Mrs P would like a fire pit in the garden to make outside socialising more comfortable. I’m not a fan of fire pits – they seem like a massive waste of resource, create smoke that pollutes the environment but more importantly can be a nuciance to neighbours. Add to that the smell on clothes etc and the need to clean it prepare a fire etc a proper one is going to get used twice a year!

Whilst burning fossil fuel to heat the outdoors is ridiculous does anyone here have experience of gas firepits – presumably no significant smoke but are they effective at sharing the heat – are some much better than others or is it a style/price decision?

BIL has one…. does work OK but seems rediculous and flies through the gas.
Another friend has a wood burning firepit and just uses charcoal as less smoke/smell etc.

I have a colleague in the Bay Area in California who has one in his back gardenyard. He fired it up one evening.

It sent a huge amount of heat into the night sky, and looked very impressive as we watched from indoors (of course, it was far too cold to be outside since the heat all goes straight up).

I think they’re pretty good if you want to impress upon your friends and neighbours just exactly what you think about the very bad and great global climate hoax, and how much you want to make socialising great again! Let’s face it,

any and all weather events are used by the GLOBAL WARMING HOAXSTERS to justify higher taxes to save our planet! They don’t believe it.

Outdoor electric heaters are the best bet but not great.

As you say its a ridiculous idea trying to heat the outdoors.

I should also add that I much prefer (and don’t mind using) a nice blanket – warmer and doesn’t run out or heat the atmosphere.

heat the atmosphere

A small pit fire isnt going to heat the atmosphere to any extent, that would be like taking 1 million liters of boiling water and adding a teaspoon of cold water to it.

A small pit fire isnt going to heat the atmosphere to any extent, that would be like taking 1 million liters of boiling water and adding a teaspoon of cold water to it.

What if everyone on the planet does it?

Whilst burning fossil fuel to heat the outdoors is ridiculous

I was gonna say this, but you beat me to it. They seem even more bizarre than wood firepits.

I should also add that I much prefer (and don’t mind using) a nice blanket

You can buy a lot of jumpers for the cost of a fire pit!

Outdoor electric heaters are the best bet but not great.

They don’t look pretty though do they?

What if everyone on the planet does it?

I expect that could make some sort of difference, yes, i agree with you.

But it’s not everyone is it 😉 its a single fire pit.

Own a car perchance ? 😕

The point of a firepit is not only to supply a bit of heat, but it’s mainly there as a focal point. Something traditional and worldly about it.

And to cook chorizos and marshmallows on!

My Mrs bought one – it’s rectangle in shape and uses lava rocks as well. We got fed up with the smoke on the chimnea, especially before you got it going. I have fitted an awning though to keep the heat in, otherwise you do lose alot straight up. Instant on, instant off.

Beware it’s difficult getting a new calor patio gas contract as there is a shortage, you can get refils. We ended up with a flo-gas canister from homebase.

does anyone here have experience of gas firepits

No, because they are shit.

Switched from a firepit to steel chiminea recently. Much less smoke in the attendee’s faces and arguably a bit less overall as it seems to burn in a bit more of an effective way. Still pretty marginal gains in terms of heating the people not the planet.

We burn whisky staves which I appreciate is a bit niche but bloomin hot, cheap and dry with a great smell so prob as neighbour friendly as possible. Given it’s half a mile to the nearest neighbour that’s a bit immaterial.

+1 to jumpers and (more importantly) blankets. After experiencing Copenhagen evening cafe culture and impossibly cool young men and women with their blankets I figure there is nothing to fear with admitting you are middle aged about using them!

But it’s not everyone is it 😉 its a single fire pit.

Said a million people

Got a wood one, I burn the pallets that aren’t reusable / returnable from work. It’s crap wood for the wood burner in the house but on the fire pit it’s fine. Burns bright, burns hot, not Smokey, doesn’t last for hours smouldering away after we have gone inside. The wood would end up in the incinerator / power generator near work anyway. (Edit) I know that would be a cleaner burn than my fire pit btw)

If you want to sit outside with heat you need an umbrella or other kind of cover over your heads. Massively increases the effectiveness of whatever you do. We out an umbrella up (so that the chimenea smoke went up past the edge) and it went from useless to toasty warm.

does anyone here have experience of gas firepits

No, because they are shit.

