propane fire pits
 

I have had a wood fire pit forever and while I enjoy the look and feel of a real fire it is causing some problems with neighbors. The wind quite often blows the smoke right into his window and I understand his concern. I do my best not to be a pain but when I rent the place the renters are not always as conscientious. They often light a large fire and let it burn for hours even when they are not sitting around it. I am going to try to solve the problem with a propane pit. I see the big concrete bowls and they look pretty sharp. Does anyone have any recommendations on the better quality yet reasonably priced brands or models?
I do like the idea of flicking a switch to turn it on vs getting the wood going. How about smores? Do they taste ok over a propane fire?

Most propane pits have some sort of lava rock or glass beads to diffuse the fire which results in a giant mess with dropped marshmallows. I had a costco fire table and got rid of it after a season for that reason

I suppose there might be a version that would work but never looked into it.

Gas Fire Pit
 

We purchased one three years back and added the glass beads. We are on year 4 now and swapped out the glass beads for blue. When we don’t want to light a wood fire we have the gas fire pit under our gazebo and love it. We keep tanks on stand by so we don’t ruin a good evening.

You probably want to wrap the s'mores with aluminum foil ..... www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouS4R7kdssQ ..... so's they get baked inside the foil without making a drippy mess.

I came across this in my search. Wondering if it is truly smokeless?

https://breeo.co/products/x-series-smokeless-fire-pit

I was going to also suggest looking at the Solo stoves. I've heard great things about them, much of which involves low/lack of smoke.

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We recently purchased a Solo stove (Bonfire model) after being at a few fires with one at our daughter’s place. They do a great job at controlling smoke as long as they are used as directed. If longer length pieces extending above the rim are used it will smoke. Since this is for use by renters, who may well not know or pay attention to how they use it, a Solo stove may not be the best choice.

Propane
 

We got a propane fire pit 2-3 years ago to replace a steel drum type fire pit. It is about 3' on a side with the tank contained inside, fire on top. When you sit back in an Adirondack chair, you can't see the fire. The steel drum style had cut out bears on the sides that sort of danced as the flames moved around. Used the propane pit only once. My grand niece and friends used it every night. Went through one 20 lb. tank in a few days.
Other family members have smokeless "canisters' which work, but if you want to watch dancing flames, not so good. So, there are some personal preferences here. I'd choose whatever is safest for an untrained tenant to use.

Maybe you go with the Solo or similar, use it as directed and make it off limits to your renters.

Wood burning fire pits are tricky. Nothing like some smoke to may for great ambience but yes to much stinks, no pun intended. Smokey fire pits are a sign of poor draft much like a wood stove. If you turn the damper down on the stove smoke is a byproduct. Open the damper up…the fire roars and produces little smoke. A couple tricks that help with less smoke in the fire pit. Raise the fire up. A good iron grate that holds the logs 6 or more inches above the coals helps. You can gain more height with bricks under the feet. Also if you have a fire pit built out of several layers in firebrick in a circle, put a few pieces of pipe between the bricks at low levels as you assemble the fire pit. This allows the fire to draw air in down below and burn better.

I have the Costco fire pit and really like it. However, we don't toast marshmallows. I understand how that could be an issue. I have never noticed any significant amount of smoke.

And speaking of Costco: It would be great to see one in this area but I am not sure the year round population would be enough to support it. From groceries to gasoline you can save a lot of money. (And who doesn't need to buy their ketchup 5 gallons at a time?)

My son has one and he loves it!

We use a Breeo X30 for our wood burning pit.
I wouldn’t call it smokeless.

We had a propane fire table from Lowe’s for years and it finally gave out this spring. The thermocouple was toast and when I started taking it apart to replace it I found all of the fasteners were rusted and crumbling.

We ended up going with a 42” round table made by Telescope.
It has glass beads and is great. At our main house we have a larger version but it’s made by Coastal Casuals. The smaller one came from Lowerys, the larger from Jordan’s Furniture.

Both are almost identical. The Outdoor Great Room Company makes the guts and the shells are made by the companies mentioned.

Here is a link to the Jordan’s table:

https://www.jordans.com/product/outd...able-fz0190101

Changes in the 'hood
 

For decades, the neighbors consisted of middle-class folks who enjoyed block parties, entertaining the neighbors' kids, and getting along well among themselves.

Today the neighbors are McMansion owners with considerable wealth and keep to themselves and complain about what their neighbors are doing.

I used to have nightly bonfires. Now, they would call the police or fire department without consulting me first.

Those were the days.

My 2 cents on fire pits...

If you are going to get a propane fire pit get the largest amount of BTU's that is available. The low BTU ones do not throw off much heat at all. And I would not allow marshmallows with a Propane fire pit. Use your propane grill for them. Much easier to clean. I run my Propane fire pit in the middle of my large deck and am not concerned about burning my house down. Ease of use is also fantastic with a propane fire pit. You simply start it and you have a fire. You shut it off when you are done. Doesn't get much more convenient. No wood and no campfire stink. I would not do this with any type of traditional or solo fire pit.

