Advice & inspiration
#loveleekes
Advice & inspiration
#loveleekes
Posted by Leekes on February 14, 2023 in Garden & leisure, Home improvements & DIY, Lifestyle advice
With summer sneaking upon us, it’ll soon be time to fetch out your garden furniture and fire pit so we have compiled a list of some useful tips for protecting your fire pits.
Firepits have become a welcomed addition to a patio or outside area and are a perfect accent for entertaining family and friends and keeping that warm glow on those cool summer evenings. However, while all garden furniture care is important the fire pit often gets overlooked and unprotected. In order to keep fire pits at its peak performance, they require maintenance and care and if done correctly can double its lifespan.
Your first role of action to protect your firepit should be to buy a cover forwhen it’s not in use. Not only will the cover protect from any inclement weather or rusting, but the cover will majorly reduce the amount of cleaning necessary in the future. Covers for your fire pit or outdoor heating are easy tocome by and come in all shapes sizes. Our recommendation would be a tie fastening cover to reduce the chances of it blowing away, however, if you are unable to get hold of either of these options you could use some vinyl tarp and place some stones or weights down to secure it.
There are usually 3 types of firepits metal, masonry and gas burners and each of these has their own methods of being cleaned. We suggest cleaning a metalfirepit with soap or washing soda (1/4 cup) and hot water. Use a dry scrub toremove dust and debris from inside and around the firepit. Cleaning around the fire pit is just as important as any loose twigs or leaves could catch fire underthe heat. Rinse the fire pit thoroughly with fresh water at the end and be sureto dry fully as any moisture or dirt left behind can cause mould or mildew. In order to prevent this further, we recommend that you store inside if possible oraway from the elements to evade rust forming on your pit.
A masonry pit should be scrubbed with paver cleaner, bristled brush or pressure washer and a mixture of ½ cup of dishwashing liquid and hot water. Finally, coat the firepit in masonry sealer to prevent staining.
Gas burners can be treated like a grill, keep the burner clean, ensure the ventsare clear and check gas and pressure each season to ensure it is safe to use.
If you’re planning on grilling on your firepit make sure to clean your gratesafterwards and remove any left-over grease. To clean use a wire brush andsome soapy water, make sure to dry thoroughly afterwards.
Firstly, some manufacturers actually recommend using sand in your fire pit. Ifyou are unaware of whether to use this method, the first step that you should take is to check if your manufacturer’s care guide suggests doing so. The recommended amount is usually an inch or 2 at the bottom of the pit. You can pick up a bag of sand from your local landscaping store for a relatively cheap price.
The main benefits of using sand in your fire pit is it helps to soak up the heatand evenly distribute it throughout the fire pit. It also works as an effective heatshield, protecting the metal bowl from the intense heat from the fire itself.
There is no actual harm of using sand in your fire pit, it’s safe and easy to install. The only negative issue that can arise is that the sand can mix in with the ashmaking the cleaning process a little more tedious than normal.
The first rule when taking care of a wood burning fire pit is never to extinguish the fire directly. This should only be in an emergency situation and alternatively, you should always allow it to die out naturally. The drastic change in temperature would damage the fire pit’s integrity causing it to warp or crack.
Never attempt to use accelerants on a wood burning fire pit, accelerants can be hazardous to your health and your fire pit by causing an extremely hot fire that will burn and mark your fire pit. Lighting your pit with small pieces of tinder or kindling should always be a viable option in lighting your fire and keeping it lit.
If you want your fire pit to last then removing the ashes is vital for its longevity. Ash is very acidic and is destructive to both metal and masonry if held there long enough. We suggest waiting 24 hours for the fire to cool before removing the ash. The best way of doing so is to remove with heat resistant gloves, aswell as a shovel and place this in a non-flammable container. Be careful, however, as even when ash looks grey and cool to touch, it could still hold enough heat underneath to relight a fire, therefore caution should be taken when removing.
Under no circumstances should plastic or other forms of rubbish be used in and around the fire pit. When plastic melts it can produce toxic fumes and chemicals, which is hazardous to both you and your fire pit. Plastic will also go sticky and gooey when melted which can very tricky to remove, and therefore, this should be avoided at all times.
To prevent discolouration metal fire pits are often painted black. However, overtime discolouration and rust will occur naturally especially when burning wood. Every now and again you should touch up your fire pit to give it a healthier look and cover up those rust spots. Or if you are using a masonry fire pit give theinside a coating of spray that’s able to withstand temperatures up to 600-650°C.
By following these tips listed in the blog, this will allow you to not only enjoy your fire pit but will also enhance its lifespan. To explore our full range, shop allof our fire pits and outdoor heating options
here.
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