HOW TO USE YOUR FIRE PIT

Positioning the Fire Pit

When burning garden waste the fire pit should be positioned away from the house. The Helios 1200 fire pit which is constructed from 4mm stainless steel is heavy and great care must be taken when lifting it. It is not advisable to lift any fire pit without assistance. The ash tray is separate and should be put underneath the fire pit before lighting the fire. It will catch any smouldering embers and prevent the grass catching fire or being permanently damaged.


Lighting the Fire.

The fire in the fire bowl should be lit in exactly the same way as a log burner inside the house. Scrunched up newspapers, some very dry kindling and then some larger logs on top. A couple of pieces of firelighter among the materials does help. Let the fire get a hold before adding too much material. Once it is burning either add charcoal or more wood depending on what you want to use the fire for.

Uses:
Burning garden waste.

It is advisable to use scraps of softwood and get the fire blazing with this before adding garden waste such as potato tops or leaves which can be quite damp. If you don't have a decent fire going the garden waste can easily smoother the fire and put it out just as it would on a conventional bonfire. The benefit of our fire pit is the safety aspect of having the fire off the ground and the fact that it is possible to get a very good air flow around the fire bowl which helps it to burn more quickly. The fire bowl also contains the fire within a set area. Once the fire is going well large items like a tree root in the middle will start to burn away and have a very powerful heat source in the middle of the fire. The main problem with damp garden waste is the amount of smoke it creates so you must be very mindful of neighbours and the wind direction before burning this type of waste.

Cooking.

Our heavy duty removable grill is designed to take cooking trays, pans or casserole dishes. When lighting the fire for a barbeque allow the fire to die down before adding charcoal and preparing for cooking. If you add too much charcoal (more than 3 inches deep) you will find that the food will burn and not cook through.  Because the fire bowl has sloping edges it is possible to move the trays or pans around on the grill to change the temperature. It is cooler at the edge of the fire pit.

As soon as you are nearing the end of the cooking start to add smaller pieces of wood to lift the fire if you want it to keep burning. Before it gets too hot put on fire proof gloves and lift off the grill. Put that to one side where nobody can accidentally touch it and then build the fire up properly to keep you warm as you eat and enjoy the evening air!

*These are guidelines only and should be treated as such.

Other uses for your Fire Pit

A wooden top has been designed so that the pit can be used as a seat or table when not in use. While MetalFirePits are not currently marketing a wooden top please inform a member of our team if it would be of interest to you and we will consider a production batch.

Download Safety and Maintenance Guidelines

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