The Internet is full of people demonstrating how to make a smokeless fire pit. The problem is: they’re all using the same design. It’s a good design, but it’s a bit pricey and not exactly the easiest thing to make.
Firstly, you need a lot of pavers or solid concrete blocks. At a price of $2 to $3 a piece, they add up quickly. You may need at least 40 or 50 to get the desired height and diameter. That means you’ve already spent $100 or more just to cover the first step.
Secondly, you’ll need a metal fire ring. The cheapest one I found at Tractor Supply – the store most people get them from – is currently selling for $64.99. You’ll also need concrete caps to go over the gap between the blocks and the ring; and if you really wanna do this right, you’ll need some mortar mix, as well.
Add it all up, and this is a $200 project at minimum. More realistically, it’s probably going to run you $250 to $300. Then there’s still the process of building the thing. Considering there are fire pits you can buy for the same cost or less, that seems like a lot of time and money.
So I came up with a way to build one for less than $100. I’ll admit, it’s not quite as stylish as the design I just described, but it does the same job, because it’s based on the same scientific principles. Watch the video below to see how it’s made…
A Few Notes About Smokeless Fire Pits
- Smokeless fire pits don’t work immediately; they need time to heat up.
- The fire wood must be dry and well seasoned for best results.
- The bigger and hotter the fire, the better the smokeless effect should be.
- Air supply holes should be small, or else they won’t create enough pressure – anything larger than a half inch probably won’t work well.
- If the flames are too high above the pit, smoke will appear.
