OT warm, wood fire pits

[Dude]

Backyard season is just upon us mid-atlanticers. Anyone have thoughts on a wood burning fire pit/bowl that radiates heat? We have a fire pit - as in a metal bowl with some screens around it - but it never gets warm. Yes, the fire is hot but unless you're sitting 6" from the fire you cant feel any heat.

We have a small backyard that is mostly wood patio so I cant really do any structure, I need something like a chimeria or a bowl, essentially something standalone.

Anyone have experience/thoughts on what I can do? Thanks!

[Ken Robb]

A real clay chiminea or one of the metal replicas will throw quite a bit of heat and they burn efficiently too.

[TonyG]

I'm looking for something like this for the summer when Sonoma gets those evenings when the fog rolls in.

[likebikes]

i always just got a bunch of pallets from the nearby grocery store and threw them down on the backyard and set them on fire. even when i lived in cities.

[TonyG]

Originally Posted by likebikes

i always just got a bunch of pallets from the nearby grocery store and threw them down on the backyard and set them on fire. even when i lived in cities.

LOL considering last year's Sonoma fires if you did that here the locals would want to send you to Guantánamo to stay warm.

[Ken Robb]

Originally Posted by TonyG

LOL considering last year's Sonoma fires if you did that here the locals would want to send you to Guantánamo to stay warm.

TOO FUNNY--and probably true.

[Tickdoc]

Those metal fire bowls are nice. Used to have one til it rusted through. We now have a ornately scrolled and powder coated fire table that holds a propane bottle underneath. It’s very pretty but useless for heat and it is a pain to always make sure the bottle is full.

[peanutgallery]

They banned outdoor fires in my Boro a few years back, but they can't seem to keep the meth heads from stealing items from my car or yard through. Don't think it's actually enforceable

got a ring of steel about 24" in diameter and about 3/8" thick. I burn what I want and it gets plenty warm. Bring your aerosol cans and some beer, big fun

[Ken Robb]

Any open bowl lets most of the heat go straight up and does relatively little to warm the surrounding area. Consider the Franklin Stove vs. open hearth fireplace.

[Ken Robb]

Some friends found an antique kitchen stove and used it to warm their outdoor sitting area. It worked quite well but we missed seeing the open flames so it was replaced with a chiminea to get the best of both worlds: views of flames and radiant heat! :-)

[likebikes]

Originally Posted by TonyG

LOL considering last year's Sonoma fires if you did that here the locals would want to send you to Guantánamo to stay warm.

cool story? i'm at least a 4 digit amount of miles from sonoma

[paredown]

Originally Posted by Ken Robb

Any open bowl lets most of the heat go straight up and does relatively little to warm the surrounding area. Consider the Franklin Stove vs. open hearth fireplace.

I've seen some pretty nice 'outdoor rooms' where they do an end fireplace wall on a patio, and between that and the side of the house (since you have a contained fire/chimney you can be close to the house), I think you could create a space that would be quite nice. Of course, it would be less like actually being outside...

Our neighbors redid theirs with the combination stacked circular decorative blocks with a top metal ring/grate arrangement. It is nice, gets pretty wam and you can get great coals for cooking, but it still sends most of the heat up and not across.

[AngryScientist]

we have one similar to the one below i bought at some outdoor center pretty cheaply.

once you get it warmed up it does throw a good amount of radiant heat, which is nice.

we also have an open metal, more traditional fire pit. the downsides to the chiminea are that you are limited on the size of wood pieces you can throw in it by the opening in the front, and it's a little more challenging to roast marshmallows over, but it's definitely better if you want to get some heat out of it.

[Tickdoc]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

we have one similar to the one below i bought at some outdoor center pretty cheaply.

once you get it warmed up it does throw a good amount of radiant heat, which is nice.

we also have an open metal, more traditional fire pit. the downsides to the chiminea are that you are limited on the size of wood pieces you can throw in it by the opening in the front, and it's a little more challenging to roast marshmallows over, but it's definitely better if you want to get some heat out of it.

I've got one of these too, but I only put Pinion wood in it and more for the smell than the heat. Pinion tasting smores are gross.

[echelon_john]

I'm a big fan of washer drum fire pits--first saw them in Provincial Parks in Nova Scotia & Newfoundland.

They look pretty slick if they're done well, and totally practical. Lots of instructions online.