Best Way to Put Out a Fire Pit No one wants to think about the finish of the party and How to Put Out a Fire Pit, yet having a plan when the opportunity arrives is really important from a safety and accommodation standpoint.
There are a variety of ways to take care of business that guarantees that fire is out, and the safety of your loved ones, and your property are taken care of.
Regardless of how you do it, putting your fire pit to bed appropriately after the fun is over is an obligation that shouldn’t be taken delicately.
I wrote in another article, Fire Pit Placement: Picking the Right Spot for Your Fire Pit, that injuries related to fire pits are up three-fold in the last 10 years, with a quarter of these injuries in children, often hours after the fire pit was “put out.”
Knowing How to Put Out a Fire in a Fire Pit the correct way, the initial time, will serve you on numerous occasions when the party winds down and you have better things to do, such as seeing your visitors off, cleaning up, getting to bed, and so on
Strategies for putting out a fire in a wood-burning fire pit include the following four choices:
Allow the fire to wear out all alone
When the fire has faded away, soak the remaining firewood, ashes, and ash with water, then, at that point, mix the resulting slurry until the fire pit substance are saturated
Like water, add sand and dry soil to the fire pit and blend until the fire is covered
Utilize a fire pit snuffer to put out the fire and left to cool all alone; or add water to speed the cooling system after snuffing
Table of Contents
HOW TO PUT OUT A FIRE PIT
Note: These instructions and/or guidance do not address How to Put a Fire Pit Outfires in propane or gas-burning fire pits – we’re talking the wood-burning type only in this article.
Some wood-burning fire pit manufacturers, Solo Stovecomes to mind, advise owners to let the fire burn out on its own and not to use water.
I’m talking about the portable, all-metal, sometimes stainless steel, type fire pits primarily. Consult your fire pit’s owner’s manual to be sure.
When learning how to put out a backyard fire pit and deciding which option is best for you, there are a few things you should think about before the party starts, mainly your fire pit’s surroundings, whether or not children and pets will be nearby, and time.
I’ll go over these and different considerations and the how-to for each of the “How to Put Out a Fire Pit” choices beneath.
1. HOW TO PUT OUT A FIRE PIT FIRE BY LETTING IT DIE OUT ON ITS OWN
An unattended backyard fire pit represents various dangers that ought to be thought of assuming you choose to allow the fire to pit wear out all alone.
Cooling fire pits can be similarly as dangerous as ones with solid fires going and a lot of that hazard is naturally because of the fact that no one will be around to handle or alert others to dangers that could manifest.
Fire Pit Tip-Overs: Assuming the fire pit were to tip under any circumstance, still-hot coals could come into contact with fuel sources nearby (pine needles, dry grass, firewood, your deck, and so forth)
What could cause your fire pit to tip you may ask? Unsupervised kids and pets, wild animals (raccoons, deer, the occasional bear… don’t laugh, it’s happened) assuming that you live in a rural or far off lush area, any many different things. Don’t forget, Murphy never sleeps.
You may want to think about a more “without a doubt” choice for putting your fire out if you have children around. for their safety as well as the fact that children can be unpredictable and frequently do things they shouldn’t do. I know, I have three, all 10 or under.
Assuming you have the sort of wood-burning fire pit that is fixed and not capable of tipping over, sparking from cooling ashes blended in with nearby fuel sources could represent a unintended fire hazard as well so take that into account when making your choice.
Assuming any of these considerations aren’t a factor and the danger is nothing/minimal, letting the fire wear out all alone can be a practical choice.
How to do it:
As expected, this option is pretty simple; once the fire has died down, let the fire burn out by itself
As mentioned before, closely monitor children and restrict their access to the area around the fire pit
Keep the area around the fire pit clear and remove anything nearby that is susceptible to heat/flammable
Recommend lightly wetting the surface surrounding the fire pit to minimize fire risk and damage from ejected sparks; not necessary if the fire pit is positioned on a hardscape surface and isolated from flammable materials
2. HOW TO PUT OUT A FIRE PIT USING WATER
As I referenced at the beginning of this part, please counsel your fire pit’s proprietor’s manual assuming it is the portable all-metal sort.
The rub here is that the metal from your fire pit will weaken after some time from constant speedy transitions from hot to cool. This is in all probability the reason many manufacturers advise against it.
Using water to put out a fire pit will in all probability give you the least danger option. When done appropriately, the fire is out, period.
The danger of the fire pit substance starting any kind of fire outside the fire pit from sparking or an accidental tip-over is practically non-existent (again, whenever done appropriately).
The fire pit itself may be hot and still a safety hazard, however the fuel source is done. The consume hazard to kids, pets, and others remains because of the potential of inadvertent contact with hot metal.
Is it Worth It?: For me, the choice would boil down to the expense and quality of the fire pit in using water to put the fire out.
If I’m using a $40 big-box store portable metal fire pit and I get a couple of “seasons” out of it, I’m not going to care that much if it doesn’t last as long.
If I’m using a $650-plus Stahl heavy-duty wood-burning fire pit, then I’m going to think twice and come up with a plan B because of the large investment I’ve made.
Side note: I think a Stahl could handle it, but damn that’s a lot of money.
