Tips on How To Maintain Your Fire Pit

A very popular item for patios and outdoor living spaces are fire pits. Fire Pits can add a touch of warmth (asthetically and physically) on cool evenings. You can create a perfect gathering place for friends and family to sharing memories, and even provide a great place to toast marshmallows for the popular s’mores we love!
You do need to follow some suggestions to keep your fire pit looking presentable in the light of day. Not only will these suggestions keep your fire pit looking its best, these will also help it last through many seasons of use.

Routine Maintenance
Always check all of the fasteners and other hardware before you use your fire pit every season and at least once a month afterward. You should tighten these fasteners as needed. Also check any propane or natural gas fire pit connections. Check the condition of the propane tank for rust if you are using one of the portable 20 pound versions.

Cleaning Your Fire Pit
Be sure to always wear eye protection, a dust mask, and rubber gloves while cleaning a fire pit. Ashes and residue can fly into your eyes and your certainly do not want to breathe this particles or product fumes.

Metal Surfaces

Use a dry scrub brush to remove any loose debris from both the interior and exterior metal surfaces. Use a stiff-bristled brush to scrub all metal surfaces with a solution of 1/4 cup washing soda dissolved in 1 gallon of hot water. Don’t forget the grates and screens! Then rinse the fire pit thoroughly with fresh water.

Stone and Masonry Surfaces

Here is a recipe, if you will, for a great cleaner. Thoroughly mix 1/2 cup of grease-fighting dishwashing liquid in 2 gallons of hot water. With this solution and a scrub brush clean gently all of the masonry and stone surfaces. A hose fit with a jet stream nozzle is perfect for rinsing the fire pit.

Should you have a wood-burning fire pit, it requires a little extra care:

Very important! Never use accelerants – these create an extremely hot fire and can damage your fire pit.
It is also important to remove creosote build up on a regular basis. This is a byproduct of burning wood and is highly flammable. Scrub the creosote off with a stiff-bristled brush using the same washing solution used for cleaning other surfaces.

Remember to never use water to extinguish a fire in your fire pit! The drastic change in temperature canactually warp or crack the fire pit. Ash also can smolder for days, or even weeks, once the flames die down. Use leather gloves and a trowel, scoop the cinders and ash out of the pit and into a metal can with a lid as soon as the ash residue is cooled enough to handle. No plastic buckets ! Cleaning the fire pit out after each use is most recommended…and you will be all ready to use it the next time!

IMPORTANT
Never throw trash of any kind into the fire pit. Be sure to keep all plastics well away from the fire and any hot surfaces as these can warp or melt. Melting plastic can also produce toxic fumes, and can create a yucky mess that is extremely hard to remove!

Always use a cover to protect your fire pit from the inclement weather which can cause rust. A cover also reduces the amount of cleaning necessary.

Store your fire pit in a dry sheltered placein order to protect it from harsh winter conditions.