Fire Pits are a Real Delight

Fire pits go hand in hand with summer fun, cooking and eating yummy s'mores, hanging out on the back patio or in the back yard with friends and family, and just generally relaxing. They come in many different shapes and sizes and are a snap to use. When used correctly they are safe and will give years of service to you and yours.

My first experience with fire pits was when I was a kid. We had gone camping for the weekend in a state park. I don't know who the genius is who designed the pits there, but they were really bad. It had rained quite a bit and the pit had filled with water. This is a common problem if the design doesn't allow for proper drainage. Needless to say, we didn't do much fire building that weekend.

Years later, I decided to build a fire pit at my house. I researched a lot of the commercially available ones and found that I could come up with something that would suit our needs just was well, and for way less. I dug a big hole and filled it with gravel. No rain was going to ruin my fun! I then put landscape blocks around in a large circle and mortared it all together. After painting the inside black (just for the look), I filled the bottom of it with more gravel. After years of use, this has turned out to be a wonderful part of our family's recreation. But it had one major problem, it wasn't portable.

Most commercially available fire pits are portable, which makes them much easier to use in a wide variety of settings. The simple ones don't weigh much and can easily be situated anywhere you want. Whether it be on the back patio or deck, or out in the yard, or even off to camp with you for the weekend, these are truly convenient. When they get filled with ash it is simple to clean them out. Just haul the pit to your compost pile or bin and dump it out. If you don't have a composter of any kind you can always just dump the ash in the garbage.

Some fire pits have nice stone or tile surfaces surrounding the main burn area. These look really sharp. Other units are made out of copper or other metal. These are also nice, but tend to discolor over time. No big deal for most, but certainly something worth noting if you are the picky type.

Whether you opt for something large or small, permanent or moveable, round or square, short or tall, there are an abundance of fire pits for you to choose from. Stay safe, use your head when burning things in them (they are not meant to act as an incinerator for everything you think would be fun to burn), and you and your family will get lots of enjoyment and use out of it. Cook up some hot dogs or s'mores, or just light a small blaze and enjoy the ambiance it creates as you sit around it and visit into the night. Fire pits are an absolute delight!