Everyone has their own fire pit dream – s’mores with the kids, gathering around the fire to chat with family and friends and making summer memories to last a lifetime. But not everyone knows how to properly care for an outdoor fire pit. Luckily, locally owned Broadway Fireplace & Décor has Grove City residents covered when it comes to all things fire pit related.
In order to prep an outdoor fire pit for the summer months, owner Jeremy Johnson says that the first thing to do depends on the type of fire pit. Most commonly, an outdoor fire pit is a common wood burning fire or gas fire pit.
“Once you do your initial spring setup, maybe do (maintenance) once every six to seven weeks throughout the season,” he says. “When you’re done in the fall and you’re not going to use (the fire pit) for the winter, that’s when you would tear it all apart and throw your cover over it.”
But what exactly goes into spring setup and maintenance?
Wood You Rather
For those who love the smell of a bonfire, toasting marshmallows for s’mores and want easier fire pit maintenance, a wood burning fire pit is the way to go.
To maintain a fire pit with logs, make sure to replace the logs frequently, cleaning out the debris left between fires.
Some propane and natural gas fire pits use logs as well, and proper care and maintenance is essential to keep a strong fire going all summer long. To prep your propane or natural gas fire pit for the summer, Johnson recommends removing the logs to clean the burner.
Once the burner is clean, if there is a pilot assembly in the fire pit, that needs to be cleaned off with a soft bristle brush. Next, take compressed air – Johnson says a small air compressor with a little air gun on it works well – and blow off the burner tray and the pilot assembly.
With all the debris cleared away, Johnson recommends cleaning off the logs and rearranging them the same way they were originally placed.
Keeping it Glassy
For propane or natural gas fire pits which use a glass media, prepping the pit for summer takes a few extra steps. First things first, Johnson says to remove all of the glass media from the fire pit using gloves and store the pieces in a reusable container.
“Scoop all the glass out, put it in the bowl to where you’re getting down into the burner pan itself,” Johnson says, “and then I like to take like a little bristle brush, no wire brush or anything like that, it’s a soft bristle brush, and brush off the interior parts of that burner pan. That way, if there’s any debris, dust, mouse nesting, any of that stuff in there, you’re getting it out.”
If it is a propane fire pit, take the propane tank and simply hook the tank back up to the fire pit. Johnson recommends doing an initial light up to make sure that the pilot comes on and the burner lights. If the fire pit uses natural gas, it should already be attached to a natural gas line, so no additional steps need to be taken.
As for adding the glass back in, Johnson says he likes to give it a quick rinse under the garden hose before putting it back into the fire pit. For optimal flame strength, he also recommends replacing the glass media every two to three years.
“Then, once you get your media back in, turn it back on, make sure it’s working the way it’s supposed to,” Johnson says, “and then just enjoy.”
Winding Down for Winter
After the hot summer months come to an end, prepping the fire pit for winter is a bit easier. Johnson says the No.1 thing is to use a fire pit cover to keep debris, animals and, most importantly, water out during the colder months.
“You don’t want a bunch of water to get inside the gas tubes and feed the gas to the burner, because it can actually interfere and put debris inside those tubes which eventually causes infringement on gas flow,” he says.
The next part of winter pit preparation is to unhook the propane tank, if there is one. Johnson recommends disassembling it and storing it somewhere dry, like the garage. He recommends calling a professional to help with replacing copper tubing.
Helen Widman is an editorial assistant. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
