate heat really well.

And many front loading washers have a stainless steel drum.

 

[barnaclebob]

I've got a "California fire pit" which is 1/4" steel and weighs about 120lbs. Definitely not flimsy in any way and comes with some cooking accessories. Unfortunately it also has a California price tag and costs several hundred dollars. If you can weld and can find an old propane tank you can make pretty much the same thing for much cheaper.

 

[Manly]

Fancypants! I have some rocks. They ARE dragged into a circle. =D

We have stumps all over our yard since we have cut most all the trees for firewood. We designate a stump, soak it with used motor oil, then fire her up for a good party bonfire. Sometimes we get multiple burns out of one stump. Good times. We figure we got enough stumpage left to get us into retirement years. By that time we have some old sheds and outbuildings that will be ripe for firing up. Real good times. Manly

 

[jetsam]

We have stumps all over our yard since we have cut most all the trees for firewood. We designate a stump, soak it with used motor oil, then fire her up for a good party bonfire. Sometimes we get multiple burns out of one stump. Good times. We figure we got enough stumpage left to get us into retirement years. By that time we have some old sheds and outbuildings that will be ripe for firing up. Real good times. Manly

Not to mention whatever tractors and cars you're ready to retire by then... Viking funerals all around!

 

[Boiler74]

This is expensive but it's made of stainless steel and reduces smoke to almost nothing by utilizing secondary combustion. They have a coupon deal to reduce price.
https://www.solostove.com/solo-stove-bonfire/

They also make smaller stove versions.

View attachment 224505

I have one of these. It is awesome for no smoke. Great to use for shorts and uglies. Bought it around Christmas for a better price. Light and easy to move. Puts out a fair amount of heat. BUT if you like looking into the coals it isn't for you. I use it off my porch so I look down into it. But if I was sitting on the ground I'd want to dig a hole for it. Otherwise you just see the tops of the flames.

 

[Manly]

Not to mention whatever tractors and cars you're ready to retire by then... Viking funerals all around!

I like the way you think Jetstream. You've got my mind going, although that is not always a good thing. We don't have any old vehicles lying around, but my neighbor seems to have too many vehicles for my liking. Viking funeral. Now that's an avenue that needs exploring. Thanks for the food for thought.

 

[jetsam]

I like the way you think Jetstream. You've got my mind going, although that is not always a good thing. We don't have any old vehicles lying around, but my neighbor seems to have too many vehicles for my liking. Viking funeral. Now that's an avenue that needs exploring. Thanks for the food for thought.

I think arson investigators are pretty stuffy about the diffrrence between your cars and neighbors' cars...

 

[gnappi]

My fire pit is small and flimsy thing from Lowes. I was thinking of getting something else. Looked at the fire pits and HD, Lowes and wondering if getting old, prehabs non-epa era wood stove and painting it can be more useful alternative. Got lot of uglies to burn and swimming pool. So extra body to hold heat would be useful. Can you share your experience if you had any. Thanks.

I have found that in South Florida metal and clay chiminea are useless, I went through both. The metal models are made of high carbon steel, and even with extreme care (painting with grill paint and covering when not in use) they rust out in short order, the clay types are fragile.

My above ground "fire pit" went through a few iterations before I settled on an offset stacked stone type. It's been through hurricanes, torrential summer rain / wind storms, had large fires in it, and I even "cook" in and on top of it.

Like Dmitry I needed something to sit on top of my patio pavers, be wind resistant, and be durable. After many hundreds of fires and it being up for over 10 years, I can say it has experienced no problems or issues that have been reported using decorative stone from big box stores. Also once it gets warm, it radiates a LOT of heat. The steel catch pan under the fireplace grate are both disposable which last 3-5 years and are relatively inexpensive to replace.

I also use mine in summer to burn tree debris from my exotic fruit trees, and the ash feeds my banana plants. I think it's aesthetically pleasing, but that's in the eye of the beholder

 

[EbS-P]

I have both a Solo stove a cowboy grill fire pit. The cowboy grill can take a whole bag of charcoal and the best thing about it is it has a bumper bar around the whole pit that never gets hot enough to burn you. With little ones I stack them for a bit larger safety zone.
The Solo devours wood. I like the idea of a stove but if you ran it hot I imagine rust would be an issue outside.

