Lava rock or fire glass? This is one question that all new fire pit owners are confronted with from the first day. But luckily you don’t have to choose between them.
Lava rock and fire glass can be used together in a propane or a natural gas pit. Using both of them together can increase the lifespan of your fire pit, make it more efficient and reduce the cost.
So there is no danger in using lava rock and fire glass together, but is it really worth it? Are the benefits really worth it? And should you simply mix them together or should you layer them? There are a lot of questions but fortunately there is an answer for each one of them.
Table of Contents
The Benefits of Using Lava Rock and Fire Glass in a Fire Pit
Mixing them together can have a lot of functional, cosmetic and financial benefits. So let’s start discussing them in this order.
Functionality Benefits
While both lava rock and fire glass are used to fill fire pits, they both have different strong points and weak points.
Lava rocks are considerably better at insulating than fire glass. While normally you would want to get as much heat as possible out of your fire pit, you don’t want the fire pit to get damaged. This is why you are filling it with a media in the first place. And out of the two of them lava rock provides much better protection than the fire glass.
On the other hand fire glass is much better at dispersing heat, which as I just said is normally one of the main functions of a fire pit.
Depending on the way you combine them you will be able to get a lot of heat while still protecting the fire pit from the intense heat.
Cosmetic Benefits
While everybody has different tastes, it’s safe to say that fire glass can be a lot prettier than lava rock.
Lava rocks are usually black or different shades of red, while fire glass comes in a wide variety of shapes and color.
While fire glass on its own can look good, it has the tendency to look very unnatural and plain, as you can see in those pictures.
But combining them can lead to some really good looking designs, like those.
If you don’t like the way they look together, don’t worry you can always mix them together, so you get all the benefits, and cover everything up with a layer of fire glass.
Financial Benefits
While the cosmetic benefits greatly depend on each person’s taste, the same thing can’t be said about the financial benefits.
Lava rock is considerably cheaper than fire glass. Right now I did a quick search and on average the price of a 10 pounds bag of lava rock is between $15 and $17, while most 10 pounds bags of fire glass start at around $30.
And as you will soon see (when we discuss how you should place them), you don’t need as much fire glass as you need lava rock, so the difference in price will be quite important.
So overall mixing lava rock with fire glass will protect your fire pit from the heat, while still putting out a considerable amount, it will look great, and it will cost you less.
Should You MIX or Layer the Lava Rock and Fire Glass?
Now we know that there are a lot of benefits to having both lava rock and fire glass, but how much you will benefit from them depends on how you place them.
In my opinion the best method is to layer them by using the lava rock as the base layer, surrounding the heater element and then adding the fire glass layer. By layering them this way you will protect the entirety of the fire pit, due to the insulating properties of the lava rock. And you will save some money since the bulk of the fire pit is filled with the cheap lava rock.
The thinner layer of fire glass at the top will be able to fully use it’s heating capabilities, and since it’s only a thin layer, it won’t cost you that much.
Mixing the two together can also work, but some of the benefits I mentioned will be lost. Having fire glass at the bottom is a waste since the heat won’t really reach you and over time it can damage the fire pit. Not to mention that it will be very hard to clean the fire glass if it’s mixed with the lava rock.
While mixing the two of them together is not the best idea it’s still preferable than having only one of them. A fire pit filled only with lava rock won’t give out that much heat, which is one of the main purposes of a fire pit. While a fire pit filled only with fire glass won’t have a very long lifespan due to the intense heat inside.
Final Thoughts
So you can mix lava rock and fire glass in a fire pit, it’s actually recommended to mix the two of them.
Mixing lava rock with fire glass will protect your fire pit from the heat, while still putting out a considerable amount, it will look great, and it will cost you less.
They can be either mixed together or layered. Of the two options layering them, with the lava rock at the bottom, and the fire glass at the top, is better. But simply mixing them can also work.
In the end of the article I will leave you with some of the most common questions and problems that people are faced with when owning a fire pit. Hopefully this will help you avoid some of the biggest mistakes people make when owning a fire pit, and save you some money.
Common Questions
How do I prevent rust from appearing on my fire pit? In order to prevent rust you can:
- Move the fire pit in a dry room, or any place with a roof should prevent most rust from appearing.
- Cover your fire pit using a metal or wooden lid, or a synthetic cover. But make sure that the fire pit has cooled off before you cover it.
- Removing the ash from the fire pit is also very important, as ash absorbs a lot of humidity from the air.
- The most important thing that you can do is to regularly clean and inspect the fire pit.
How do I remove rust from a fire pit? To remove rust from a fire pit you can use:
- Vinegar
- Lemon juice
- Soft drinks
- Baking soda
- Potatoes
- A mix of them
- Commercial products like: WD-40 and CLR
After you remove the rust you should get some Sandpaper, Spray Sealant, Spray Paint. After that you should remove all the paint using a coarse grit sandpaper, then use a finer sandpaper and remove all scratches. Apply a thin coat of sealant, after it dries apply the pain, and then another coat of sealant. Make sure that you try to make the coatings as even as possible, otherwise the paint will come off.
Do propane gas fire pits smell bad? Propane fire pits shouldn’t smell bad. You might feel a small hint of gas when you turn the fire pit on, but that should be the only bad smell that you feel.
If the bad smell persists there might be a problem with the fire pit, the regulator, the propane tank or dust.
To check if the regulator of the tank has a problem you can make some foam with some water and soap and spread it where they connect. If bubbles start to form, then you have a gas leak. In which case you can try to see if the gasket is damaged and if the regulator is tightly screwed. If this doesn’t solve the problem you should call somebody to check the fire pit.
If the gas smell appears when the fire pit is turned off, it usually means that the fire pit is broken, in which case you should call somebody to repair it.
Another cause for the bad smell can be dust. Excessive dust will usually give off a burnt smell. This smell usually tends to disappear after some time, but in some cases the residu can stick to the rocks that fill the fire pit, in which case you will have to wash the rocks.
In case you have a technical problem the best thing that you can do is call somebody that is trained to deal with those kinds of problems. Don’t try to repair them yourself, it can be very dangerous.
How long do fire pits last? A fire pit can last anywhere from one year to a lifetime. It all depends on how well you maintain it.
In the case of wood burning fire one of the most important things that matter is what you are burning. Things like magazines contain chemicals that can damage the fire pit. Wood that has been painted or treated in any way will also damage the fire pit. So only burning firewood will increase the lifespan of your firepit.
Removing the ashes is also very important. Ashes absorb humidity from the air, so letting them sit in the fire pit for long periods of time is like having your fire pit filled with water.
In the case of gas fire pits it’s extremely important to dust them off. Dust doesn’t only leave an unpleasant smell but over time it can damage the interior of the fire pit.
For both types of fire pits it is also extremely important how you store them, leaving them uncovered year round, will drastically reduce their lifespan.