That seems to be the recurring theme – but if you’ve never used one how do you know that?

My parents had one briefly.

It was shit.

They moved to France instead.

I have an outbacker stove in place of a chimnea (no smoke at users and minimal because decent burn air mix)

But do really want a cover to keep the heat in about

We’ve got a chiminea and a firepit but rarely use either. What we do fairly often though is have a proper (small) bonfire. We have a small paddock which is pretty rough ground and an area on there I use for fires. I always seem to have an accumulation of wood offcuts, old pallets, dried branches from hedge trimming etc. A bonfire every couple of weeks to get rid of some of this often sees me and the Mrs pull up a couple of deck chairs, crack a bottle of wine and watch it till the embers die after dark. On a summer evening it’s a brilliant end to the day and mega relaxing.

Thank’s everyone for your feedback you’ve mostly confirmed my suspicions.

My parents had one briefly.
It was shit.
They moved to France instead.

Well that’s an extreme solution!

But do really want a cover to keep the heat in about

There’s a parasol thing – an awning/gazebo might be a better solution, but I have a feeling that’s going to involve me doing more work building something permanent or erecting it each time it’s needed!

The “garden” is only about 4m long x 10m wide, with neighbours close by on each side. It feels antisocial to use anything that makes smoke in such a small area. The topography is such that if neighbours 3 houses upwind have a BBQ, or a visitor smoking in their back garden I can smell it in our house with the windows open. The shape of houses/fences makes the air quite turbulent and you can’t even be sure you would just be blowing downwind. I have a pizza oven that I don’t use as much as I’d like to because it feels wrong to expose neighbours to that – but at least it is only on for short periods, early evening rather than all evening. I’m currently toying with extending its chimney through/over the back fence so it is venting into the open land behind.

Deffo something to keep the heat in – big parasol, or awning, otherwise the heat is straight up. Our awning is 3.5m x 2.5m and covers our patio. Winds out in 30 seconds. Easy to fit, just need decent wall bolts (not the ones it comes with). Amazon of all places, £230 for a cream one.

Ikea do those large parasols that have a side pole, but you’ll need the base anchoring, or heavy slabs.

Our neighbours are close so ‘burning’ is a bit anti-social, especially when windows are open. We will still probably use the chimnea at times, still got loads of wood to burn through.

We’re in a similar boat as I’ve just finished laying a new patio and will soon be starting on some furniture. One option was to buy a table with an integrated gas firepit – looks the part but methinks it’s an expensive way to lose what little heat gets generated.

Sooo, those outback stoves look pretty cool. Trail_rat, have you used it on a patio, ie no risk of heat causing damage to slabs?

Re heat capture, we’ve been looking at sails but have yet to figure preferred dims and whether it’ll work. Not sure how much heat this might save and whether it’ll stain from any smoke?

Sooo, those outback stoves look pretty cool. Trail_rat, have you used it on a patio, ie no risk of heat causing damage to slabs?

biggest risk would be if you were to spill out partially burnt wood and ash onto your slabs. theres no risk from the heat coming out the bottom.

I have a stainless “flame”clear view for that oh so important Focal point that was talked about above…..really no one ive used it with cares about that they just want the heat !

I bought it with the view to fitting into a covered (polycarb twin sheet) decked porch area – With canadian style storm infill panels for winter. in the meantime its a good standby chimenea for outdoor meets.

It doesn’t solve the ‘nice thing to sit around’ issue but infrared patio heaters seem like they could be a solution to the cold. They aren’t trying to ‘heat the outside’ in the same way are they.

biggest risk would be if you were to spill out partially burnt wood and ash onto your slabs. theres no risk from the heat coming out the bottom.

Yeah, can see that happening. Might look at creating/buying some kind of base to prevent that.

I’m building a veranda on our nascent patio. I’m going to look at getting an outdoor stove with a long flue to take it above house level.

long flue to take it above house level.

i have vague memories of your house being 3 stories – how longs that flue gonna be

Just sit in your car with the engine running like more and more **** round here do these days.