If you're anything like me, you watch a bunch of videos on smokeless fire pits and you glean a lot from each one but yours I enjoyed the most. Thank you.
It’s a raised fireplace- not a fire pit, & accordingly will warm your head, but not your lower body. (Handy for cooking, not great for keeping warm) To see a real pit fire⤵️ ua-cam.com/users/shortsKuHgVJOul2I?si=FWSncU12NVhqRUl
I built exactly as outlined but also added a stove pipe from bottom of pit and return to the center for air to the center. I wanted to tell you no smoke and was the hottest fire I ever see burning. Amazing. Excellent design. appreciated
Seen a few DIY smokeless pit YT. Yours was the easiest, no fuss. You must have been pleased when you got the "fingers of flame" from the top holes. Keep up the good work, well done.
I've watched more than a few of these DIY smokeless fire pit videos and hands down yours appears to be the best design. Thanks for taking the time to produce this.
I agree, this is just a guess but Jon may have an engineering background with his drawing at the start explaining how it will work. Then the build and re-adjustment with explanations. Found it really helpful
I don’t care what this dude makes. He’s so calming and relaxing to listen too 😂. Also great fire pit! I’ve watched about 5 of these today and yours is BY FAR the best
It's the best-looking firepit 100%. To help with the smoke when the fire is starting keeping the wood below the top ring of holes will work more efficiently to get the secondary burning of the combustible gases. Once the fire gets good and hot then it really won't matter. Because in the end, who wants a tiny fire anyway. Friends loved ones, and a few adult beverages sitting around a fire is as good as it gets. Add a little food and you have a perfect evening. Thank you for the great video.
So Jon I finished my fire pit, and burned two fires to burn the zinc off of the galvanized ring. We enjoyed the fire tonight and it burned really clean. No smoke at all exiting the ring. I did not see the fire streaks coming our of the upper holes as you did, but it could be that I didn't build quite as large a fire as you did. I used 1 1/2" fire brick for the top course, and sealed it with 5000 degree caulk to the third course of retaining wall blocks, to create a sealed gap around the galvanized ring, and to force the heated air through the upper 1/2" holes. I cut the rectangular fire bricks with a tile saw into a trapazoidal shape. Thanks for sharing what you learned.
This is so awesome. I love how you did zero ground prep, it's so unneeded if you have a level spot. Nature will take care of it. I've been burning campfires and large brush piles for 25 years. I know my stuff. Great design. This will be done at my NH vacation property. If I like it I will do it at my permanent residence as well. Here in New England we are plagued by variable winds, meaning smoke will literally follow you around the fire! I think the only thing I would change is make the bottom holes a little bit higher.
Thank you so much for the diagram, a detailed explanation of the phenomenon of “smokeless “ and the dramatic slowmo showing how air pushes in through the holes!
Your two videos about this firepit really helped me with making some key design choices with a project of my own I already had half-done when I saw your videos So helpful! Thank you.
I have watched a ton of videos on this. I'm so interested in doing this right. I've seen the double rings and all that but I thought mathematically there was a better way without the two rings. You did a great job breaking this down to how this should be done. Makes perfect sense. Thank you. Great job.. Logic always wins..
My 1st comment on a fire pit, 5 out of 5 stars! I've watched over 20 hours and now know dozens of things I won't do. I'm going to try to avoid the galvanized steal, out of an abundance of caution. Thanks Jon for showing us the right way.
I built my fire pit similar to this and it works perfectly. After things come up to temp there is no smoke! The heat output is also way more than my old fire pit. Thanks for the video. You should get an award.
I used a thin layer of pea gravel then on top of it I put a bag of lava rocks in the same ring as yours. If you pour water over the embers at the end of the night or it rains on it the ash will just dissolve into the ground. I found that the lava rocks really heat up like coals and must help it do this. I never have to clean ashes out.
Nice! I’ll have to keep the lava rocks in mind. The bricks at the bottom get wiggled up on the next fire so the new logs are always above the ashes. I think I clean out a pit maybe a couple times all season.
Great video, Jon. Exactly what I was looking for. The smaller holes around the top create more pressure. Other videos did not have the holes at the bottom of the ring. I am looking forward to building my pit.
Thank you for doing this and showing enough detail that the build, and how it functions, can be understood. That is the difference between showing and teaching.
What an amazing set of instructions. I needed 58 4×8 bricks but otherwise fantastic version one. I haven't done mortor yet, but tinfoil hides well and covers enough cracks to get a strong jet effect. I used 3/8th in holes. Followed the comments to put 3in high on bottom. Looking forward to my version two but it works so well i have little ideas on what is next. Thanks for a simple way to achieve a smokeless pit. Couldn't be happier with how it turned out!
Very nice job, really appreciate the time you put in to show me how to do this properly. Tip for you, pun intended. the tip is the first thing to go on your step bits. They will last years if you drill a quick pilot hole first with a small bit and finish to size with step bit. thanks again from bc canada.
