An outdoor fire pit serves as a great place to enjoy a cool evening with friends and family. At the same time the pit poses as a fire hazard. To be safe you need to consider these tips:
Positioning
You should consult with your fire pit contractor and come up with the right location for your pit. To be safe you should ensure that the pit is at a minimum of 10 feet from any structure or neighboring yard. If you have a large area, you should give an allowance of 25 feet.
You should also ensure that the pit isn’t under a porch or low hanging tree branches.
When it comes to the surface materials, you should ask your outdoor fireplace designer to come up with the best materials. To avoid fires you should ensure that the surface is made from non-inflammable materials such as concrete or patio blocks. Never place the fire pit on grass or wooden deck.
Use it right
You should exercise some caution when enjoying the fire pit. To be ready in case of fire you should have a water bucket or garden hose nearby to put off the fire in case there is one. Whenever you notice any flames getting out of control you should extinguish them as soon as possible.
Other things that you should never do include:
- Leaving the fire unattended
- Leaving children and pets unattended near the fire
- Wearing flammable or loose-fitting clothes when cooking
- Burning soft wood such as pine and cedar. These woods “pop” thus throwing sparks that can cause fire.
- Burning garbage and paper products. Just like soft woods, the two can easily spark throwing off embers that can start fire.
To prevent the fire from getting out of control you should ask your outdoor fireplace designer to design a fire pit that is the right size for your family.
Be cautious when lighting fire
Studies have shown that most of the fire pit fires result from lighting the fires the wrong way. Before you light fire you should always check the wind direction. You should remove anything downwind of the pit. If the wind is too strong you shouldn’t light the fire.
Many homeowners use flammable fluids such as lighter fluid and gasoline to light fire. While you will start fire, you risk the fluid catching fire resulting to a catastrophe. For safety purposes use commercial start sticks.