The Best Smokeless Fire Pit
In determining what the best smokeless fire pit is, it is important to decide on its intended use, and how much space you have. If you are looking for a truly portable fire pit, then it will make sense to choose a product with a more compact design, such as the Solo Stove Ranger. Its a lightweight fire pit that can easily be cleaned out and taken with you on the next family road trip.
The Ranger is the perfect size for a campsite and produces a beautiful flame, though the Solo Stove Bonfire might be the better option for your back patio, and while it is slightly larger than the Ranger, it is portable too.
On the other hand, if you are looking for a permanent addition to your backyard, then the Breeo X Series or Breeo Luxeve make more sense. The stainless steel construction uses a thicker gauge material, and while this heavy-duty steel construction makes the pit heavier than the competition, this is also a sign it is built for longevity. And here is a pro tip: The Breeo X series can be custom-built with either stainless steel or corten steel. The corten steel develops a beautiful patina over time.
And if you want a pit for cooking, there really is no better option than a
Breeo X SeriesDisclaimers:
The views and opinions expressed on this website are those of the authors. Any content provided by our bloggers or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual or anyone or anything.
What Are Smokeless Fire Pit Sand How Do They Work
Full disclaimer: smokeless fire pits aren’t actually 100 percent smokeless. It isn’t possible to eliminate all smoke if your burning medium is wood. However, the construction of a smokeless fire pit allows it to burn hotter and more efficiently, which produces less smoke.
Smoke is a byproduct of incomplete combustion. Complete combustion of wood produces only carbon dioxide and water. Incomplete combustion, when there is insufficient supply of oxygen, produces carbon monoxide, soot, and carbon dioxide. Needless to say, incomplete combustion creates ait pollution, which is bad for our health and for the environment.
Smokeless fire pits use a double-wall construction with added ventilation, which creates the right conditions for near-complete combustion, with ash collecting at the bottom of the firepit instead of sooty smoke being released into the air. This won’t be a perfect process, but it’s close enough for residential fire pit burning.
The most popular smokeless firepits right now are made by Solo Stove, and you can buy them on Wayfair and lots of other places.
As it happens, the design isn’t very complicated and you can make one if you have decent DIY skills and a few hours to spend making it. If you know your way with a drill, this project is for you.
Smokeless Campfire Outland Firebowl Fire Pit
I have already written about how good this smoke-free fire pit is and it is the best smokeless fire pit if you are happy using propane fuel. You can read more about it here Best Portable Propane Fire Pit and as you can gather from the subject line one of the best things about this fire pit is the fact it is smokeless
Lightweight and portable, this outdoor smokless fire pit is perfect for backyards, campgrounds, or anywhere you want to gather with family and friends.
This portable fire pit makes it easy to enjoy an evening with friendsright outside your door! Its the perfect fit for any patio or deck and comes packed with necessary accessories.
The rugged, eye-pleasing Firebowl 870 Outdoor Fire Pit will enhance any backyard or campsite. It features a premium 304 stainless steel burner that is designed for years of worry-free backyard enjoyment.
A layer of powder-coated paint protects the cast iron cooking grate and ceramics from rust while extending the life of the unit from season to season.
The Outland Firebowl 870 Outdoor Smoke Free Fire Pit comes with a heavy-duty carry cover so you can transport it, and enjoy a fire anywhere you choose!
Read Also: How To Secure Sliding Patio Doors
How Does The Smokeless Fire Pit Work
Smokeless fire pits incorporate a smoke-free technology that allows them to produce minimal smoke while being used. This is possible thanks to their mechanical and structural features, which regulate airflow and burns a hotter flame. As a result, they allow the efficient functioning of the combustion system to complete the burning process. It also burns a hotter fire
However, you shouldnt take the term smokeless in literal terms because it instead means not a lot of smoke gets produced. This means youre comfortable even when around the fire pit due to less smoke irritating your eyes and saving the environment from pollution. Smokeless fire fits achieve this by addressing the main reasons why smoke is produced, and these are
- Using the wrong fuel
- Lack of oxygen
- Lack of heat
Some zero smoke fire pits feature secondary combustion systems or double combustion. This type of burning system separates the heat release into two distinct reaction furnaces with cooling at the center. Inside the first reaction furnace, the operating temperatures are extremely high to destroy any hydrocarbons and ammonia while remaining lower than the refractory restrictions. Consequently, the fire is transformed to become almost smoke-free in the secondary combustion.
Best Overall: Tiki Low Smoke Fire Pit
-
Includes everything to get started
-
Reliable burn time
-
Includes ash pan and cover
-
Can use firewood or wood packs
-
Expensive
-
Additional wood packs add to cost
This sleek smokeless fire pit provides everything you need to enjoy a night of smoke-free enjoyment next to a warm fire. Its wood pack provides a reliable 30 minutes of burn time. Once youve used up the included pack of TIKI wood pellets, you can purchase more separately. You also can use any firewood, although make sure it is dry to maintain the smokeless aspect of the fire pit.