Best smokeless fire pit video out there! THANK YOU! To the point, informative, not stretched out with any dumb fill. -U could be a big youtuber if u wanted, u have all the qualities. Just make more videos like this fire pit one about other things people want to see.
Thank you so much! This was always a fun side hobby for the past 7-8 years, never really expected to amount to much. Maybe I’ll stick with it, it was quite fun after all. And I never realized how great of a community would actually subscribe and like some random fire pit video from a kid with 20 subs. This was an incredible experience.
Like Mark Taz Graves I have watched a bunch and think yours is the best design. I like how you made changes and didn't skip and just show the finished product. I think it is a mistake most people will make. Thanks Man!
Thanks! I wanted to drive the point that I combined ideas from different sources and made mistakes. This is by no means a perfect design, it can always be better! 😆
Outstanding....i wonder if you had sealed all the bricks and the top completely but had 3 lower openings at bottom bricks if it would be even better???
Yeah I would mortar it all together minus the holes at the bottom. I think I was concerned the ring might need replacing every few years but now that it’s seasoned for a while now, I’m confident it’ll hold up longer than I thought. Plus, it doesn’t help that my wife knocks it with the mower and it screws up the pit. Or when the kids randomly decide to walk on it 🤦🏻♂️
I like it... let me tell you why...I could see right from the start you were a guy who knew how to actually measure "well I had to have a hole on the seam to make it come out even" the size of the top orifice is key... others I've seen drill a huge inch and a half or so....my brain told me some thing was wrong with that...I am happy I stumbled upon this video...great job ...
simple and well done. I've watched others and will say this is the only one that actually had defined "fire fingers." I think I'm ready to tackle this myself!
Not only did you make a smokeless fire pit, but it’s also a wood gasification pit. Which is why there is flames out the top holes. Usually wood gas is wasted and just rolls out of the pit away from the flame. Very nice job! Took 5 videos to find what I wanted to see. It’s possible! Thanks for the design!
I'm assuming that if you want the actual fire a bit higher in the pit (not as deep) you would drill the bottom set of holes a bit higher in accordance with the layer of pavers that have the gaps between them?
@@luckyrockmore2796 well personally I’d probably add more wood, or buy a ring that is a bit more shallow. You’d still want the holes as low as possible. It’s the wood gas exiting the bottom holes mixing with the fresh oxygen and coming out the top that creates the top flame. If it’s just smokeless you want to achieve, more oxygen is generally the key, along with properly seasoned wood.
When you shifted the ring up to create the seal under the cap stone, what happened to the relationship between the air inlets and the ring ( and bottom holes)?
It’s a raised fireplace- not a fire pit, & accordingly will warm your head, but not your lower body. (Handy for cooking, not great for keeping warm) To see a real pit fire⤵️ ua-cam.com/users/shortsKuHgVJOul2I?si=FWSncU12NVhqRUl
Love how detailed you are and how you linked everything you used in the description. Most definitely making this went to your links to buy everything just like yours but Lowe’s is out of all the bricks you used ”must be because of this video” 🤪
Excellent video of how convection air can create clean combustion. We incorporated the exact same principal in our double sided fireplace in our Den/ Family room on one side and the kitchen/ Dining area on the other. So far it's made chimney cleaning an absolute ease. Nicest thing is it doubles the heat output and you can burn greener wood or wood with a higher moisture content. We had to get higher heat rated glass for the Kitchen/dining room side but other than that....even our local Fireplace/Woodburning Stove owner was VERY IMPRESSED with how well it works. The day we had him come out to see it with his job foreman we let them pick the wood to burn and they got the most wet rotten pieces from a stack we made years ago that were on bare ground and in no time at all the temp in the Kitchen Breakfast Bar area went from 62° to 75° (it took about 20 min because of the vaulted ceilings in those rooms) but it was SNOWING like crazy and only in the mid Teens outside the day they came out. Now granted this is a ULTRA MODERN Log Home we designed ourselves and the way we built this house the insulation values are super high which means it takes very little energy to cool or heat the entire home, still to go from 62° to 75° using ONLY THE FIREPLACE AND CEILING FANS TO CIRCULATE AND HELP WITH COLD/WARM AIR EXCHANGE.....to accomplish this using only a 2 sided fireplace that the Wife and I designed..... considering the shear square footage we raised the temp in....well....I'm sure you can understand why our Local Fireplace/Wood Stove store owner was way more than just a little interested in how we accomplished this using no fans or blowers..... were in negotiations with him now on the design rights (which we had our lawyer take care of so we own the rights to our design.) So that this Store Owner can manufacture and sell and install them.
Hey Jon - I have been studying smokeless fire pit DIY videos all month, and this is by far the best one. I am doing my homework and will be building mine next month. I plan on videoing it, throwing it on UA-cam and certainly giving you plenty of credit. Thanks!
