Fire pits are the centerpiece of any backyard, but as the centerpiece fire pits will see quite a lot of use. So how long will a fire pit be able to last?
A fire pit can last anywhere from 1 year to a lifetime, it all depends on how well you maintain it. If you don’t maintain your fire pit properly it will get damaged and start to rust in about a year. But if you take proper care of it, it can last a lifetime.
The maintenance of a fire pit includes a lot more things than simply removing the ashes once you are done using it (but this is still very important). There are a lot of things that you can do, like: avoiding burning certain things, keeping water away from it, storing or covering the fire pit, and a lot more. So let’s take a closer look at the most important things that you can do to make your firepit last you for a lifetime.
Table of Contents
Don’t Burn Things That Can Damage the Fire Pit (Some of Them Will Really Surprise You)
One of the simplest and most efficient things that you can do to increase the lifespan of your fire pit is to avoid burning things that can damage it. Now let’s go over a list of the things that you should avoid burning, some of them will really surprise you:
- Newspapers and Magazines – a lot of people use old newspapers and magazines to start their fires, but in reality they shouldn’t. Newspapers and especially magazines contain a lot of chemicals that will melt and stick to the surface of the fire pit and cause damage to it. And of course those chemicals will release toxic smoke which is harmful to you and those around the fire pit.
- Poison Ivy – as the name implies poison ivy can be poisonous. When the ivy is burnt it releases harmful smoke. The fire pit itself will also suffer if you burn poison ivy or similar plants, if the moisture in the plants ends up on the surface of the fire pit it can leave a stain that is really hard to get out (I once had to spend 30 minutes on a stain left by some plants that I burnt in the fire pit, and believe me you don’t want to go through that)
- Cardboard – there are some instances when cardboard is ok to burn, but in most cases it isn’t. Just like in the case of newspapers and magazines, cardboard will usually have some type of ink or paint on them, that when melted will damage the fire pit and will emit toxic fumes. If you have cardboard that has no ink or paint on it then you can use it without any worry.
- Treated Wood – treated wood is full of chemicals, and while those chemicals can give wood amazing properties, it will make it unsafe to burn. All of the chemicals used on the wood will melt and damage the fire pit, as well release toxic smoke.
- Painted Wood – almost the same thing as treated wood, the only major difference is that, while burning treated wood won’t immediately damage the fire pit, the painted wood will make its effects visible right away.
- Wooden Pallets – not a lot of people know that wooden pallets are made out of treated wood, so I decided to give them a special entry. Wooden pallets are treated with methyl bromide, a chemical that makes them resistant to water, but makes the wood toxic if burned.
- Plastic – and finally plastic. As you probably know by now it’s always a bad idea to burn plastic, so I won’t go into details about this .
So there are a lot of things that you shouldn’t burn in a fire pit, but what about the things that you can burn?
Overall any wood that hasn’t been treated or painted should be good to burn. But the best wood for a fire pit is hardwood, which one you choose is up to you. Here are some of the most popular and accessible types of hardwood:
- Oak
- Ash
- Mapl
- Walnut
- Mahogany
- Hickory
- Beech
Just make sure that the wood you choose is seasoned and not green, if you get green wood you will have to leave it to season for at least 6 months.
While softwood is not a great choice for a fire pit, it can be a great addition as you can use it to light the fire or add pleasant smell.
Now that we sorted out what you should burn and what you should let’s see what you have to do after the fire is over.
Remove the Ashes When You Are Done Using It
One of the biggest mistakes that people make is that they leave the ashes sitting in the fire pit for a very long time, and sometimes they only remove them when the fire pit is full.
Ashes are extremely absorbent, if you leave them sitting in the fire pit for a few days they will start absorbing the humidity in the air, and for the fire pit it will be like it’s filled with water. This will damage any kind of fire pit, weather it’s made out of bricks or metal.
So let’s see how to properly remove the ashes.
Start by getting a pair of heat resistant gloves, a small shovel and a metal bucket, or any kind of metal container.
One other optional piece of equipment is a face mask that will stop the small particles from entering your nose or your mouth.
The first thing you should do before putting the gloves on is to place your hand very closely to the ash and see if you can feel any heat coming from it, if you feel even the slightest hint of heat then you surely have some hot embers under the ash.
Now use the shovel to bring the ash from the bottom to the top, this way you will see if there are any hot embers left. After you do this a few times take one of your gloves off and see if you can feel any heat. If you don’t feel anything and there are no embers to be seen then you can proceed and use the ash as you wish.
If you feel any heat coming or you find some embers you can either let them in the fire pit to cool off for another day or two, throw some water on them and leave them to dry, or place them in the bucket and them palace the bucket in a container filled with water, this way they will cool down faster.
Now you can dispose of the ashes.
