What is a fire pit

Fire pits are anything that contains a fire, whether it be in a dug pit, or in some vessel. Fire pits are used to supply heat, whether it be to food for cooking or to people. 

However, fire pits can also be used as a subtle or striking decoration to add to a property, giving a finishing touch to an outdoor space. 

Types of fire pits

There are several types of fire pits, which can all be identified by the following characteristics: material, shapes, sizes, and fuel sources. 

Material

Common materials used in fire pits are copper, stainless steel, cast iron, and concrete. All these materials differ between durability, cost, maintenance, and aesthetic. 

Here are some short summaries of each material:

Copper fire pits

Copper is one the oldest materials used by humans for its corrosive resistance and high heat conduction qualities. Copper has a rustic aesthetic to it, which may appeal to those looking for rustic or countryside styles. 

However, some disadvantages include: prone to oxidation where it will turn brown and green over time, and usually more expensive.

Stainless steel firepits:

Stainless steel is corrosion resistant and very heat resistant, making it very durable and strong. 

However, stainless steel is known to be more expensive than other metals and due to its heat resistant nature, it may not distribute heat greatly.

Cast iron fire pit

Cast iron is known for its great durability and strength along with its great costs. In terms of specific benefits for fires, cast iron is corrosion resistant and has a nature of great heat retention. 

However, cast iron can be susceptible to discoloration, meaning it requires maintenance and consistent cleaning as well.

Concrete fire pits

Concrete is a mix of cement along with several other figments. For this, concrete usually adopts very strong and durable qualities, while also being corrosion resistant and insulating heat. 

However, concrete can adopt soot stains easily and must be sealed periodically, or in other words, it requires maintenance.

Shapes

Shapes can have a great influence on heat dispersion, aesthetic, and cooking. Common shapes between fire pits include, square, round, bowl, table, and chiminea. Here are some summaries of each shape: 

Square 

Square fire pits are usually used to give a modern aesthetic or feel, though, can certainly be used in for more rustic or traditional styles. With this, square fire pits, due to its sharp edges, are great for accommodating furniture; not only in terms of fitting into spaces, but as well as replicating the edges of your outdoor fridge, counters, chairs, walls, and even the roof of your home. 

However, a disadvantage is its poor even heat dispersion.

Round 

Round fire pits are known for their traditional, rustic, and welcoming styles, often being used in traditional or natural settings. Moreover, round fire pits disperse heat evenly, making it great for warmth purposes. 

However, round fire pits, on top of being unmodern, are usually hard to accommodate with surrounding furniture and sometimes environments; not only in fitting the fire pit into certain spaces, but the round edges disrupt the common pattern of the sharp edges of the chairs, counters, walls, etc.  

Bowl 

Bowl fire pits are probably the most versatile in aesthetics, where you are able to find ancient, rustic, traditional, or modern styles that can adapt to any environment. On top of this, most bowl fire pits are portable, meaning when they are not in use, you can store them, and prevent them from wearing out over time. Many bowl fire pits also are very great for cooking, while also providing exceptional warmth and heat dispersion. 

However, some disadvantages include that the bowl fire pit can create a great amount of smoke, it requires regular maintenance, and they can be quite expensive.

Tables

Table fire pits really get their aesthetic from the table itself, meaning that technically, table fire pits can really adopt any aesthetic. With this, table fire pits are really great for small spaces, where the table itself can become an extra counter top shoved in the corner, or the main dining table in the center of the space. 

Although, because the size of the fire pit is usually small due to the table, these fire pits are not exactly great at dispersing heat. As well, most table fire pits do not allow for cooking as well.

Chimineas 

Chimineas can really have any aesthetic to them, making them very flexible to fit into any environment. On top of this, many chimineas allow you to cook properly, while not emitting any smoke. 

On the contrary, chimineas do not disperse heat evenly (though are great at directed heat), and depending on the material, the chiminea may require regular maintenance.

Sizes

Sizes in a fire pit can determine heat dispersion, cost, and whether it can be used as decoration or warmth or both. There are a few sizes that a fire pit may come in: large, small, and portable. 

Here is a summary of each of these sizes. 

Large

Large fire pits are great at being a decoration and focal point in the yard. Along with this, large fire pits are great for large gatherings due to its warmth; really being the center of the environment in all aspects. 

