We are contemplating adding a covered patio to our house with separate patio area for my metal wood burning fire pit, and wondering if we should just get a masonry gas pit instead. What would you prefer in your backyard and why? We like our wood burning pit, but the ease of a gas pit and lack of smoke smell is appealing.
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Gas or wood fire pit
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Last: 7 yr ago by reddog90
I think I would go with the ease of gas.reddog90 said:
We are contemplating adding a covered patio to our house with separate patio area for my metal wood burning fire pit, and wondering if we should just get a masonry gas pit instead. What would you prefer in your backyard and why? We like our wood burning pit, but the ease of a gas pit and lack of smoke smell is appealing.
I have gone back and forth over this myself. I haven't purchased one yet, but it will be gas. Until I move out of the small residential lot I am on so that I can have a real fire pit.
We are building right now. Wood burning fireplace in the living room, gas fireplace outside.
I have wood burning end cap style in my backyard, my neighbor across the street has gas. Personally I think the wood one puts off way more heat plus he spends a ton on gas because he has to really crank it up to feel any heat. Plus I like the smell of burning, that's just me.
No personal experience with gas but I agree wth the above that it would be more expensive to use one. I also have access to a lot of firewood so that's why I would go with that if I was choosing. And who doesn't love a little campfire smoke smell?
I agree. I have a wood burning fire pit at my house. I live on 6 acres so it easy to find something to burn. Plus I have a lot of free firewood on my ranch that I can bring home anytime.agfan2013 said:
No personal experience with gas but I agree wth the above that it would be more expensive to use one. I also have access to a lot of firewood so that's why I would go with that if I was choosing. And who doesn't love a little campfire smoke smell?
We have a wood burning fire pit in the back yard. We are also under a burn ban, and stay that way most of the time. Thinking about adding a gas pit beside it.
I love the smell of a good fire too. But it would be nice to come home from work, start an easy fire and enjoy a cocktail for a few minutes, then kill it and go to bed without smelling like I went camping. I currently don't have an inconspicuous spot for my stack of firewood, or a way to keep it dry.bookmyer said:I agree. I have a wood burning fire pit at my house. I live on 6 acres so it easy to find something to burn. Plus I have a lot of free firewood on my ranch that I can bring home anytime.agfan2013 said:
No personal experience with gas but I agree wth the above that it would be more expensive to use one. I also have access to a lot of firewood so that's why I would go with that if I was choosing. And who doesn't love a little campfire smoke smell?
I have an outdoor wood burning fireplace that has a gas tube. Best of both worlds and it's never hard to start a fire!
There is just something about a natural fire. Burn oak most of the time but some cedar every now and then gives a great smell.agfan2013 said:
No personal experience with gas but I agree wth the above that it would be more expensive to use one. I also have access to a lot of firewood so that's why I would go with that if I was choosing. And who doesn't love a little campfire smoke smell?
We have gas
It takes some time for it to heat up but it eventually does
It takes some time for it to heat up but it eventually does
OneNightW said:
I have an outdoor wood burning fireplace that has a gas tube. Best of both worlds and it's never hard to start a fire!
Same here. It's hard to beat the smell of pion wood burning.
Half the fun of sitting by a fire is poking it... you can't do that with a gas fire.
I liked the convenience of gas but a wood stove has coals smouldering and burning at well over a thousand degrees compared to gas flames at a lower burning temp. The ashes are a mess, but a big oak wood fire in my iron stove keeps it warm in my living room for hours. Helps I have acres of post oaks.
For you guys with a masonry wood burning fire pit:
How do you drain the pit? Future pit will be a masonry ring on a concrete patio. Should I just do weep holes or should I ask for a drain hole in the pit that is piped to the edge of the patio into the yard?
How do you drain the pit? Future pit will be a masonry ring on a concrete patio. Should I just do weep holes or should I ask for a drain hole in the pit that is piped to the edge of the patio into the yard?
Very good question. In my infinite wisdom, I decided weep holes would be plenty. I built a 6' masonry fire pit with weep holes every couple of feet. I still shake my head at this one, from experience I can tell you the weep holes WILL NOT WORK. Get a bunch of ash and coals, it rains, ash solidifies in the weep holes. So you say, okay, no problem, I'm going to clean them out and then just put a wire mesh protecting the weep holes. And you'd be proven to be an idiot once again, so you try a few more iterations of quick "fixes" and it still doesn't drain for crap. Save yourself the embarrassment and just do a drain. Or, you could try not being lazy like me and actually clean the ash out every so often, that would probably work too, even with weep holes.reddog90 said:
For you guys with a masonry wood burning fire pit:
How do you drain the pit? Future pit will be a masonry ring on a concrete patio. Should I just do weep holes or should I ask for a drain hole in the pit that is piped to the edge of the patio into the yard?
So if you had a drain with a screen in the middle of the pit, how do you keep it from getting clogged with ash/coal?
I'm not sure in your scenario because you'll be on a patio, what I ended up doing was putting the drain below grade and backfilling it with layers of different size rocks all the way down to pea gravel
My most recent one i tried something different. Poured leveling cement at bottom. Left small holes about 4 inches up. Dries super quick after a rain, us with the cement it makes it super easy to scoop out the old ash.
I agree gas lines are easy, and you may use it more. But, you will enjoy real fires more.
Save the gas line for a grill (ducking).
I agree gas lines are easy, and you may use it more. But, you will enjoy real fires more.
Save the gas line for a grill (ducking).
So technically the pit won't drain unless you get over 4" of rain, but it still dries quickly?jftx04 said:
My most recent one i tried something different. Poured leveling cement at bottom. Left small holes about 4 inches up. Dries super quick after a rain, us with the cement it makes it super easy to scoop out the old ash.
I agree gas lines are easy, and you may use it more. But, you will enjoy real fires more.
Save the gas line for a grill (ducking).