Fire pits- How much do you really use it? Worth it?

We live in South Florida and use our firepit all the time. We have it built out like a table and eat dinner there a lot. We also like looking at the fire from the Spa. B94FAB09-DB1D-4BC7-99AF-08C925DBDDEF.jpgB94FAB09-DB1D-4BC7-99AF-08C925DBDDEF.jpg
 
We went with a simple self contained firetable, and are very happy with it. Our original plan had a seperate area with a large built in wood burner, but we decided to go this route instead. It's more versatile and convenient (lights with a push of a button) and we use it a lot more than we would have with the permanent installation. As we approach the time of year when the evening air temps start to get to be cooler than the water temps, I'm guessing this will become the main seating area for us and friends while the kids are in the pool.
 

Attachments

  • 20180825_202910.jpg
    20180825_202910.jpg
    78.1 KB · Views: 418
We went with a simple self contained firetable, and are very happy with it. Our original plan had a seperate area with a large built in wood burner, but we decided to go this route instead. It's more versatile and convenient (lights with a push of a button) and we use it a lot more than we would have with the permanent installation. As we approach the time of year when the evening air temps start to get to be cooler than the water temps, I'm guessing this will become the main seating area for us and friends while the kids are in the pool.

That's pretty cool BMK. How many hrs do you get off of the propane tank? How much heat?

Although I absolutely love the idea of built in fire pit with wood, I'm just trying to be realistic on how many times we'll use it. Don't get me wrong, we do a lot of outdoor cooking with pellets and charcoal. But not so much whole wood. I would have to sneak a small gas unit in because my husband says no gas allowed!:)

- - - Updated - - -

We live in South Florida and use our firepit all the time. We have it built out like a table and eat dinner there a lot. We also like looking at the fire from the Spa. View attachment 86082View attachment 86082

A built-in warming drawer. Wow!
 
We have a gas fire pit which is nice when you want to use and then turn it off when your done. I do like the actual wood but they tend to be messy. A friend of mine has a wood burning pit by his pool and a lot of ash ends up floating in his pool so he dosn't use it that much.
 
Wood is a PITA. I have wood fireplaces in my house and they are beautiful when we use them, but because of the pain we don’t use them that much. The firepit is gas and it is awesome. Turn it on in 5 seconds and turn it off in 5 seconds. S’mores no problem, lets do it. We were going to do a temporary one, but we had extra travertine and figured the permanent one just looked nicer. Warming drawer, $550 from Costco ( have another one in the outdoor kitchen for actual food, and guest towels), it is blowing the GFI outlet so we will see how good the Costco warranty is. Another nice thing about the permanent we use it as a dining table as well, and we put our feet on it when we just want to relax. Clean it off with a hose. When it gets really dirty or has some mold, hit it with the pressure washer and it looks like new. In the Florida summer we use it a couple of times a week, and in the winter just about every day. We could not imagine our life without it now.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
That's pretty cool BMK. How many hrs do you get off of the propane tank? How much heat?

Depending on flame height (it's adjustable), I seem to be getting about 8-10 hours continuous from 1 20lb tank. Because you sit relatively close, a medium flame is about right to provide nice comfortable heat. A higher flame can get too hot, especially for anything placed on the table.
 
there is nothing better than a wood burning fireplace or pit. if outside. ya inside it's a mess. i remember my parents house and how hard it was to keep everything clean, but also man that flue needs to be built properly. my older outdoor fireplace on our covered patio gets a ton of use. i am constantly goign up my uncles farm to steal wood. i can't wait to build a fire in my new one in the pool house. it's triple the size of my old one so it should give off a ton of nice heat for fall into winter.

all these great ideas in this thread! i like that one with the drawer. nice for storage.
 
Personally, I like my gas powered fire table. No scrounging firewood. Controlled flame so that I can have it on my covered patio. Nice and clean, and no cleanup required. To each his own.
 
Good thread as I've always questioned if I would actually use it (especially being in Texas). Anyone have reviews over the solo stove?

While I don't own one myself, I am at a lot of bbq competitions (2 - 3/month) and quite a few competition teams have the solo stove and they love it. Friends who don't own one have mentioned that they would like to have one eventually. I wouldn't use it often so the cost isn't worth it to me, but if you've been thinking about buying one, I believe, based on what I've been told, the Solo stove is a very good option.
 
While I don't own one myself, I am at a lot of bbq competitions (2 - 3/month) and quite a few competition teams have the solo stove and they love it. Friends who don't own one have mentioned that they would like to have one eventually. I wouldn't use it often so the cost isn't worth it to me, but if you've been thinking about buying one, I believe, based on what I've been told, the Solo stove is a very good option.

I see you are in GA. Ever meet Myron Mixon? Or better yet taste his work?
 
Personally, I like my gas powered fire table. No scrounging firewood. Controlled flame so that I can have it on my covered patio. Nice and clean, and no cleanup required. To each his own.

We love gas as well. We can turn it on instantly and turn it off instantly. Sit outside for half an hour and head back indoors if we want. My wife would loose her mind if we had to head back inside and a fire was still burning.
 
I have met Myron and tasted his bbq. I see Myron and his team at a lot of the BBQ Contests where we judge or rep. My husband and I are KCBS contest representatives, which means we are there to ensure that both the teams and judges adhere to KCBS rules and standards. As such, we interact with the teams at every contest we attend so we have the opportunity to visit with Myron, his son Michael and the rest of the team. I've also met most of the other pit masters that you see on television.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.