Fire pit recommendation

Gloomtastic!

We’re looking at getting a fire pit so we can sit out of an evening and not keep shivering.

Anyone got a one that they would recommend or not, as the case maybe.

wayoutwest

Just made one the other day - the budget was €15 so might not be the prettiest but works and it can be strimmed without damage.
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Lumen

I've been thinking about this lately.

I suspect the worst performing pits are the shallow bowl-shaped ones. They look pretty but all the heat is reflected upwards, which is no use in Ireland.

So I reckon something closer to an oil drum would work best, where there's a decent surface area of hot metal radiating outwards at the people.

Re-purposed washing machine drum?

BullBauld

Lumen wrote: »

I've been thinking about this lately.

I suspect the worst performing pits are the shallow bowl-shaped ones. They look pretty but all the heat is reflected upwards, which is no use in Ireland.

So I reckon something closer to an oil drum would work best, where there's a decent surface area of hot metal radiating outwards at the people.

Re-purposed washing machine drum?

Yea my other half got one of those shallow bowl shaped pits last week. The heat it produced was negligible and the smoke was a pain.

wayoutwest

Got it going again tonight - a few logs of bone dry thorn, half bottle of red and venus twinkling in the west - bliss.
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Bonzo Delaney

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A spare stainless steel beer barrel

awec

My folks bought one like this the other week.

Gloomtastic!

^^^

Hmmmm, interesting. Looks great and the chimney effect would mean no smoke in your eyes. Do you know if it throws out much heat?

banie01

Gloomtastic! wrote: »

^^^

Hmmmm, interesting. Looks great and the chimney effect would mean no smoke in your eyes. Do you know if it throws out much heat?

I have the Aldi version of the above and it's shíte.
The whole fire setup is wrong, with a shallow bowl in the fireplace but no grate so very quickly the fire is sitting in ash.

Also very poor seam welds that have already popped.

My summer project will be a repurposed beer keg, or old steel car wheel.

Gloomtastic!

banie01 wrote: »

I have the Aldi version of the above and it's shíte.
The whole fire setup is wrong, with a shallow bowl in the fireplace but no grate so very quickly the fire is sitting in ash.

Also very poor seam welds that have already popped.

My summer project will be a repurposed beer keg, or old steel car wheel.

We're very lucky to know 'a Man who makes all things metal'. We like the design but it obviously needs to be modified to make it work. Will talk to him and see what he can do. Watch this space.......:D

awec

Gloomtastic! wrote: »

^^^

Hmmmm, interesting. Looks great and the chimney effect would mean no smoke in your eyes. Do you know if it throws out much heat?

I can ask. They got theirs from a guy who makes them rather than from a shop. I suspect it has a grate.

magicbastarder

banie01 wrote: »

with a shallow bowl in the fireplace but no grate so very quickly the fire is sitting in ash.

it's usually said that wood burns better in a bed of its own ash.

banie01

magicbastarder wrote: »

it's usually said that wood burns better in a bed of its own ash.

I'd agree in a stove, yes.
Not so much in an open fire IME.

Ardent

I made my own with fire bricks, some gravel and a BBQ charcoal grate. Worked out well.

Lumen

Ordered one of these.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B07MQVBJKV/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1



€155.58 delivered.

It's also available on done deal for twice the price :pac:

Gloomtastic!

So my Man Who Makes Things Out of Metal just dropped this off. Going to fire it up later but delighted with it so far.

zerosugarbuzz

Gloomtastic! wrote: »

So my Man Who Makes Things Out of Metal just dropped this off. Going to fire it up later but delighted with it so far.

That looks amazing, your Mam is very talented.

CBear1993

Firepits NI on Facebook and that are genuine engineering business. A lot of people up my direction have got theirs and seem very happy with product.

I’ve no affiliation to them just know my parents got one and happy with it. I believe they have a few distribution centres now not sure if any in ROI

stoneill

I had a few bags of sand and cement and a lot of stones lying about, so I made this.
Repurposed an old BBQ that has heading for the skip.

https://imgur.com/gallery/BxYPejX

Timfy

Head off to the scrapyard and find yourself the drum out of an old washing machine...