Smokeless Fire Pit Support
Unpacking your Fire Pit
Our smokeless fire pits are heavy! Please be careful when unpacking your fire pit.
Two people should lift the fire pit at all times as its weight may damage your back if you try to lift it on your own.
You may need to add the screws to the screw holes in the side of your fire pit with an allen-key.
This is a simple process but a little cooking oil in the holes may help the screws go in easier.
First Use of your Smokeless Fire Pit - strange smell?
When you first light your smokless fire pit, please be aware that there is a "paint curing" process the first couple of times you use your fire pit.
You will notice a strange smell as the paint cures onto the surface of your fire pit in the heat of the fire.
This odour will diminish over the first few burns of your fire pit so don't be alarmed.
If you are expecting guests, it's therefore a good idea to pre-burn your fire pit to get rid of this smell before they arrive!
See notes below on lighting your smokeless fire pit, where to place it and ideal surfaces to place it on...
Our smokeless fire pits are heavy! Please be careful when unpacking your fire pit.
Two people should lift the fire pit at all times as its weight may damage your back if you try to lift it on your own.
You may need to add the screws to the screw holes in the side of your fire pit with an allen-key.
This is a simple process but a little cooking oil in the holes may help the screws go in easier.
First Use of your Smokeless Fire Pit - strange smell?
When you first light your smokless fire pit, please be aware that there is a "paint curing" process the first couple of times you use your fire pit.
You will notice a strange smell as the paint cures onto the surface of your fire pit in the heat of the fire.
This odour will diminish over the first few burns of your fire pit so don't be alarmed.
If you are expecting guests, it's therefore a good idea to pre-burn your fire pit to get rid of this smell before they arrive!
See notes below on lighting your smokeless fire pit, where to place it and ideal surfaces to place it on...
How it Works
It's important to understand how your smokeless fire pit works so as to maintain a smoke free experience when using it.
Smoke is simply un-burnt fuel (wood particles) that escape from the fire. Heat is generated when wood burns in oxygen and so if there is not enough heat or not enough oxygen the wood won't completely burn, producing smoke.
A hotter fire will invariably have less smoke, even if it's not designed to be smokeless. You may have noticed this when burning large dry garden bonfires. Just like a bonfire, if wood is too damp it will fail to burn adequately as heat energy is simply consumed by vapourising water to create steam. This is also why burning "unseasoned" wood that is too "green" creates more smoke. Its moisture content is simply too high to burn efficiently. (You may have heard wet wood "sizzle or "fizz"" as the water burns off.)
Our smokeless fire pit burns wood more efficiently, eliminating un-burnt smoke particles. The efficiency is made by too factors:
A hotter burn PLUS more oxygen - which is added at the top of the pit to burn off any unspent fuel (wood particles).
Our smokeless fire pits burn hotter than a regular fire pit because the fire is contained and constrained into a smaller space by the walls of the fire pit. Once the fire is going, extra air (oxygen) is drawn up the inside of the walls of the fire pit (by convection process) to escape out of the top holes where it ignites the smoke particles. It's an incredibly simple but effective process.
It's important to understand how your smokeless fire pit works so as to maintain a smoke free experience when using it.
Smoke is simply un-burnt fuel (wood particles) that escape from the fire. Heat is generated when wood burns in oxygen and so if there is not enough heat or not enough oxygen the wood won't completely burn, producing smoke.
A hotter fire will invariably have less smoke, even if it's not designed to be smokeless. You may have noticed this when burning large dry garden bonfires. Just like a bonfire, if wood is too damp it will fail to burn adequately as heat energy is simply consumed by vapourising water to create steam. This is also why burning "unseasoned" wood that is too "green" creates more smoke. Its moisture content is simply too high to burn efficiently. (You may have heard wet wood "sizzle or "fizz"" as the water burns off.)
Our smokeless fire pit burns wood more efficiently, eliminating un-burnt smoke particles. The efficiency is made by too factors:
A hotter burn PLUS more oxygen - which is added at the top of the pit to burn off any unspent fuel (wood particles).
