If you’re a fire pit owner, you probably never consider the efficiency of your unit’s ventilation. While it’s not a particularly exciting subject, it’s an important one that you need to consider. Fire pits, whether gas or wood-burning, don’t work without proper ventilation. It’s also necessary for the removal of harmful combustion byproducts—such as carbon monoxide—which keeps you and your family safe.
How Combustion Works
Fire pit ventilation enables combustion, which is the burning process that fire pits go through. Combustion is only possible with proper amounts of air, fuel, and heat. If your fire pit doesn’t have enough of all three of these elements, improper combustion—which produces toxic carbon monoxide—takes place.
Why Ventilation Is Important
Fire pit ventilation is essential to your safety because it enables proper airflow, which allows for a safe combustion process. Without ventilation, your fire pit would produce carbon monoxide due to improper combustion. It’s also possible that your fire pit could explode as a result of excess internal pressure.
The key to achieving proper ventilation is to place your fire pit in a location that receives adequate airflow. Also, make sure the vents aren’t blocked by any debris, objects, or animals.
To minimize safety hazards due to improper ventilation, take a look below at how you can ensure efficient ventilation for both gas and wood-burning fire pits.
Wood-Burning Fire Pits
For adequate wood fire pit ventilation, make sure that enough air circulates through the exterior vents into the space where the wood burns. This ensures the fire pit receives enough air to initiate and maintain combustion as well as expel harmful combustion byproducts.
Gas Fire Pits
Like their wood-burning counterparts, gas fire pits need exterior vents to bring in air and let excess internal pressure escape. A gas fire pit that doesn’t have a vent won’t be able to expel pressure correctly, and pressure buildup may cause an explosion. Gas units also need an air mixer to combine the incoming air with the propane gas, thus creating a cleaner, safer fuel.
Fire Pit Accessory Safety
Many fire pit owners like using accessories—such as lava rocks or fire glass—to make your fire pit more aesthetically pleasing without having to spend a lot of money. When using these fire pit accessories, don’t layer them too thick on the fire pit’s burner component. Doing so could restrict gas flow and/or cause inadequate ventilation, both of which pose safety risks.
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