Can fire pit be used on wood decks?

Having a fire pit outside of your home can be a very soothing and relaxing thing. Not only does it provide you many cooking options for your outdoors like barbeques and roasts but it also looks amazing and enhances the overall appearance of your house.

A lot of houses however only have wooden decks and patios which is their sole option for placing a fire pit on. As you can understand, many home owners feel very concerned about having a fire pit on their easily flammable wooden deck and they try to avoid it.

A lot of people still want to install fire pits and are always left wondering can fire pit be used on wood decks?

The answer to that question is neither an absolute no, nor an absolute yes. If you have no other option installing a fire bit other than on your wooden deck then you can go ahead and install it there, however there are some precautions you must take along with it.

Precautions for Using Fire Pit on Wooden Decks

If you ever find yourself wondering “Can fire pit be used on wood decks?” then these few precautions will keep your mind at ease as they allow you to install and use a fire pit on your wooden deck.

Make Sure to Clean Up Everything on the Deck before Igniting the Fire Pit

The very first precautionary step is to clean everything thoroughly. Using a fire pit on your wooden deck is not that dangerous or risky when you take the necessary precautions.

Usually in fire cases you will find that the main culprit that causes most large fires is always some kind of igniting inflammatory object. These seemingly innocuous looking flammable objects are often lying in plain sight and we don’t not notice them. So the key thing to take care of is to remove these flammable objects from the vicinity of the fire.

If you have an outdoor deck then the chances are high that there will be highly flammable objects on it like dry fallen leaves. These things like fallen leaves and twigs can catch on a fire almost instantly since they are dry. This is why before you light up your fire, make sure to clean your wooden deck properly and use a broom or a leaf blower to get rid of these things from your surface.

Keep the Fire Pit at a Safe Distance from Your Home

You will benefit from keeping the fire bit as far away from your home as possible.

The recommended distance between a fire pit and your home is at least 20 feet. If your wooden deck meets this distance requirement then you can feel free to use your fire pit on top of it.

By taking this safety measure you can ensure that in the case that your wooden deck does end up catching on fire, you can rest assured that the fire will not spread towards your home and it can easily be contained.

If your fire pit is too close to the home, then the answer to the question “Can fire pit be used on wood decks?” will be a resounding “No”. Safety is more important than anything else when it comes to recreation.

Remember to Clean Your Fire Pit After Each Use

This is another important point to remember when asking can fire pit be used on wood decks? Every time you use your fire pit, there will be a lot of ash left over afterwards. This ash can cause a lot of harm if it is left unchecked on not cleaned up immediately.

First of all, it can blow into the nooks and crannies of your wooden deck and can flare up next time you light a fire. Another problem it can cause is that of corrosion after it gets moist and seeps into your wooden deck. You should clean up the ashes after using your fire pit and properly dispose them, however you should always wait till the fire has cooled down and is no longer too hot.

A great tip about getting rid of ashes from a fire pit is to use them as plant feed in your compost as they help nourish your plants. So if you often wonder “Can fire pit be used on wood decks”, you can definitely can if you clean up after using it as well.

Conclusion

A lot of people who have an avid love for wood, gas or propane fire pits and outdoor cooking often wonder “Can fire pit be used on wood decks?”. If you take good care of your wooden deck and make sure to take all the cautionary measures regarding fire safety, then why not?

Along with some of the methods and precautions mentioned above, you can also use some kind of barrier between the fire pit and your wooden deck. You can get a non flammable stone or marble slab to place it in between the fire pit and the wooden deck so that any wayward embers from the fire pit can be put out after touching a stone surface.

It is also a good practice to keep lots of water nearby, as well as a fire extinguisher in the case of a fire emergency. Along with all of these precautions, a key thing to remember is that you also have to keep an eye on the fire pit at all times. These little tips go a long way towards safety.