Ideas for interior of fire pit wanted

[Craig D Peltier]

I have owned the quick fix firepits before, thye cost about 1-200 and thye last 1-2 seasons. My screen basically rotted after one season.
Anyhow I bought some stone that im going to cement into a circle. The inside diamater will be 26-30 inches. Its going on cement. My thoughts were lay few inches of sand in bottom , then some gravel to keep the soot from being bare on the cement.
On top of gravel I was thinking of purchasing a campfire ring, the problem with these are they are made for cooking over a campfire and are not usually used for what im trying to accomplish so there isnt a pan to burn in.
I was thinking of trying to locate a steel drum and sawzall it in half almost. Then the top will look pretty raggedy though or I could take top off and use the top of drum as the top and have a ring on the bottom welded.

Am I overthinking this, can this be done easier without making a mess on the patio underneath. I dont want the square peg fitting onto a round hole scenario.

I have heard of others using , washing machine drums and manhole cover inserts but thats all fine over dirt not cement.

[mark page]

I'm thinking of doing the somewhat same at my place. My thoughts lead me to using firebrick for the base and sides. This will make a square one without cutting them to try to make a round one. I don't know yet whether mine will be over concrete patio or just counter-sunk in the ground, as I'm still playing with landscaping ideas. I will most likely incorporate it into a paver style patio with the firepit countersunk into it.
Hope this may help out a bit.

[David G Baker]

Galvanized fire rings are sold in Michigan made from culvert material. The rings come in different diameters and heights. They are not specifically made for cooking over, they are made to contain the fire but things can be made or purchased to use them as a cooking pit. Many folks in my area dig the pit about 2 feet deep add sand and a bunch of rocks to form a bed then add more sand. They last for years. I have seen fire rings as large as 6 feet across and as small as 18 inches. You can get expanded metal to cover the fire ring to help reduce the potential for sparks to leave the pit.
I use the fire rings for making strawberry rings that are stacked about 4 feet high and made from 4 different sized rings filled with potting soil.

[Ted Calver]

Craig,
I've designed a few of these things and have gotten inspiration from several sites on the net. They are relatively simple to build. Most use a base of large lava rock topped off with a layer of fine lava rock into which is embedded a stainless steel fire ring. For starters google AquaticGlassel and explore from there. There are a number of sites with design guidelines...here's one to start...if the TOS allows it:

http://www.exoticflames.com/

[Craig D Peltier]

I think the point being skipped here is I want to be able to scoop the ash out. Thats why I was thinking of metal base including ring to contain the fire.The base would have a few holes drilled into it so water can seep through but contain most of ash.
Firebircks are an idea but I wont get it to fit in the round area as well as I would like.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Craig...you can cut firebricks I'll bet. Get an abrasive blade for a cs or rent a tile saw.

[Eric DeSilva]

I think the point being skipped here is I want to be able to scoop the ash out. Thats why I was thinking of metal base including ring to contain the fire.The base would have a few holes drilled into it so water can seep through but contain most of ash.
Firebircks are an idea but I wont get it to fit in the round area as well as I would like.

You can get pretty darn circular--I think SOP is standing them on end in the inside, which gets you a fairly circular ring, even if small diameter. Then, do the outside with a facing rock you like better. If you really want round, you could stand 'em on end sideways.

I was actually at the Orange Borg today looking for fire brick (need a gas welding surface). They looked at me like I was from Mars.

[Jerry Bruette]

Craig,
I stayed in a campground one time that used half of a split rim from a semi truck. It was used above ground and worked great. Don't know why it couldn't be buried if you can find one.

Metal could be a problem though, when hardwood ash is mixed with water it forms a milky white liquid that is actually lye. That could possibly rot out your pit. I think Ted has a good idea with the stainless.

Jerry

[Ted Calver]

Craig,
I'm so used to natural gas firepits I completely missed the point that you were dealing with an actual wood fire. I built a firepit once using a very large ceramic(?) chimney flue liner that I cut in half lengthwise using a masonry blade on my skil saw. That gave me 2 large shallow open ended U shaped rectangular pieces. I used one to form the base of the firebox and used the other as a spare. A piece of pierced metal grate cut to a tight fit raised the fire off the flue liner about an inch and provided a good combustion air source. The open ends made scooping ashes out easy.

[Craig Coney]

I used fire bricks in ours, with the fire rated mortar. IIRC, they were the 1 1/2" thick bricks so I could make the radius I wanted. Cut with a masonry blade on the skil saw. Took one evening to fit them and install them.

Our fire pit is made from CMU block with flagstone veneer on the outside and a flagstone cap.

No problems after 4 years of season changes. Also picked up a screen/cover which has lasted beyond my expectitions, from Hawkins IIRC.

No problem getting the ash out, we just use a standard fire place set and I bent the shovel at more of a 90 degree angle.

Only regret is we don't get to use it as much as we would like to.

[Craig D Peltier]

A couple of questions regarding this.
So theres a fire rated morta? I did not know that. I will look at the 2 bags I got from home depot.Does HD sell or your not sure? If the stones an mortar can withstand the heat im not sure why I would need a ring.
I bought the cement aggregrate stones from HD. They have the dadoe in them an the ridge on the top so they lock in to each other.I was going to cement them together but it may not be necessary? Its 4 bricks high and I havent found a cap yet for the overhang. HD was out.Hope the bricks can withstand the heat.

So I guess the firebricks are a good idea so then I scoop off of them.

I used fire bricks in ours, with the fire rated mortar. IIRC, they were the 1 1/2" thick bricks so I could make the radius I wanted. Cut with a masonry blade on the skil saw. Took one evening to fit them and install them.

Our fire pit is made from CMU block with flagstone veneer on the outside and a flagstone cap.

No problems after 4 years of season changes. Also picked up a screen/cover which has lasted beyond my expectitions, from Hawkins IIRC.

No problem getting the ash out, we just use a standard fire place set and I bent the shovel at more of a 90 degree angle.

Only regret is we don't get to use it as much as we would like to.

[Belinda Barfield]

Craig,

Have you considered lining the pit with Soapstone? You could use a solid piece for the bottom, eliminating the need for mortar. Some wood stoves are built from Soapstone. We've used it for fireplaces as it retains heat very well, and radiates it back into the room.