Chiminea vs. Fire PIt

[austintex]

Now that it's cold outside, I was thinking of getting some sort of wood-burning aparatus to put outside and keep me and the family/friends warm.

Anyone have any preferences? It'd be nice to have something I could put on our wood deck, but I suspect anything that houses open flames would be unsuitable.

 

[NCAAFBALLROX]

I don't have either one, but I would guess a Chimnea is a bit safer due to the containment of most of the flames & the ability to get heat radiated off the stack.

On the other hand, there are a lot of fire pits that you can directly cook over either on the grate OR from a metal pole that swings over the fire & you get to see the flicker of the flames from all directions.

& I have yet to see a Chimnea with kewl Texas themed stars or Longhorns on the sides.

That's my opinion...

 

[ctrl+alt+del]

I have found that while they may look pretty, chimineas are quite inefficient in their design. Most of the heat goes straight up and they are shoot hot embers into the air. Meanwhile, a fire pit like this one:

has a parabolic lid that radiates the heat to about a 15 foot radius. Problem with a fire pit is that they do not last very long, well at least not here in Houston with the corrosive climate.

 

[CelisHorn]

I have a three hole chiminea like this one. It has a tin hood on top so that embers don't shoot out the top. I agree with the above poster that the fire pit things probably give off more heat, but I prefer the chiminea because it looks nicer.

 

[Orange&White]

If you go with the chimenea, be sure to get one that will fit regular fireplace wood. We got one that is about half of the necessary size so you either have to split the wood smaller, or pay a premium to get wood that will fit it, which inevitably burns faster so you use it up quicker.

 

[flaco]

I have seen two chimineas bust and drop hot coals onto wood decks. I think I would go with the fire pit.

 

[B]

I had a chimenea on a wood deck in Austin. It worked great until a large drunk man fell on it after many beers at the Robert Earl Keen show at the Backyard, sending flaming coals and logs everywhere and putting permanent char burns in the deck. Now I have a fire pit that is a basic heavy metal bowl that can withstand any drunk sob that falls on it.

 

[Cap33]

In reply to:

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[howard]

I got one of these. Combo fire pit and BBQ grill, heavy duty cast iron. Kinda small, depending on what you are looking for.
The Link

 

[austintex]

Thanks. As always, hornfans is a great resource. I'm now leaning firepit -- especially because we've got a party planned this weekend that surely will feature lots of large drunk men.

 

[TxTower]

Target has a portable fire pit (steel bowl with folding legs) that you can pack up and store in the summer or take with you on camping trips. My wife bought it and I was initally skeptical but we've used it once and it actually works pretty well.

 

[TexasEd]

Go with the galvanized trash can or the old oil barrel. Adds a little more ambiance.

 

[Scooter]

Target has these listed on their website:

Looks like a good compromise, because you could use it year-round with a cover or as an ice-bucket.