subject: How To Build A Fire Pit [print this page] A fire pit can be just a hole dug into the ground or it may be a composition of stone, brick or metal and can be either charcoal or gas burning. Having a fire pit in your backyard may be a very useful feature when you are having friends over and decide to do some grilling. Sitting by the fire is definitely one of the most relaxing activities in the world, whether on a warm summer evening or on a cool autumn evening. Making a fire pit is a fairly easy do-it-yourself project. So here are some tips on putting a fire pit together for your upcoming social gathering.
Required Tools
Shovel
Hammer
String
Level
Brush
Required Materials
Bricks
Stake
Gravel
Sand
Metal grate
Cement (optional)
Steel pit ring with tabs
Instructions
If you are using stones they ought to be as flat as possible but for now we will suppose that you are using landscaping blocks. Inside the area you pick for your pit, dig a hole about 2 feet deep and around 4 inches in diameter and fill it with gravel to drain away water that might otherwise collect inside the pit.
Dig a hole around the place where the fire pit will be around 2 feet wider than the fire pit will be. To ensure that this hole is totally round, use a hammer and drive a stake into the exact center of where the pit will be and tie a string around 3 feet long onto the stake. While holding the string walk in a full circle around the stake and mark out a circle. Your circle ought to be just about perfect after this.
Dig down around 12 inches right around your fire pit location using the circle as a guide and pack the hole with 4 inches of gravel and 4 inches of sand. Press the sand as level as you are able and set your first row of bricks on top of it. Use the level to ensure that this layer is completely flat and then completely fill the hole outside of the bricks with gravel. The blocks will be almost fully covered however, this will make sure your fire pit has a firm base.
Carry on with putting down more layers of bricks. You may use the steel ring every couple of layers to make sure that the grill is still round and the ring fits inside. You may use cement if you desire to lock the bricks in place. However, not using cement makes it simpler to remove single blocks if required later on. The cement may give off fumes when the fire is burning therefore it is advised to just lay the bricks with nothing between.
Use the brush to clean debris from the bricks as you place them and leave random gaps between the stones to allow air to pass through or the fire will stifle and die. When you have set a couple layers of the bricks, throw gravel into the center and spread it over the base of the fire pit.
Around 6 rows of bricks should be adequate thus when you have laid 5 rows, put the steel ring in place and put the final row of bricks on the tabs of the ring to hold it firmly in place. Lastly set the metal grate in position and youre ready for a fire.
Tips and Warnings
See to it that the bricks or stones you use were not in water since heat from the fire can cause them to burst.
It is at all times recommended to saturate the area around the pit with water before you make a fire to guarantee that there are no stray fires. You should furthermore keep a bucket of water and a shovel handy every time you are going to light a fire.
