Firepits are so popular, it is one of those must haves. I must say, there is something magical about have a fire in your garden.
And a firepit is a lovely way to enjoy a fire in a beautiful setting with friends and family. You can enjoy your firepit at home throughout the evening to late at night.
I’ve asked many times by friends, neighbours and family members if it is OK to leave a firepit burning overnight.
The simple answer is, NO. It is never OK to leave a firepit unattended or burning overnight. In fact, it is illegal in most jurisdictions to leave a recreational fire unattended, especially during the dry season, because of the fire risk it poses.
Here’s Why You Should Never Leave A Fire Pit Burning Overnight
According to the US Fire Administration, a fire can spread within as little as 30 seconds.
Therefore it is important that you never leave a fire unattended. It can take as little as five minutes for a fire to totally engulf a home.
Even though manufacturers made the firepits as safe as possible, there are still some risks involved when dealing with fires.
In a list format, here are several additional reasons why you should never leave a fire pit unattended, including overnight.
- Before lighting a fire pit, review basic fire safety tips and check your local rules and regulations regarding backyard fires.
- It is illegal in most jurisdictions to leave a fire unattended.
- A sudden gust of wind can send embers onto your or a neighbour’s house. Hot ashes or embers can travel over great distances, therefore, safety always comes first when dealing with a fire.
- Embers making contact with any flammable materials can start a raging fire in minutes.
- Hot embers or ashes can reignite a fire with contact with flammable materials. The risk of fire is high, even without a visible flame present.
Since you now know the dangers of leaving fires unattended, it is time to learn how to put out a firepit quickly and safely.
How to put out A recreational fire in your firepit quickly and safely
You have a choice of ways to put out a fire in a fire pit. Some ways are better than others. However, here are some practical steps that you can take to put out a fire in your firepit. These quick procedures can assist to protect the security of your personal belongings.
- Stop adding fuel to the fire: in you know that you will be going inside or leaving the fire within an hour, stop adding wood to the fire. This will give the fire enough time to burn out. This take a little bit of guessing work because you have to know about how long the log will take to burn and how long you have available to stay with the fire.
- Remove the bigger pieces of logs: Remove the bigger logs from the fire and drench them with water. Do not pour water directly onto the firepit because it will warp the metal thereby damaging your lovely firepit.
- Spread out the ashes: You should spread out the remaining ashes in the firepit to remove any hot spot. In addition, this action will allow air to pass over the ash causing a quick burn out.
- Pour sand on the fire in the firepit: You can pour sand on the fire to smother it. The sand will break the fire chain by preventing oxygen, fuel and heat to meet thus outing the fire and preventing reignition.
- Transfer ashes and the sand to a metal trash can: now that you have extinguished the fire it is time to take the final step to ensure that the fire does not reignite. Remember that as long as there is fuel, oxygen and heat a fire can reignite, therefore, scoop up all the sand and ashes and place them in a metal trash can.
How to put out a firepit without water?
There are a few methods that you can use to put out a fire without using water. You can use sand and dirt or a snuffer. Below I show you the exact methods to use without water to snuff out the fire without water.
Sand and dirt: Sand is a common way to out a fire without water. Use a shovel to throw sand on the few remaining coal and embers in the firepit.
Stir the sand with the fine embers and ash until the fire is out completely. This is the best way to out the fire in the fire pit.
When you are ready to re use you can take the sand out of the firepit.
Snuffer: You can use use a snuffer lid to put out a fire without using water. A snuffer is like a lid or cover that can be use to snuff out a fire. It works by depriving the fire of oxygen.
The elimination of oxygen from the fire triangle will put out any fire. Some firepits are sold with its own snuffer.
If you are looking to purchase one you can do so by clicking this link. If your fire pit does not come with one you can purchase a generic one off the market.
The size of your snuffer should match the size of your firepit – so be mindful of the dimension of your firepits.
The snuffer is for use with wood or coal firepits, not the propane, electric or butane types.
Practical Do’s and Don’ts for Fire Pit Safety
When using outdoor fire pits for the first time, there is a lot to learn.
Therefore, it is crucial for new users to conduct some basic research into the operation of a firepit before striking the first match or lighting the first fire.
You want to make sure that you can adhere to all local laws or regulations. We definitely do not want to get fined for something avoidable.
Even though there is a lot to learn about fire safety, fire pit maintenance, and local rules and regulations, fire pits are definitely a great addition to any home.
Here are some of the practical and straight forward dos and don’ts of firepits that everyone should know.
Do’s of firepits
Do – use wood specifically designed for a clean burn. We do not want excessive smoke to bother your neighbour. Untreated wood is best for a clean burn.
Do – Store flammable materials as far as possible from the fire pit.
Do – always keep items that can extinguish a fire nearby. Keep water, sand and a shovel nearby for quick extinguishing a fire, if necessary.
Do – Always check the weather forecast before setting up your firepit. A windy day is not a good time to start a fire.
Remember that a embers and hot ash can travel on the wind for great distances. It only take a few seconds to start a fire and only five minutes to totally engulf a house. Avoid fires on a gusty day.
Do – Ensure that fires in the firepit are completely extinguished, when you are finished with it. Never leave a fire unattended.
Don’ts of firepits
Don’t – Never place firepits within 10 feet of residential buildings, sheds, trees, or other potential fire hazards.
Don’t – Never burn treated wood, leaves, or plywood because they are chemically treated.
Don’t – Young children should never be allowed to play near a fire. Furthermore, they should never be unsupervised because they do not understand danger.
Conclusion
When using a firepit, wood is the most preferred type. However, you have to remember that hot ashes and embers in your fire pit can take up to 24 hours to naturally cool off to the point where they are no longer regarded a fire threat.
It’s crucial therefore to keep in mind that you must put out all fires before leaving the area. You would not what to accidentally burn down your house.
Firepits are made of metal, stone, or concrete or a mixture. Using water to put out fires in these firepits may cause damage, therefore, you should use some of the other none water method of putting out the fire.
The clean up when using a propane fire is easy and less messy but, remember not to use water to put out propane fire – just turn off the gas supply.