Keep the Fire Pit Clean
Another very easy and important thing that you can do to make your fire pit last longer is to clean it properly.
In the case of wood burning fire pits, simply using a piece of cloth and maybe a brush should be enough. Ideally you would clean it after every use. But I know that, just like me, you won’t always feel like cleaning the fire pit, but that’s ok. I don’t always clean the fire pit after I am done using it. And after 6 years my fire pit still looks like new. Just make sure that you at least remove the ashes in the first couple of days after you are done using it.
In the case of gas fire pits, the cleaning is a little different. While gas fire pits don’t have ashes to worry about, they have another problem, dust. Dust can create a lot of problems, like unpleasant smell and damage. If you don’t clean the dust regualty, due to the intense heat the dust that manages to get inside the fire pit will heat up and cause damage to the interior of the fire pit making it unusable. So make sure that you dust off your fire pit at least once every two weeks.
Store the Fire Pit in a Proper Place
Storing your fire pit properly will drastically increase its lifespan. This is quite self explanatory so I won’t spend too much time on it. Basically if you have a fire pit that can move it you should deposit it in a safe space when you are not using it. Just make sure that you remove the ashes before you store it.
Remove Rust as Soon as It Appears
A lot of people believe that if rust appears on a fire pit it’s all over. But fortunately that’s not the case.
There are 4 different types of rust:
- Stable rust – This type of rust occurs when iron is left for very long periods of time uncleaned or untreated
- Flash rust – Flash rust is how all rust starts. It can appear in as little as 6 hours on untreated surfaces.
- Flaking rust – This type of rust will take up more volume than the metal, and as a result it will displace it.
- Pitting rust – This pitting rust usually appears on lover quality metal tools or constructions, that have air pockets inside of them
All types of rust can be treated at home, but if you maintain your fire pit properly the only type of rust that you might encounter is flash rust.
Flash rust is extremely easy to get rid of, you just have to use the proper materials. Here are some of the best things that you can use:
- Vinegar
- Lemon juice
- Soft drinks
- Baking soda
- Potatoes
- A mix of them
- Commercial products like: WD-40 and CLR
Just choose one of the materials on the list, rub it on the rust, let it sit for a few minutes and then use a piece of cloth to remove the rust.
If the rust leaves marks and removes the paint 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.
If you do everything else in this article you shouldn’t have problems with rust, but just in case it happens I decided to include this part.
Final Thoughts
So in order to make your fire pit last longer you have to:
- Avoid burning things like plastic, treated or painted wood, magazines or other harmful materials. Instead burn seasoned firewood that hasn’t been treated in any way.
- Carefully remove the ashes every time you are done using the fire pit.
- Clean the fire pit as often as possible, and if you have a gas fire pit make sure that you remove the dust on the inside.
- If you have the possibility of moving your fire pit in an enclosed area when you are not using it, just make sure to remove the ash before moving it.
- If rust appears remove it as soon as possible. Rust needs time to damage the fire pit, if you get rid of it as soon as you see it your fire pit won’t be affected at all.
In the end of the article I will cover some of the most common questions about fire pits. There is a good chance that you were already wondering about some of those things.
Common Questions
What is the best wood for a fire pit? The best wood for a fire pit is hardwood, which one you choose is up to you. If you choose one from this list you shouldn’t go wrong:
- Oak
- Ash
- Mapl
- Walnut
- Mahogany
- Hickory
- Beech
Just make sure that the wood you choose is seasoned and not green, if you get green wood you will have to leave it to season for at least 6 months.
While softwood is not a great choice for a fire pit, it can be a great addition as you can use it to light the fire or add pleasant smell.
And remember to stay away from driftwood, construction wood, wood with things grown on it and vines.
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 can I successfully start a fire pit every time? Every successful fire is built using 3 layers:
- Tinder – burns quickly and ignites the kindling
- Kindling – the middle layer that will will get ignited by the tinder, and will help
- Firewood – the wood that maintains the fire
The tinder is what will start the hole fire up. As tinder you can use newspaper, tree bark
fatwood or leaves. The tinder doesn’t have to burn for long periods of time. It just has to burn long enough to light the kindling.
The kindling is the part that makes or breaks the fire. Most unsuccessful fires don’t light up because they lack kindling. Softwood is usually a good choice for kindling, some of the best and most common options are: Pine, Poplar, Cedar and Spruce.
Tinder on it’s own doesn’t have the ability to light the firewood, this is why you want to use kindling which can light up firewood, but can’t maintain a fire pit on its own.
Firewood is what you use to maintain the fire in the fire pit. Hardwood is the best choice for firewood. Just make sure that what you are getting is seasoned wood, not green wood. Green wood is wood that has been recently cut, so it still has a lot of moisture inside of it. Seasoned wood has been chopped up and left to dry for 6 to 12 months, which makes it perfect for any fire.