Propane Fire Pits?
 

I’m now in the market for a propane fire pit nothing beats a wood fire, and I use one on the regular But now I am in the market for something kind of quick & easy. I know if I really want heat I’ll just build a regular fire but your advice on a Table style pit would be awesome.
Thanks

I was visiting my sister and BIL over the weekend and they mentioned how much they like theirs. They have a portable one and use it when camping. That is all I know about them.

I bought a propane fire pit at Home Depot a few months back, and I love it. I agree that I like wood fires better but when you only want to sit in the back yard for a short period of time, the propane fire pit can't be beat. I will state that the fire pit goes through the propane tank rather quickly, and it only provides heat directly above the pit. If you are sitting around the fire pit in chairs it doesn't keep you warm. I bought the one listed in the link below. Nothing fancy but my wfe and I enjoy sitting around it in the evenings with an adult beverage.

https://images.homedepot-static.com/...sp-64_1000.jpg

I have a couple. The cheap ones from home depot do not put out much heat. I have a good burner in a BBQ island.

Go to the home and garden shows this winter and spring. San Jose has one (not sure on the size). Pleasanton has a nice one. Nor Cal at the Sacramento fair grounds is a big one. I have a contrast between a good burner and the home depot one and they are not even close. Much of the cost also must come in the valving as well. Many of the get a little tempramental until you establish flow. The better the burner the faster you will go through gas. You really need a heat diffuser if you want to feel the heat on a cold night. Either way, it is good for a little mood lighting.

The home shows usually have a real nice table version that has the burner a little lower in the table. The one I have from home depot, the glasses have to be too close to the fire so you can not use it as a table while using the fire.

Question do you think all fire pits are “created equal” in the BTU or Heat output department??? example is the 200+ dollar propane fire pit gonna put out less heat then the 600+fancy pits I see?
It’s gonna be hard to keep up with my traditional pit

If you're looking for heat, I bet you'll do better getting one of those portable space heaters you see that look like a fat lamp post.

This thing is probably too small for what you want, but since it's on topic, if you've just got an outdoor patio table, this is pretty cool. We have one and like it a lot for some heat during cooler nights when you want to hang out for a drink or dinner outside.

https://www.costco.com/Northwoods-De...100399257.html

Brett: I saw thoes, they are cool I’m gonna use one of thoes to make a fire pit over the center toon storage locker on my Pontoon boat. :)
Mark: what ones are you talking about?

I like that Brett. Where do you stick the tank with only a 10' hose?

Fire on a boat???!!! open flame???!!! I get a grill built for the boat - but this seems crazy - in full disclosure I am a safety engineer - haha

We just put the tank under one end of the patio table. For us it works since that's the far end and has a built in bench from the pergola that isn't really used much.

Yes I agree Fire on the boat is NOT the safest application, but if done right it’s no problem. I was gonna do somthing like this. My idea was to have it so the fire pit can store away in the center toon storage and then simply sit on top of the center toon locker door with the tank in the center toon. You could bust it out when your anchord. A friend Has a full size table top version on his party barge and it’s awesome.

Hey I see you can buy the burner inserts! I’m thinking I could make my own version. Stupid question. Can you take a 5 gallon propane tank and lay it on it’s side? Will it still work? I like the look of the low 12-15 inch tall fire pits but they don’t have the tanks under them, I have seen fire pits that are low, and I guess the line comes out from under them and attaches to a standing tank. Some I have seen that have a matching “table “ that covers the propane tank and doubles as a small table.

The 2nd pic has the propane tank cover/table I was talking about

I have (4) CampChef fire pits and have been VERY happy.In fact I will be giving a new one away on my instagram this week. It is has a built in ignitor and a cover so it moves very easily (I carry one in my truck with me now). I often use it on the baseball field or outside of the dug out to keep the boys warm.

http://www.campchef.com/fire-pits/pr...-fire-pit.html

http://www.instagram.com/p/Bq23egCgh_E/

Jason that looks like the ticket.
Question if you scoot your feet slightly under it does it give off “heat for the feet”

I built one about 6 years ago and after buying the fire pan and all the components it probably would have been cheaper to have just purchased one. It came out nice, but like others have said it is more for the ambiance and not so much the heat.

If you plan on heating anyone, get a turbo heater, the fire table is for looks and minimal heat. We have one in our Cabana by the pool, its at nights we watch movies outside or for the "feel" of a fire without having the mess.

it does give off heat, just not like a large outdoor fire, or a turbo heater. if we need a turbo heater, we go inside, but we are in the south, so its only a few months a year we need heat, and then its for ambiance

Doug: Whats a "Turbo Heater" When I did a search the Kerosene Torpedo heaters all came up? I have one of those, not what I was looking for.
Scott: Yours looks nice. I was thinking yes you can have $500 into one + labor in no time. I was also thinking you could double up the burners and make one that got after it Im sure it would or could chew threw the propane

turbo heater = probably referring to a forced air heater. I've had them in the past, they work really well to heat an area, but are kinda loud. obviously more expensive, but I had a nat gas fire pit built. with commercial grade burners, it puts off more than enough heat if your sitting around it. I maybe have $3k into the whole thing.

my biggest issue with the propane tables was the lack of heat...and refilling bottles. Now I'll never refill another proane bottle or complain about being cold.

you cannot lay a propane bottle on its side. it's liquid under pressure.

thinking about building one also, understanding that they're just for looks. I have a high pressure line for my grill that I can T off of, run stainless lines underground and over to the pit.

local bar has their logo in some 1/8 or 3/16 steel standing on top of their pit. once you get that steel heated up, it will actually throw off a little heat. course l don't want a janky piece of steel on top of my fire pit.... so I'll likely add an infrared heater to the ceiling somewhere