On the other hand, large fire pits are only suitable for large areas, and as well cost more than the rest of the other sizes. 

Small 

Small fire pits are great at being a small decoration in large environments, and being the focal point in small environments. On top of this trait, small fire pits obviously cost less than that of the large fire pit. 

However, of course due to its small size, small fire pits are only good for small gatherings, and when it comes to cooking, only so much food can actually be cooked at once. 

Portable

Portable fire pits are great for cooking, and since they are portable and small, can really be brought, stored, or placed anywhere (including indoors). 

However, these fire pits can not really be used for warmth, mainly due to its size and quality of supplying direct instead of evenly dispersed heat. It is also necessary to note that portable fire pits are generally affordable, however, propane can get expensive.

Fuel

Fire pits can use a variety of different fuel sources: wood, natural gasses, propane, and electricity. All these fuels can be compared with each other by their active maintenance (maintenance during fires), passive maintenance (maintenance before/after fires), cost, safety, and heat generation. 

Here are some summaries on the different fuel sources. 

wood

Wood as a fuel source can either be free (assuming you sacrifice time and effort to harvest fire wood), or affordable (assuming you sacrifice about $7 for a bundle of fire wood). To add on, wood is great at generating very high and efficient heat levels; great for warming. 

However, active maintenance can be a hassle, very messy, and certainly very dangerous. On top of this, you of course need to have wood in order to start and keep the fire, meaning its passive maintenance is not exactly easy either.

Natural gasses

Natural gas as a fuel source means that there is no active or passive maintenance due to the fact that its connected to your gas line. Because of the lack of maintenance, natural gas is generally more safe as a fuel source than all the other options (assuming the gas line is installed properly). Also, natural gasses can generate a great amount of heat, making it good for both warmth and cooking. 

However, natural gas fire pits will increase your gas bill, and can get quite expensive depending on the usage. 

Propane

Propane as a fuel source is great at being a clean source of energy for cooking. Propane is also very safe, unless propane is not assembled properly when it comes to portable fire pits. Propane also does not require too much active maintenance either. 

However, in terms of passive maintenance, you will need to refill your propane tank periodically. To add on further, Propane can be quite costly ($2.50/gallon), and as well can not be efficiently used for warmth if being used in a portable fire pit.

Electricity

Electricity as a fuel source requires no active or passive maintenance since the fire pit is connected to your home electricity, and is easy to use/manage. On top of this, electric fire pits are the safest overall. 

However, these fire pits will obviously increase your electrical bill, and as well, these fire pits are not as great at generating heat as that of the other fuel sources. 

What firepits are best for you

I have created a few charts comparing and contrasting types of fire pits along with considerations based off of their respective qualities in the material category, shape category, size category, and fuel category. 

Take time to look over each one of these charts, to see what fire pit components are best for you. 

Material

The material your fire pit will be (copper, stainless steel, cast iron, or concrete) can be measured off of the following categories: Cost, durability, maintenance, and aesthetic.

Shapes

The shape your fire pit (square, round, bowl, table, or chiminea) will take can be categorized by the following: even heat dispersion, aesthetic, and application (cooking, warmth, or primarily decoration)

Sizes

The size of your fire pit (large, small, potable) can be identified by these key categories: Heat dispersion, cost, and application (Cooking, warmth, or decoration)

Fuel

The fuel that your fire pit will use (wood, natural gas, propane, electrical) can be organized into these considerations: Active maintenance (maintenance during active fire), passive maintenance (maintenance before and after fire), cost, safety, and heat production.

Overall, as seen, all these components of a fire pit have advantages and disadvantages when compared to each other. 

However, it is about finding the one that is right for your proper use case. Hence, go through these charts, balancing out what you need and want. From here, it will be a lot easier to begin searching for the perfect fire pit for your property. 

What Cione’s Hardscape & Masonry can do for you

If you are planning on constructing your own unique fire pit, our outdoor structures (including fire pits) construction and design services can fulfill any one of your needs or desires, while also giving you a satisfactory experience, with discounts and benefits along with exceptional pricing for you. 

We are eager to relieve you of your landscaping burdens, and aid you in your landscaping desires: 

Get Your Free Estimate at (857-251-1087) or (h.m.ciones@gmail.com) or our online form (do not hesitate to contact us with any questions concerning our services and specialties).

For more information concerning fire pits, whether it be construction, design, or tips, check out more of our blogs.