 

[carg3]

Jetsam, you have rocks? Showoff.....we just have a bare spot in the lawn.

I love the term "shorts and uglies", but those go in the wood stove. It's the lesser species that go in the bare spot in the lawn, or the "outdoor pit" as you all call it.

 

[ryanwc]

We have a cast iron chimenea. It puts out a fair amount of radiant heat. I can also be moved relatively easily.

Can someone explain to me how to assess an efficient chimenea for heat transfer? Is the idea that the chimney captures some of the heat that would just be drifting up into the air, and then radiates it outward towards you? Does the mean the lower the firepit, the better - more chimney to capture and radiat? Are any of them more or less efficient in terms of clean burning, while still giving out good heat? I'm looking for a way to warm up friends during outdoor covid gatherings. Any thoughts?

 

[ryanwc]

I think it's aesthetically pleasing, but that's in the eye of the beholder

It's looks good to me. What's the chicken wire for?

Also, in your neighborhood, does it occasionally rain splits? The photo seems to have caught two just as they were falling into the fireplace from the heavens.

 

[Beer Belly]

Bought the kit at Lowes....with the exception of the Bud Wheel

 

[john is burning]

Just wanted to chime in here since I am very pleased with my solution. I got a Breeo X Series stove, which is a competitor of the Solo stove. I liked the Breeo better for a few reasons. First of all, it's made in the USA with a much higher grade metal. The solo stoves are notorious for rusting and detereorating if left outside. Breeo actually encourages you to leave it outside all year! It has held up great, and according to feedback online, that should continue. Second, it looks really sexy. The Breeo has a Corten steel exterior that looks great (the rest of it high grade stainless). Third, the entire rim of the Breeo is a cooking surface, so I throw burgers, scallops, cuts of steak etc on there any time I like. It also has secondary combustion for a less-smoke experience. Also my property has several places for a firepit so I didn't want to build something permanent. Although the Breeo is a little heavy, I can and do move it around my property to accomodate different kinds of gatherings. Overall very pleased!

 

[jmb6420]

Just wanted to chime in here since I am very pleased with my solution. I got a Breeo X Series stove, which is a competitor of the Solo stove. I liked the Breeo better for a few reasons. First of all, it's made in the USA with a much higher grade metal. The solo stoves are notorious for rusting and detereorating if left outside. Breeo actually encourages you to leave it outside all year! It has held up great, and according to feedback online, that should continue. Second, it looks really sexy. The Breeo has a Corten steel exterior that looks great (the rest of it high grade stainless). Third, the entire rim of the Breeo is a cooking surface, so I throw burgers, scallops, cuts of steak etc on there any time I like. It also has secondary combustion for a less-smoke experience. Also my property has several places for a firepit so I didn't want to build something permanent. Although the Breeo is a little heavy, I can and do move it around my property to accomodate different kinds of gatherings. Overall very pleased!

No pictures! Didn't happen.

 

[danham]

We really like this. It's portable, certified for use in state and fed campgrounds, throws lots of heat, great draft, folds up small.

Amazon product ASIN B07G9NY6G8

 

[ryanwc]

We really like this. It's portable, certified for use in state and fed campgrounds, throws lots of heat, great draft, folds up small.

Amazon product ASIN B07G9NY6G8

How about this? It's sort of the opposite idea of your fire table - you put the table over the fire. It seems like an excellent way to maximize the amount of smoke that goes in everyone's faces!:
(broken link removed to https://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Heat-Warden-Fire-Pit-Heat-Deflector-in-Stainless-Steel/30957930/product.html)

Another great feature is that the horizontal surface of the table would tend to radiate the heat back down to the fire or up to the sky!! This would be excellent for people who want roaring fires with a lot of smoke in their faces on scorching summer days when they really don't want the heat!