Top 3 Questions when contemplating a fire pit?

We thought we would share some of the key questions we ask when people visit our UK showroom at Cedar Nursery to ensure they invest in the right fire pit that works for their lifestyle and location. These questions apply whether you are installing a fire pit in London, Vancouver, Maui or Marbella, we ship to all locations!

Pipework -The very first thing we ask – are you planning for a gas fire pit and if so, have you thought about the pipework. If you are in the planning stages of your garden, we always say “lay the pipework and better still lay electrical cables too”. Having this infrastructure in place allows to have not only a gas fire pit but the option for electrical ignition to light the fire pit.

We have talked to countless people who discover that they would love to have a fire pit, but the porcelain tile or concrete base has already been installed.  Having this infrastructure in place at the beginning opens up your opportunities later down the line.  There are solutions for this but if you have the opportunity “lay the pipes” even if you don’t install the fire pit for a year or two.  Future proofing by laying the pipework and cables gives you so many more options when you come to eventually install a fire pit in your garden.

Fuels – What will work best for you, your lifestyle and location? If the amount of heat is important and candidly in most countries heat is important and one of the key reasons for installing a fire pit then you should be considering natural gas or LPG.  Natural gas is the easiest and least expensive but requires pipework to go in before patio or decking is installed.  LPG is the second choice and if you are working with an existing garden design it is possible to surface mount with a quick disconnect hose across the surface that can be concealed beneath outdoor furniture or within planting. Alternatively, if you are looking for ultimate flexibility, perhaps space is at a premium or maybe you’re renting a property then you have ethanol fuel as an option.   As much as everyone loves a wood fire you cannot escape the mess, smoke in the eyes, and the lasting smell of the wood fire caught in your clothes and hair at the end of the night.

Warranties– Consider warranties and what the warranties cover. Many fire pits are made overseas and candidly the certification standards are somewhat suspect. The warranties are very short, in some cases non existent and often it does not cover every element of the fire pit.   If anything is going to fail it will be the ignition system, the burner or the vessel (or bowl) itself.  Certification costs where we make them in Canada are $100 – 150 per unit.  If you are looking at something online retailing at $400 – $500 you must question the durability and safety of these products. How you can provide a warranty for something that that costs next to nothing in comparison to certification costs.  Ask yourself how safe is it?  How durable is it? How sustainable is it?  What sort of warranty does it have – if any?

For more information please see our SAQ and FAQs