How to do it:
With your already on-hand water source (a bucket or hose) extinguish the flames by slowly soaking the burning embers, making sure that the fire is out and the contents of the fire pit are completely soaked
Stir the ashes with a shovel until everything is saturated with water
Remain cautious as the fire pit’s metal will still be hot to the touch
3. HOW TO PUT OUT A FIRE PIT USING A SNUFFER
In case you were wondering, a fire pit snuffer is essentially a metal top or cover placed over the fire pit opening to cover the flames.
It will put the main fire out yet the substance of the fire pit will continue to be extremely hot and still a safety hazard.
Guarantee that whatever backyard fire pit snuffer you use is either made specifically for your fire pit or possibly to the components of your fire pit’s opening.
Assuming you purchase an outsider fire pit snuffer, a little overhang around the edges functions admirably to guarantee adequate coverage and a decent “seal.”
In the event that you are a talented metalworker or know one, making a custom snuffer specifically for your fire pit shouldn’t be troublesome.
To exceed everyone’s expectations, they are readily available on Amazon and at your local fire pit specialty store.
Make sure you realize your fire pit aspects prior to shopping to guarantee you find a snuffer that addresses your issues.
How to do it:
Like Option 1, you could snuff out the fire and let the embers cool on their own, keeping the same safety precautions in mind
or, like Option 2, you can add water to the cooling embers once the fire is out via the snuffer, ensuring they are fully saturated; use a shovel to stir the contents until all embers are completely soaked
Remain cautious as the fire pit’s metal will still be hot to the touch
4. HOW TO PUT OUT A FIRE PIT USING SAND OR DRY DIRT
This option is a common method for putting out bonfires and campfires and works with fire pits as well.
How to do it:
Have your sand/dry dirt stash ready and on hand before you start your fire
When ready to put the fire out, begin by slowly shoveling sand or dirt into the fire pit ensuring all contents are completely covered
RECOMMENDED GEAR
Having the right gear on-hand when it’s time will save you a great deal of time and frustration. The following rundown is a decent start for anyone looking to fabricate a gear list for operating a wood-burning fire pit:
Water source (hose, container, etc.): I suggest a hose because a can will not get you too far in a crisis; having an associated hose nearby provides you with a virtually limitless stock of water for any situation as well as for extinguishing your fire pit; also, an attached spray spout with different settings will give you a few choices for various situations – your thumb over the end for spraying won’t always cut it
Shovel: Having a digging tool handy will assist you with stirring the coals of your fire pit assuming that you decide to put it out with water or then again assuming you pick to put the fire out with sand or dry soil
Heat-resistant mitt(s): On the off chance that you really want to move your fire pit to another location after it has been extinguished, having heat-resistant gloves is valuable assuming you don’t your hands to make direct contact with hot metal when repositioning;
I recommend two pairs in case somebody is assisting you (a fire pit loaded up with soaked substance or sand/soil is hot and can be untidy, heavy and inconvenient depending on its size)
Fire extinguisher: I included a fire extinguisher not as a practical choice for putting out your fire pit however more as a safety precaution; on the off chance that the fire gains out of influence or somebody accidentally catches on fire out of the blue (unfortunately, it happens… every now and again with fire pits, bonfires, campfires, and so forth) your can smother the flames rapidly; always a decent tool to have nearby
Assuming you can, I’d hold these assets together in a dedicated pack you put away only for fire pit use. That way you don’t have to go digging around for them when its chance to utilize them.
CONCLUSION: HOW TO PUT OUT A FIRE IN A FIRE PIT
You have a ton of choices while choosing How to Put Out a Fire Pit.
Not to sound preachy, but rather all considerations ought to be made in light of safety. Comfort is secondary.
Too many individuals get injured each year by solo fire pits in which the fire was as of late put out.
Assuming you sort out what you are going to do ahead of time, including many of the considerations we talked about, you’ll decrease the dangers and have much less worry over it later when you would rather not think about it.
Also, before you go, look at my pick for the top portable wood-burning backyard fire pit, that just also happens to be smokeless. This fire pit choice consumes extremely hot and clean and is easy to put out by letting it either wear out or using the manufacturer’s own fire pit snuffer.
Thanks for reading and take care!
RELATED QUESTIONS
WHAT ARE OTHER WAYS TO KEEP CHILDREN AND PETS SAFE AROUND A FIRE PIT?
The initial phase in keeping kids safe around fire pits is vigilant management.
The fire pit itself and the kids nearby ought to never be left alone without a capable adult present.
An established separate play area is a typical strategy for maintaining a support zone among youngsters and the fire pit.
Additionally, there are a variety of folding metal fencing choices commercially available that will guarantee kids are gotten at a safe distance far from the fire pit.
A variety of online stores like Amazon, Wayfair, and so on carry them.
WHAT DO YOU DO WITH THE ASHES FROM A BACKYARD FIRE PIT?
After they’ve cooled completely, ashes from a fire pit can be bagged and disposed of in your regular household trash pick-up.
If you are interested in useful firewood ash uses around the home, check out my article on the subject here.
WHERE SHOULD I KEEP THE FIREWOOD I PLAN TO BURN WHEN OPERATING A FIRE PIT?
When setting aside firewood for an upcoming fire pit consume it’s always best to situate the stack about 10-15 away and upwind from the fire pit.
Prevailing winds in the U.S. will quite often go from West to East however watch out for winds in your area specifically and be prepared to move either your fire pit or the stack if the wind shifts. You don’t want that wood to consume any sooner than required.
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