Our smokeless fire pits burn hotter than a regular fire pit because the fire is contained and constrained into a smaller space by the walls of the fire pit. Once the fire is going, extra air (oxygen) is drawn up the inside of the walls of the fire pit (by convection process) to escape out of the top holes where it ignites the smoke particles. It's an incredibly simple but effective process.
Where to Place your Smokeless Fire Pit
Smokeless fire pit fires burn at a higher temperature than regular fires so it's important to site them carefully.
The base of the fire pit gets very hot and that is likely to damage any burnable or scorch-able surface it is placed on and may set fire to it.
Embers and sparks from the burning fire may also present a fire risk if the pit is too close to combustible things. (Trees, buildings, furniture.)
Never place any fire pit on wood, plastic or any other combustible surface. The potential for catching your deck on fire is high from direct heat or from the hot ashes that will drop through the deck onto combustible debris like dry leaves.
If placing your fire pit on a patio you need to take suitable precautions to prevent patio slabs from cracking.
Under the intense heat a slab will crack, especially if it is larger and/or thinner as temperature differentials across the surface can be high.
(This is one reason why larger fire place hearths are cut into two or three parts.)
A sacrificial low-cost slab placed under the fire pit is one solution.
Fire bricks (or regular bricks) can also be used to create a protective layer over your patio slabs.
The best surfaces for a fire pit are solid ground, concrete, gravel/rocks or sand.
Grass will be scorched and may die if a fire pit is placed on it and you should keep the fire pit clear of long dry grass as that may also catch alight.
Finally, you should also be conscious of any overhanging trees and our fire pits should not be placed under canopies or near wooden structures as there is a chance (however small) that embers floating upwards can set things alight.
You use our fire pits at your own risk, so please take sensible precautions and read our fire pit safety guide here for more safety considerations.
Smokeless fire pit fires burn at a higher temperature than regular fires so it's important to site them carefully.
The base of the fire pit gets very hot and that is likely to damage any burnable or scorch-able surface it is placed on and may set fire to it.
Embers and sparks from the burning fire may also present a fire risk if the pit is too close to combustible things. (Trees, buildings, furniture.)
Never place any fire pit on wood, plastic or any other combustible surface. The potential for catching your deck on fire is high from direct heat or from the hot ashes that will drop through the deck onto combustible debris like dry leaves.
If placing your fire pit on a patio you need to take suitable precautions to prevent patio slabs from cracking.
Under the intense heat a slab will crack, especially if it is larger and/or thinner as temperature differentials across the surface can be high.
(This is one reason why larger fire place hearths are cut into two or three parts.)
A sacrificial low-cost slab placed under the fire pit is one solution.
Fire bricks (or regular bricks) can also be used to create a protective layer over your patio slabs.
The best surfaces for a fire pit are solid ground, concrete, gravel/rocks or sand.
Grass will be scorched and may die if a fire pit is placed on it and you should keep the fire pit clear of long dry grass as that may also catch alight.
Finally, you should also be conscious of any overhanging trees and our fire pits should not be placed under canopies or near wooden structures as there is a chance (however small) that embers floating upwards can set things alight.
You use our fire pits at your own risk, so please take sensible precautions and read our fire pit safety guide here for more safety considerations.
Building A Smokeless Fire in our Smokeless Fire Pit
Please read our How to make a fire pit fire article here first. This helps with the basics of fire making and the equipment you'll need.
The process is exactly the same for our smokeless fire pit with the exception that you won't need the sand in the bottom of the fire pit.
(Our smokeless fire pit has holes so so sand can't be used.)
One small thing to remember is that initially there will be a little smoke as the fire pit gets up to temperature. This quickly passes, usually within 5-10 minutes of lighting the kindling.
Once up to temperature it's important that the fire pit is "fed" with wood to keep the temperature high. If you let the fire die down too much, it will start to smoke again. A smokeless fire pit will burn wood more efficiently and more QUICKLY than a regular fire pit. It will also give off more heat as the wood is being burnt more efficiently.
Also make sure you don't over-fill the fire pit. Wood should be kept below the line of holes that go around the top inside of the fire pit.
As the fire burns, the sides of the smokeless fire pit will start to heat up and after a time the sides will become very hot and radiate heat outwards. It is the thickness of the steel in our fire its that allows it to retain the heat generated and heat your legs when sitting around it. Thinner steel cools down much faster.