The 18-inch-deep smokeless fire pit, which provides up to 4 feet of radiant heat, is better suited for socializing rather than cooking since it doesnt come with a grill or cooking surface. But it has an attractive finish with metal details. The included cloth cover is a nice touch: Put it on after the fire pit has cooled to ensure it stays nice and clean. The ash pans collect waste and empty easily by just sliding them out.
This isnt the cheapest option out there, but it provides a great value, considering how much heat it gives and how easy it is to assemble and use. With the right maintenance, the TIKI fire pit can last for years.
Dimensions: 18.75 x 24.75 inchesMaterial: Stainless SteelWeight: 45 poundsFuel: WoodWarranty: None listed
Recommended Reading: How To Acid Stain Outdoor Concrete Patio
Remove The Smaller Pot’s Handles
Your smaller stock pot will need to fit inside the larger one, so you’ll need to remove its handles. This won’t be as simple as unscrewing them because typically stock pots have riveted handles. You can cut them off with an angle grinder. Do this carefully as you don’t want to cut through the pot itself.
Cooking On Smokeless Fire Pit
Smokeless pits do generate heat. Some smokeless pit designs can generate up to 30% more flames than conventional fire pits. This makes them great for grilling and cooking. Some smokeless pits also come in compact designs that make them portable and lightweight, making them particularly handy for backyard bonfires, tailgating, and camping trips. If you love the outdoors and cooking over open flames, you can purchase a smokeless pit with a sear plate or grill plate for the perfect outdoor cooking experience.
Also Check: What Is The Best Patio Heater
How To Take Care Of Your Fire Pit
Keeping your pit clean and dry is the best way to take care of your fire pit and extend its useful life. While most of the smokeless pits are built from stainless steel or corten steel , they may still deteriorate over time if not properly cared for.
For instance, rain mixing with ash creates a harsh sludge that may speed the fire pits deterioration. So what can you do? Do you have to move your fire pit to the garage when not in use? Not necessarily. This is another area where Breeo shines in comparison to Solo Stove. Breeo fire pits are built with a thicker gauge stainless steel, and the brand builds their pits so they can feasibly last decades in your backyard.
Solo Stove, on the other hand, recommends moving most of their fire pits to a dry area when not in use. Of course, keep in mind that all of their pits aside from the largest fire pit are considered portable. This is one consideration in comparing the Solo Stove Bonfire vs Yukon This is one of the reasons Solo Stove products are made with a thinner gauge stainless steel that makes them much lighter than Breeo pits.
Regardless of which brand you go with, clean out your fire pit after it cools, and use a lid, protective cover, or both, to keep the elements out of the burn chamber. If needed, clean with gentle dish soap and water.
How To Make A Fire Pit Smokeless
You can purchase smokeless fire pits specifically designed for your backyard and needs. This particular option from INNO STAGE is designed to be portable, and comes with a carrying case. This makes it a perfect option for camping or taking to the beach.
If you have an existing fire pit, you can make it smokeless with little effort. Depending on the dimensions, you may be able to use a specific insert with your current backyard fireplace. this brand also offers fire pit cookware if you enjoy cooking in the great outdoors.
You can also build another wall around this particular insert- you can use metal, decorative stone, bricks, and more. Get creative, but just make sure your material holds heat in well and can radiate it out. Talk to your local hardware store for tips about building a fire pit from scratch!
Don’t Miss: How To Hang String Lights On A Pergola
Focus On Using Firewood Types That Naturally Smoke Less
Because of their natural density, hardwoods tend to hold much less water than other types of wood. Oak, ash, hickory, and maple are good examples of low-smoking hardwoods. On the other hand, hardwoods that smoke more than others include eucalyptus, poplar, elm, and others.
Softwoods like pine, spruce, cedar, hemlock, fir, etc., have a reputation for producing more smoke than other types of wood when burned. This is because dried pitch or sap can smoke heavily in a fire pit fire.
The Best Smokeless Fire Pits
Fire pits can make for a great evening outdoors with family and friends, but traditional wood-burning fireplaces also have the disadvantage of producing smoke and ash. That’s why many people opt for smokeless fire pits, which offer a number of advantages over traditional models. If you’re on the hunt for a new smokeless fire pit, you’re in luck, because we’ve put together an expert-picked rundown of some of the best smokeless fire pits and the advantages they offer.
Recommended Reading: Clear Plastic Cover For Pergola
Does The Breeo Double Flame Smokeless Fire Pit Work
The BREEO Double Flame Smokeless Outdoor Fire Pit is a new, simple and creative way to enjoy a fire without smoke and smog.
Keep the party going with the BREEO Double Flame Smokeless Outdoor Fire Pit. Use this fire pit to eat, socialize, and relax with family and friends around the warmth of a crackling outdoor fire.
The BREEO Double Flame Smokeless Outdoor Fire Pit is built with a no-light igniter that allows you to achieve the perfect flame every time
BREEO Double flame smokeless outdoor fire pit down to the smoothest surface because of its high-temperature resistant locking system, this fire pit is a perfect fit for any outdoor space, whether your backyard or a campsite.
It produces enough heat to warm up your whole party. This fire pit can be used as a smokeless campfire, grilling accessory, etc.