Solo Fire pits are ok but I am not in love with them. The heat from them more or less goes straight up and does not radiate out like a traditional bon fire. You have to be more or less right on top of them to feel the heat. Yes there is very little smoke from them. You can have a fire and not stink like campfire the next day. They are expensive! You can not get them wet or they will clog up and then not work properly. I would not leave one at a rental property.

I guess in a perfect world I would have a traditional fire pit in my yard off away from the structure in a safe spot and then I would have a high BTU Propane fire pit on my deck. Based on my experiences with a Solo fire pit I personally would not spend my money on one but to each their own.

As I'm reading this thread, the non-wood fireplaces just seem so... soulless. I can totally see the appeal for a deck or "refined" space, but there's just no outdoorsy/campy feel. I mean, no marshmallows?!

Given the comments, and were it me, I'd look at the "smokeless" fireplace options and just leave clear directions and dry wood for your renters knowing that you'd reduced your impact as much as possible while also having an enjoyable experience.

For reference, we have a regular old fire pit not very far from our neighbors, but with dry wood and good circulation, it's not very smokey. I have to believe the better devices improve even upon that.

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I'm with Think--the propane is soulless. We've had really good luck with Solo stoves--I recommend those highly.

Isn't it illegal/dangerous to have an untended outdoor fire? If I had a rental place, I would clamp down on that real fast

Pertaining to the gas fire tables, I would not allow marshmallows to be cooked on it. It will end up dripping on the glass beads or lava rock and burn/catch fire. These are also bug attractants, we notice a lot of bugs flying into the fire and burning up so you'd be melting your marshmallows over a bed of burning bugs! :eek:

The glass rings on our tables are great. It still puts off plenty of heat, but helps contain the flames on a breezy night.

EasyfirePits.com
 

https://easyfirepits.com/

I converted our our outdoor wood fire pit table to a propane table about 3 years ago using a kit from easyfirepits.com. They have an excellent web site and claim you can turn almost anything into a fire feature. For $250 +/- it came with everything except the fire glass beads. Very easy to set up and we use it almost every night. Hours or maximum enjoyment from minimum cost. They don't throw a ton of heat (think about your gas grill with the cover open) but the ambiance is awesome. We also added a glass wind block surround available from amazon in almost any size.

You could try using a removable fine mesh window screen over the gas fire pit to prevent marshmallows from falling in.

I have a propane table at home and you are really talking about a much different fire visually then a wood fire. Smaller flame, more blue color and, for me, not something I envision a bunch of people sitting around with drinks. There is just something about the crackling sound, the burnt wood smell, and stoking the fire periodically. Don’t get me wrong, I love the fact that I don’t have to haul wood at home. Turn a valve, push a button, and we have fire. It’s nice to also have it on the deck with nice cushioned chairs. For the lake, however, give me a good old smokey wood fire pit! Let the kids haul the wood,


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I have one of these myself, they work fantastic. There's smoke in the beginning as you get the fire going but once the firepit is hot, that's when it's magic kicks in and as long as you keep the wood below the airholes at the top, you will never see the smoke again, if you do, its very minor. I also use mine for grilling and use both grates and griddle. They have rotisserie kits and pizza oven kits that I plan to get at some point.

After looking at the Breeo site, I may be hooked!


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I Actually took a old free standing fireplace from the basement floor (purchased from someone that was getting rid of it) of a house that vented into a chimney. I created a smoke stack for it with vent pipe and a spark arrestor cap, now no smoke on my deck, and it expells far enough in the air, high above everyone. best part is no smoke smelling clothes anymore. Purchased the vent pipe at local shop and painted with high temp paint and ran a 2x4x12 support post behind it that I screwed into the railing in two places, and a strap to hold the stack, far enough away from the heat from the pipe. I am not a fan of propane fire pits, I love the smell, and cracking and heat from a wood fire. All in, I was around $125-$150 including the precast concrete blocks underneath.

Thanks to all for the advice. i ended up getting a Breeo 24 Zentro. A model they have discontinued but designed to drop into existing stone surrounds. Used last night for the first time so heres a review. Absolutely cuts down on the amount of smoke. I would say somewhere in the area of 80-90 % less. Also seemed to help get fire started as I did not have to fan at all and soon had a roaring fire. A bit of smoke in beginning and a bit more at the end but when burning on high very little. I was well versed on how to achieve minimal smoke but I do think it all comes down to following the directions and using correctly. Overall I am happy with the purchase and would recommend.

Sounds like the perfect win-win: doing the neighborly thing while keeping the experience real. Congrats!

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I have a Breeo and love it! If you're comparing Breeo to Solo and wondering whats the diff?
Breeo is easier to clean and made in USA.
Solo is a real pain to clean because of their design and made in china.

No brainer. Go with Breeo