Please read our How to make a fire pit fire article here first. This helps with the basics of fire making and the equipment you'll need.
The process is exactly the same for our smokeless fire pit with the exception that you won't need the sand in the bottom of the fire pit.
(Our smokeless fire pit has holes so so sand can't be used.)
One small thing to remember is that initially there will be a little smoke as the fire pit gets up to temperature. This quickly passes, usually within 5-10 minutes of lighting the kindling.
Once up to temperature it's important that the fire pit is "fed" with wood to keep the temperature high. If you let the fire die down too much, it will start to smoke again. A smokeless fire pit will burn wood more efficiently and more QUICKLY than a regular fire pit. It will also give off more heat as the wood is being burnt more efficiently.
Also make sure you don't over-fill the fire pit. Wood should be kept below the line of holes that go around the top inside of the fire pit.
As the fire burns, the sides of the smokeless fire pit will start to heat up and after a time the sides will become very hot and radiate heat outwards. It is the thickness of the steel in our fire its that allows it to retain the heat generated and heat your legs when sitting around it. Thinner steel cools down much faster.
Buying Wood for your Smokeless Fire Pit
Because smokeless fire pits are efficient, smokeless fire pits do burn wood faster. Note that all net-bagged wood sold in shops now is kiln dried and "Ready to Burn" as it's termed here in the UK. This means the shop bought wood burns faster too. So smokeless fire pits fed with Ready to Burn wood fuel can be a little more expensive to run as they consume more wood.
Ready to Burn legislation was put in place to reduce smoke particle emissions from outdoor fires as these can be damaging for health.
Smokeless fire pits actually help reduce particulates a lot as they are... well, smokeless! So you get barely any smoke particles which is good for asthma sufferers who usually can't tolerate fire pit environments.
You can read about the UK Ready To Burn legislation here.
Interestingly, our smokeless pit will burn non-kiln dried seasoned wood without smoke - once the pit is up to temperature. Damper wood also burns a bit slower so you can get a longer burn out of less-dry wood. Once up to full running temperature our smokeless fire pit will even burn fairly wet wood without smoke... but there are limits to how wet the wood can be. (In tests, we have thrown small handfuls of wet green grass into the pit without any smoke being generated.)
Depending on how much log storage space you have, you can buy a lorry load (over 2 tons) of non-kiln dried wood in bulk from tree surgeons.
This will be a LOT cheaper than "Ready to Burn" wood in bags from shops especially if purchased outside of the winter season.
Because smokeless fire pits are efficient, smokeless fire pits do burn wood faster. Note that all net-bagged wood sold in shops now is kiln dried and "Ready to Burn" as it's termed here in the UK. This means the shop bought wood burns faster too. So smokeless fire pits fed with Ready to Burn wood fuel can be a little more expensive to run as they consume more wood.
Ready to Burn legislation was put in place to reduce smoke particle emissions from outdoor fires as these can be damaging for health.
Smokeless fire pits actually help reduce particulates a lot as they are... well, smokeless! So you get barely any smoke particles which is good for asthma sufferers who usually can't tolerate fire pit environments.
You can read about the UK Ready To Burn legislation here.
Interestingly, our smokeless pit will burn non-kiln dried seasoned wood without smoke - once the pit is up to temperature. Damper wood also burns a bit slower so you can get a longer burn out of less-dry wood. Once up to full running temperature our smokeless fire pit will even burn fairly wet wood without smoke... but there are limits to how wet the wood can be. (In tests, we have thrown small handfuls of wet green grass into the pit without any smoke being generated.)
Depending on how much log storage space you have, you can buy a lorry load (over 2 tons) of non-kiln dried wood in bulk from tree surgeons.
This will be a LOT cheaper than "Ready to Burn" wood in bags from shops especially if purchased outside of the winter season.
Maintenance of your Smokeless Fire Pit
Our smokeless fire pits are simple devices that are in effect, maintenance free. But there are a few things you can do to keep them looking good.
If possible, keep them out of the rain.
