Perhaps your fire is not enough, and you wonder how to get more heat from a fire pit. Ambiance, aesthetics, lighting, and a chance to gather around a fire like our ancestors are not the only thing that fire pits are wanted for. At the top of that list is, perhaps, heating. Fire pits can come in handy during the cold weather when you want to stay in your backyard long into the night.
Your fire pit might not be heating your spaces as you had hoped. Is it time to toss it in the junk pile and invest in a new one? Should you call a professional to look at it and try fixing it? Sometimes, fire pits might not produce enough heat due to the lack of a few things, things that you can fix yourself.
Let’s show you how.
How to Increase the Heat of a Wood Fire Pit
There are several ways to increase the heat output of your wood fire pit:
1. Use Dry Wood
While common sense says dry wood is preferable to moist or wet wood, this is an often-overlooked factor. If you want your fire pit to produce enough heat, ensure it has a low moisture level. And by low, we mean 20% and below. High moisture content, including tree sap, makes the wood wet and difficult to burn.
Dry wood, however, is devoid of sap because the sap gets dry over time. As a result, it burns more robust and brighter, producing more heat. In addition, dry wood is grey or brown, whereas sapwood is usually green. Therefore, choose brown or gray-looking over wet and green wood when selecting wood to burn.
2. Provide Extra Oxygen
To start a fire, you need oxygen. An increase in oxygen speeds up the reactions that cause a fire. As a result, the flame will be hotter and brighter. Place your fire pit in a well-ventilated area for carbon dioxide to escape and oxygen to enter, keeping the fire burning.
3. Use Soft Wood
Softwood burns more quickly and with more energy. This type of wood also tends to dry much faster. As a result, it’s ideal when you want a hot and quick flame. Hardwood, on the contrary, burns much slower and lasts much longer. Therefore, it generates far less heat, and because the goal is to create warmer flames, softwood is your best choice.
4. Make a Bigger Fire
Generally, the bigger the fire, the warmer it burns. This is because increasing the fire size will allow it to gain access to oxygen, and as previously stated, the more oxygen the fire receives, the warmer the flames burn.
Fire pits serve several functions, but most people are concerned with how to get more heat from a fire pit. We all want fire pits that produce enough heat with minimal effort. The heat produced by the fire pit will be primarily determined by the source of fuel you choose, whether propane, gas, or wood.
Firewood pits can create a larger fire than the others and, as a result, typically emit more heat. Nonetheless, no regardless of the kind of fuel you use in the fire pit, you will receive some warmth from it.
How to Get More Heat from a Fire Pit?
If you are here, it is highly likely because the heat output from your fire pit is nothing to talk about. But, sadly, there are a few factors that could be affecting the heat output of your fire. These include the type of fuel you are using and the fire pit you have.
So, before rushing to settle for any specific solution to fix your heat problems, take a step back and determine the leading cause. After that, fixing the problem will be easy peasy.
How to Increase the Heat Generated by a Propane Fire Pit
If you are using a propane gas fire pit, there is a high chance you suffer a lot from the issue of low heat output. How to get more heat from fire pit using propane gas is quite a common question. Unfortunately, there isn’t much that one can do about it.
Still, increasing the height of its flame might help with the situation. Hereé how you can increase the height of your propane gas fire pit’s flame:
- Start by disconnecting the propane tank
- Then, remove the unit with your fire pit’s control knob. You will see four screws holding it together. Disconnect them first and continue to remove the washers and nuts from the screws.
- Remove the control knob from the unit. You’ll notice a gas outlet that feeds the burners inside the fire pit. The aim is to raise the aperture size in the gas bib.
- Remove the gas bib with a socket or a crescent wrench (never use pliers). Please do not wash the threads. The sealer on them will be helpful when it comes time to reinstall them.
- Drill a larger hole in the bib to enhance its aperture. A 1/8″ drill bit will suffice. Next, drill from the inside out so the shavings exit on the other side. While drilling, use the crescent wrench to keep the bib in place.
- Does the thread sealant appear to have been scraped away? If so, reapply the gas-rated sealant.
- Reassemble everything, being careful not to over-tighten the gas bib as you screw it back in. It should be just a tad tighter than finger tight.
The propane fire pit can have a more significant flame and emit more heat than before when you follow these steps.
How to Increase the Heat of Gas Fire Pits
Gas fire pits are becoming increasingly popular as a source of heat, with the only drawback being that they do not always produce a lot of heat. So, if you own a gas fire pit, you may be wondering what you could do to make it hotter. There are several ways of doing it!
1. Fill Your Fire Pit with Lots of Lava Rocks
Rocks emit heat when heated. So, if you fill the fire pit with a lot of lava rocks, they can radiate heat in addition to the heat emitted by the fire. Note that large rocks are better at heating and radiating more heat than small ones. Additionally, a fire pit with more lava rocks will produce more heat than one with fewer lava rocks.
2. Cover the Space
Enclosing the area around the gas fire pit is another way of making it hotter. Remember the simple science? The smaller the area you are heating, the hotter the fire. To that end, either cover the area with the gas fire pit entirely or partially, and it will increase the heat from the fire pit.
3. Increase the Height of the Flame
Believe it or not, the height of the flame plays a significant role in the fire pit’s heat output. As such, you can opt to increase the height of the gas fire pit to get more heat from it.
First, remove the rocks inside the fire pit to access the gas pipes. Then, remove dust and ash by blowing them using a compressor. Next, check whether the holes are blocked by rust or dirt, and clean with a needle or a wire brush.
Next, confirm if the valve for adjusting the flame is fully turned on. If not, proceed to adjust it. Finally, increase the gas tank’s pressure by making the valve wider. It will allow more gas flow, increasing flame height and heat output.
Depending on the type of fuel and fire pit you are using, there are specific ways how to get more heat from fire pit without necessarily calling a professional. Perhaps your fire pt has run out of firewood or is using firewood with high moisture levels.
Maybe the flame from your gas or propane gas pit isn’t high enough. Whichever the case, we’d urge you first to consider the type of fuel or fire pit you have first. Then, proceed to implement the above-pointed remedies, and you will have enough heat in no time.
How to Get More Heat From Fire Pit: FAQs
Question: How do I make my fire pit hotter?
Answer: You can increase the surface area of a fire and make it burn hotter through dry wood, using softwood, providing more oxygen, picking the right kind of wood, and raising the surface area of your fire.
Question: Do fire pits give out much heat?
Answer: Yes, fire pits will give out much heat. However, the amount of heat you get will ultimately depend on the type of fuel you are using. Some fuel types provide more heat than others. For instance, a fire pit that uses wood as fuel produces more heat than one using gas.
Question: How can I get more heat from my outdoor fireplace?
Answer: One of the best ways to get more heat from your outdoor fireplace is to ensure there is a windbreaker. Blocking any wind that might blow will ensure your fire does not go out and the flame is contained. As a result, the fires logs will produce more heat and burn more efficiently. This way, it will keep your area warmer.