Use Well Seasoned Or Kiln
If you want to reduce fire pit smoke effectively, using the right wood at the right moisture level will give you the most bang for your buck. Freshly cut wood, a.k.a. green wood, is made mostly of water, and that water will smoke badly.
Firewood dried/seasoned over time will naturally have a lighter feel when handled, have a hollower sound when contact is made, no noticeable smell, and a bit of a gray tint depending on the seasoning conditions.
Hardwoods tend to take much longer to season to a moisture content of 30% or less, but they will burn much longer and hotter than any softwood ever would.
When prepping your woodpile, understand what wood you are working with and how long it will take to season after being freshly chopped.
Don’t Miss: How To Paint Concrete Patio
Use Well Seasonedor Kiln
As we covered above, wet wood is bad when trying to keep fire pit smoke down. Using adequately dried wood will produce much less smoke and perform much better for a longer time.
Seasoned Firewood for Fire Pits.
As I mentioned before, if you are chopping and stacking your own firewood, I recommend going with hardwoods, vice softwoods, as they tend to smoke less.
Hardwoods do tend to take much longer to season to a moisture content of 30% or less, but when done correctly they will burn much longer and hotter than any softwood ever would.
When prepping your own woodpile, understand what wood you are working with and how long its going to take to season after being freshly chopped.
Each type of hardwood has its own estimated seasoning timeframe so know these times when planning. Naturally, the seasoning time will be reduced if you season your wood indoors in a garage or shed.
Most firewood drying time estimates you will see are for outdoor seasoning specifically.
Oak, which has an average moisture content on the high end among commonly used firewood types , and can take anywhere from six months to 2 years to get to the right moisture content for low-smoke burning.
If you recall, I mentioned using a moisture meter to monitor and keep track of your firewoods seasoning progress. Remember, under 30% moisture is ok, below 20% is what you are shooting for.
Have that moisture meter handy when they show up with the delivery to make sure they are providing what they said they would.
A Quick Rundown How Smokeless Fire Pits Work
Put simply smoke is formed when there is not enough oxygen to efficiently burn your firewood. The smokeless fire pits you see at your retail stores use a hollow double-wall design. This pulls in air and adds oxygen to the fire, allowing the fuel to burn completely, a process called complete combustion. If you want to know some of the science behind complete combustion, I wrote about it here.
Don’t Miss: How Much To Get A Pergola Built
What Fuel Can I Burn In A Fire Pit That Is Smokeless
Most smokeless fire pits burn wood. Opt for a kiln-dried or seasoned hardwood for the best burn: the less moisture in the wood, the cleaner the fire. Some models take wood pellets, which are generally made from recycled hardwood, and are super-dry.
As well as smokeless fire pits and low-smoke hardwood logs and pellets, you can also get smokeless fuels. Some fire pits and stoves run on fuels such as propane or bioethanol, which clearly will be smoke-free. However, if you want a proper fire, you can pick up a bag of smokeless coal.
How We Test And Select
The first thing we examines with these fire pits was how easy they are to assemble and set up. Then we loaded them with seasoned oak firewood and started fires in each. We gauged how easy they were to load and feed the fire to maintain a continuous burn. Once they were burning well, we walked toward each pit until we could feel noticeable heat, then circled them to see how even the distribution was and how much it was affected by wind. We also looked at them through a Flir infrared camera to see if there were any concerning hot spots on the fire pits bodies. Lastly, we let the fires burn down to ash so we could determine how easy clean-up was after the blaze. We also noted things like whether or not the pits were easy to carry or move around as well as their weight and dimensions.
Some of these fire pitsthe Titan, Cast Master, Dragonfire, and Blue Sky modelswe havent had the chance to test yet. But we evaluated them based on their features, reviews that customers have left on retailers sites, and the experience and insights weve gleaned from using similar pits. Theyre promising enough to warrant inclusion here and give you more options for fitting the fire pit in with your home. Read on for our reviews.
- Carrying case/cover: No
- Ash pan: No
Also Check: How To Build A Screened In Patio
Is A Smokeless Fire Pit Completely Smokeless
It is almost impossible to burn wood without the production of any smoke at all. A smokeless fire pit is not completely smoke-free, but the smoke production is significantly reduced.
The smoke production of the fire will be greatest when the fire is initially ignited, and the wood starts to burn. It will take some time for the fire to warm in the fire pit walls and initiate the airflow in the wall cavity to produce sufficient air for secondary combustion.
Once the fire pit warms up and the airstream in the wall chamber starts to flow, the smoke volume will quickly reduce, and the fire will produce very little smoke.
There will still be some smoke that escapes the secondary combustion. The quantities of this smoke will be small enough to dissipate quickly before becoming a problem to those around the fire or your neighbors.
The best way to reduce the amount of smoke the fire generates in the beginning stages of the fire is to ensure that your wood is completely dry. Wood that is not properly dry will produce significant amounts of smoke until the fire becomes hot enough to dry the wood out.
Another option is to use commercially made wood pellets for your fire pit, which light quicker and are much drier than normal wood logs.