Warm weather is back in Central Ohio, so our customers will be spending more time outside, and there's nothing like gathering around a fire with friends and family in your own backyard!
Eastern Sky Landscaping considers safety standards when building fire pits for our customers. For example, we use appropriate materials, ensure that the fire pit is a safe distance from your house, and build it with a large enough diameter so that people sitting around it are safe and comfortable.
But once the fire pit is built, there are ongoing safety and care concerns (some of these vary based on whether you have a gas or wood burning fire pit):
- Avoid lighting a fire in windy conditions.
- Avoid using accelerants, which are not only dangerous but can cause damage or discoloration to your fire pit.
- Trim the limbs and branches of nearby trees so that they do not cause any issues.
- Use a spark screen to contain embers and keep them from endangering anything or anyone in the immediate area (natural gas and propane release vapors when burned, so embers are not a concern).
- Avoid burning trash, pressure treated wood, and green wood as they can release toxins harmful to yourself and others and can impair pit surfaces. Ideally, you should burn dry wood, broken pallets or sticks from your yard.
- For wood-burning fire pits, cut logs so their length is less than three-quarters the diameter of the pit.
- For emergencies only, keep water nearby or have a fully charged, dry-chemical fire extinguisher on hand with a Class B and C or multipurpose rating. Be aware that throwing water on fire causes a temperature shift that may crack your pit, just like a crack spreading on your car windshield in the winter. On gas fire pits, turn off the gas before attempting to extinguish a fire.
- Invest in a fire blanket to help extinguish sparks, the fire, and, if necessary, anyone who might catch fire.
- When using your pit for cooking, clean any grates or cooking surfaces immediately. Grease and other food residues can build up on the interior and cause the pit to deteriorate faster than normal, so keep the inside of the pit clean as well.
- Remove ashes from wood burning fire pits on a regular basis. Keep a metal bucket near the pit and use it to empty your ashes. Be careful, as embers can smolder for a long period after the fire has been put to rest.
While enjoying the warmth of a fire under a starlit night is the perfect way to end a summer day, Eastern Sky wants to ensure that you do it safely. If you have any questions or would like to discuss adding a fire pit to your outdoor environment, please contact us.