Has Rain Put a Damper on Your Fire Pit Use?
Fall can bring heavy rainstorms depending on where you’re located in the country. Unfortunately, without the summer heat to evaporate the moisture, you may find your fire pit area to be a damp mess the next time you go to use it. While there’s not much you can do to prevent a muddy sitting area, here are some tips to ensure your fire pit components last longer in wet conditions.
Isn't My Fire Pit Built to Survive the Weather?
Nearly all our fire pit burners are manufactured from 304 stainless steel or brass. This heavy-duty construction means they’re built to last regardless of the weather conditions, but taking care of your gear will help make it last even longer.
It’s also important to point out the difference between what’s acceptable and what’s optimum. Although your fire pit will likely still work even if neglected, it’s worth it to maintain your product to ensure the best possible results—both from an appearance and a performance standpoint.
Our manufacturers take inclement weather into account during the engineering process. The best example of this is the raised central hub of the Penta burner. This feature keeps the gas inlet above the tubes of the burner ring to help prevent water from entering the valve or gas line. Any insignificant amount of moisture that does enter will evaporate the next time the fire pit ignites.
Proper Drainage is Key
Although most burners are designed to reduce water entry, these design features aren’t meant to be the only layer of defense. Fortunately, water won’t be a problem if you allow for proper drainage.
Our burner pans feature drilled weep holes to allow for drainage out the bottom of the fire pit. If you decide to manufacture your own pan, you’ll want to create similar holes. You’ll also want to incorporate a drain to prevent water buildup under the fire pit pan. A vent can double as a drain if installed at the bottom of your fire pit’s sidewall.
Cover Your Pit When Not in Use
One of the easiest ways to keep rainwater from building up in your fire pit is to invest in a relatively inexpensive vinyl cover. These covers also help keep debris out, ensuring your fire pit is ready whenever you’d like. Many covers feature a vented design to allow trapped moisture to escape.
If you’re looking for something sturdier than vinyl, we offer a large selection of metal fire pit covers as well. These heavy covers provide even better protection from rain and debris while also adding a unique aesthetic touch to your fire pit.
We strongly recommend covering any fire pit when it’s not in use.
An Important Note for Those by Saltwater
If you’re near the ocean, you know the effects sea air can have on metal—a fire pit is no exception. While there’s no perfect way to protect your fire pit from the harsh air short of moving—and we’re not going to recommend that!—it’s extra important to protect your fire pit to slow degradation. If you control the variables you can control, you won’t need to worry as much about the variables you can’t control.
Your Fire Pit Could Potentially Outlive You
A fire pit is a very simple product. Excluding ignition systems, it’s a collection of hardware components with few moving parts. Combine this with the previously mentioned quality of the materials, and you can see how durable these systems are. Under ideal circumstances, your fire pit can last decades without diminished performance.
Conclusion
Although your fire pit isn’t indestructible, rest assured it’s been built to high quality standards if you’ve purchased it from Fire Pits Direct. We stock only premium fire pit burner kits. We hope you’ve enjoyed these tips on extending the life of your fire pit system.
Have any additional questions on ways to protect your fire pit? Email us or give us a call at 877-374-6777, and one of our sales or customer support reps will do their best to help. We’re here to ensure you’re happy with your fire pit!