In practice, moving them is rarely done as they are very heavy and a pain to move around. (Unless you have one of our smokeless fire pit trolleys!)
A better solution is to cover them up when not in use. A piece of tempered glass on the top is perfect for keeping the rain out. Just make sure you don't place the glass on it while the fire pit is hot! Let it cool down first.
We also sell metal lids for our smokeless fire pits for keeping the rain out.
Cloth covers perish in the sun and tend to collect water so we don't currently sell those or recommend them.
Respray the outside of your fire pit once a year.
Fire resistant "stove" paint is widely available online for less than £20 a can. To keep your fire pit looking nice and to reduce rust, it's worth respraying the outside of your pit once a year. This is a simple process. Firstly, sand or wire wool off any surface rust. Next wipe down the fire pit to remove any dust and dirt. (Do this first with water, then allow to dry completely and wipe down again with white spirit or acetone if you have it.) Apply several thin coats of spray paint to the outside. This will help to prevent paint runs. When you next light the fire pit, expect some paint fumes as the paint "cures" onto the surface. (Best done before any guests arrive!)
Although you can paint the inside, this tends to get more rust as the paint burns off the surface very easily due to the extreme temperature inside the pit. (1200 to 1400 degrees.) The steel is thick enough to last even with some surface rust, so don't worry if it looks a little rusty on the inside.
Our smokeless fire pits are simple devices that are in effect, maintenance free. But there are a few things you can do to keep them looking good.
If possible, keep them out of the rain.
In practice, moving them is rarely done as they are very heavy and a pain to move around. (Unless you have one of our smokeless fire pit trolleys!)
A better solution is to cover them up when not in use. A piece of tempered glass on the top is perfect for keeping the rain out. Just make sure you don't place the glass on it while the fire pit is hot! Let it cool down first.
We also sell metal lids for our smokeless fire pits for keeping the rain out.
Cloth covers perish in the sun and tend to collect water so we don't currently sell those or recommend them.
Respray the outside of your fire pit once a year.
Fire resistant "stove" paint is widely available online for less than £20 a can. To keep your fire pit looking nice and to reduce rust, it's worth respraying the outside of your pit once a year. This is a simple process. Firstly, sand or wire wool off any surface rust. Next wipe down the fire pit to remove any dust and dirt. (Do this first with water, then allow to dry completely and wipe down again with white spirit or acetone if you have it.) Apply several thin coats of spray paint to the outside. This will help to prevent paint runs. When you next light the fire pit, expect some paint fumes as the paint "cures" onto the surface. (Best done before any guests arrive!)
Although you can paint the inside, this tends to get more rust as the paint burns off the surface very easily due to the extreme temperature inside the pit. (1200 to 1400 degrees.) The steel is thick enough to last even with some surface rust, so don't worry if it looks a little rusty on the inside.
Using your Smokeless Fire Pit as a Smokeless Garden Waste Incinerator
It's possible to use your smokeless fire pit as a garden waste incinerator.
This can be useful if you don't want to upset the neighbours with a smokey bonfire!
As detailed above, it's important to get the fire pit up to full burn before adding any wetter material. There are limits to what the fire pit can cope with in terms of green waste but it's entirely possible and practical to use your fire pit to burn small quantities of garden waste and larger quantities if it is dead and dried out. As detailed above, it's important to keep the fire pit fed with enough dry material to keep it smoke free. Also don't overload the fire pit - make sure material is not stacked above the top of the fire pit to ensure correct burning.
If you have any particular questions or concerns about our smokeless fire pits then please contact us.
It's possible to use your smokeless fire pit as a garden waste incinerator.
This can be useful if you don't want to upset the neighbours with a smokey bonfire!
As detailed above, it's important to get the fire pit up to full burn before adding any wetter material. There are limits to what the fire pit can cope with in terms of green waste but it's entirely possible and practical to use your fire pit to burn small quantities of garden waste and larger quantities if it is dead and dried out. As detailed above, it's important to keep the fire pit fed with enough dry material to keep it smoke free. Also don't overload the fire pit - make sure material is not stacked above the top of the fire pit to ensure correct burning.
If you have any particular questions or concerns about our smokeless fire pits then please contact us.
