Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by mark foster on April 25, 2011 at 10:09am

Hi Chad,

What part of the pit is set near ground level--floor or top?  Wood burning, or gas?

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Chad Shaw on April 25, 2011 at 10:10am

Top of pit is near ground level, and it will be gas...I have a pretty good idea of how we're going to construct it, but just wanted to see if anybody had any suggestions for any particular scenarios we hadn't considered.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Jordan Lockman on April 25, 2011 at 11:17am

In wood fireplaces we would use well casing sections. They were almost free and worked great. Also at home in my wood fire pit I made ring with Firebrick and dry laid stone on top of that. It has worked well. Again these are wood fireplaces not gas.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by mark foster on April 25, 2011 at 11:49am

I am in a similar climate zone as you are (Louisville, KY), and open pits (of any kind) can become sumps and/or get pretty damp.

If the walls/floor of the pit are premanufactured in one piece, they can be pretty watertight and the entire thing could float if the ground water is too much--you would need to put drainage around it (clean gravel and soil separation fabric) and pipe out to daylight.  If the pit is hand built and a bit porous, you can put the drain in the pit bottom and pipe out.  We have some pretty heavy clay soils and high water tables around here, so I tend to go with making the pit walls/floor as porous as possible so that the hydraulic pressure is never an issue.  I never use "dry wells"--I have seen too many silt up and fail over time.

I assume by ventilation you mean for the fire?  I am not aware of any issues in an open pit.  Usually the problem with gas fixtures is too much wind.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Thomas J. Johnson on April 25, 2011 at 7:50pm

My main concern is that a concrete patio with a 4-6" concrete fire ring sounds institutional, cold and unattractive. Are you giving the concrete any kind of finish to make it unique? I.E. Polish/grind the fire-ring and sand-blast the field to create a different texture while exposing the aggregate in both elements?

Also, with gas, you will need stone, glass, etc. to diffuse the flame, otherwise it will be like standing around your stove.

You can avoid a lot of the design issues you're facing if you make the pit 18-36" above ground. Drainage can happen through weep holes at the base, at grade. You won't risk people tripping on a 4" curb and getting injured by the pit. You will be able to feel the flames better if it's higher and the structure can double as seating when the fire is off or you can make a seat/wall cap and sit on it when the fire is on... 

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Chad Shaw on April 26, 2011 at 4:35am

yeah, yeah, yeah....I was waiting for the trip hazard comment :)

The concrete will be stained, curb/ring around firepit masonry to match house, etc.- the finish details have been discussed, more interested in ideas to help make it work effectively at this point, not look pretty (but thanks for the recommendations).

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by earthworker on April 26, 2011 at 8:36am

Unless you like scorched and cracked concrete, you had also better line the inside of the ring with some sort of fire brick.  A gas firepit will create sustained and intense heat that will stress concrete surrounding it.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Scott Thomas Murison on May 4, 2011 at 1:47am

Consider a convex surface for drainage and keeping the fire breaking apart for extra oxygen supply. Slightly more wood would be needed for the session however.

• ▶ Reply