How To Light A Fire Pit

Fire pits are a great way to relax and enjoy the outdoors. With your fire pit lit, you can sit and watch the flames dance for hours, without worrying about getting cold, or wanting to go indoors.

Fire pits can create a beautiful ambience for neighbors, friends and family to gather around, have barbecues, make drinks or just enjoy a little relaxing on the patio.

If you have a fire pit, then you will want to take advantage of this amazing feature, and will need to know exactly how to light it properly.

If you do not have one, then you will want to get one. Here is one of our favorites!

How to light a fire pit

If you are ready to light it up, then there are a few things you will need to get lit. To start any fire, you will need some sort of kindling, and the same goes for lighting up your fire pit.

The easiest way to light your fire pit is to place some sort of kindling under the wood first. 

This kindling could be wood shavings, pine needles, newspaper, dead leaves or even tree bark. If you do not have any of this handy, then you should keep a stash of fire kindling equipment handy like these:

Once you have your kindling, you should place them at the bottom of your fire pit if it is empty, or underneath the wood if there is already some in there.

All you need is your kindling to catch alight, and your wood will soon follow!

It is best to add a few smaller pieces of wood to help catch fire, which will in turn light the larger logs of wood to start your fire pit.

For this you can use twigs, chopped up pieces of logs or broken branches, as these will catch fire much quicker from the kindling than larger wood logs.

For a firepit, you will need wooden logs to keep the pit burning. These can be purchased here

All you need to do then is use a long reach match or a long nosed lighter to set the kindling aflame. These are best as they keep the flames away from you when lighting the fire pit for your own safety: 

This should then set the layer of branches on fire, which will in turn set your fire pit logs aflame. 

Once your fire pit is lit, you can sit back, grab a beer, and relax for the evening. You can sit and watch the flames sparkle, and have the fire pit warm up your feet. 

Our Top Tips

When lighting your fire pit, you should always be cautious. Flames can become out of control in a matter of seconds and it is important that you take all of the safety precautions before doing anything.

For example, we recommend that you use heat resistant gloves when you are lighting the fire, even if using extra long matchsticks. 

In addition, you can use them when adding more fuel to the fire, or throwing in more logs. Therefore, if you do not already have a pair, you will want to invest in some:

Why isn’t my fire pit lighting?

There are a few reasons as to why your fire pit is not lighting. The most common cause of an unlit fire pit is because the kindling or fire wood is not dry enough.

To avoid this, you will want to ensure that you keep your timber and lumber in a dry, covered place, or it may become saturated by water or any moisture from rain or the weather.

You will have to wait for your wood to dry out completely before trying to light the fire pit, as it will not ignite at all.

You could also be struggling to light your fire pit because of windy weather conditions, and so the match will not light the wood.

Try to protect the match or fire pit from any windy weather, and you should be able to light it.

If you are really struggling to fan a flame from the fire pit, then you may be wondering if you can use a little gasoline to increase the chance of flames. 

This can leave you wondering if you can use gasoline to light the fire pit.

Should I use gasoline to light a fire pit?

Although gasoline works to create big flames quickly, it is not recommended that you use it on your fire pit.

This is because gasoline is extremely flammable and combustible, meaning there is a much higher risk of an explosion or the fire becoming uncontrollable.

In addition, gasoline can have a strong smell, which can cling to your hair, clothes and linger in the air.

With this in mind, you would not want to cook on your fire pit or roast marshmallows with a chemical odor that comes with gasoline.

Andrew Mullen

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