It’s a raised fireplace- not a fire pit, & accordingly will warm your head, but not your lower body. (Handy for cooking, not great for keeping warm) To see a real pit fire⤵️ ua-cam.com/users/shortsKuHgVJOul2I?si=FWSncU12NVhqRUl
I was thinking the same thing as I watched several other videos before finding this one. Chan is also the only one I have seen mentioning a vent system at the bottom.
It’s a raised fireplace- not a fire pit, & accordingly will warm your head, but not your lower body. (Handy for cooking, not great for keeping warm) To see a real pit fire⤵️ ua-cam.com/users/shortsKuHgVJOul2I?si=FWSncU12NVhqRUl
After watching about 10,502 of these videos, this is the best one! The design makes so much sense! I'll be implementing this method for my own fire pit. Thanks for this!
Do you think the holes at the bottom are necessary if you are holding logs above the ground/stone with a grate? I went with 7/8" inch holes 2" on center for the top holes. Considering making 8 bottom holes which I don't think will detract from performance.
When you’re at full burn it’ll help fuel the base of the fire. Since all the heat is pushing the air up and out, it creates a low pressure area at the base which tries to suck in oxygen. Since all the oxygen burns before it gets to the bottom of the pit, you will be waiting for the fuel to get to the top of the fire before it burns. So bottom holes will increase your burn rate and higher heat. If you’re looking to slow down your burn, skip the bottom holes.
It’s a raised fireplace- not a fire pit, & accordingly will warm your head, but not your lower body. (Handy for cooking, not great for keeping warm) To see a real pit fire⤵️ ua-cam.com/users/shortsKuHgVJOul2I?si=FWSncU12NVhqRUl
Looks great and appears to work great. My only comment to anyone wanting to try it is keep your distance the first time you burn on it. The fumes produced when the galvanized coating is burning off the metal ring are very toxic to breathe in. Welders have to take special precautions whenever they weld on galvanized materials.
Nice blast furnace design! You might want to 1) prep the base with some gravel and stone dust so it lasts longer, 2) dry fit the blocks like you did, but glue them in place, and 3) don’t heat up mortar right away, give it time to dry, so you don’t boil the remaining water that’s in it.
Really is a blast furnace. Consumes a lot of wood but the biggest comment I get from guests is how hot it is; no one is disappointed about standing an extra foot away.
This is not a blast furnace as the fuel is neither compressed nor "blasted" with superheated fresh air. Blast furnaces use a heat exchanger to heat the ambient outside fresh air and then mechanically "blast" / blow it into the combusting fuel mixture at the BOTTOM of the burn chamber. Delete this sh*t before someone thinks your stupid.
Awesome video, thank you for doing this. I did something similar, except i used a 12" x 10' sheet metal roll around the outside edge of a fire ring i bought (Steel Fire ring in place of the tractor supply ring you used). The sheet metal had a 1" gap from the steel ring, creating a envelope all the way around the inside steel ring which was fed with (5) 1-1/4" emt (metallic tubing) inlets, which i set in mortar within the decorative stones i laid around that steel ring assembly.. Have yet to light a fire but ill keep you posted if anyone's interested!
as others have said this is the best design of the smokeless rings out there. I feel its an improvement to the awesome one from Haxman. I also like the smaller holes to make the jets work best. I am scrolling though the comments to see if anyone has other links for pavers that are not out of stock. I will share if I can find some as it is likely an issue I see based on where I live.
Thanks for the nice explanation. these diy videos often lack the theory behind it and it's hard to push the boundaries of how it's down when you don't know the theory.
Great design and great secondary burn. And I was gonna comment that about your shoe. Big fires that go on for a while can have embers stay hot well over 24 hours. Depends how much ash covered the live embers because it insulates them.
Fantastic video! I really appreciate you including the materials in the description. I had a couple questions I couldn't find the answer to anywhere else: What do you do with the ashes afterwords? I've been told rain washes them away (under the rocks in the bottom of the pit), but I wanted to check. What were those 4 small bricks you places inside the middle of the pit? How do you know once all the galvanization is gone? And have you thought about coating the ring with any heat and rust resistant material? I appreciate any answers you might have, and thanks again for the great video!
Thanks Charlie! I burn all hardwood so there really isn’t much ash left. The 4 bricks keep the new logs off the old ashes. When I make a new fire, I wiggle up the bricks and place them back on top so the wood is above the ashes. I clean out the pit once the vent holes are completely buried, maybe 2-3 times all year. The zinc is burned off when the steel looks dull, usually requires a nice big fire to get it all. As for coatings, we weren’t comfortable with any paint on the inside so we let the rust form. Once rusted a little it will slow down oxidation on its own, so it’s no effort on my part for maintenance.
@@Jon_Chan thanks for the quick answer, I’m about to set up my own fire pit and having this video and info is a big help. I hope your fires are always big and smokeless!
It’s a raised fireplace- not a fire pit, & accordingly will warm your head, but not your lower body. (Handy for cooking, not great for keeping warm) To see a real pit fire⤵️ ua-cam.com/users/shortsKuHgVJOul2I?si=FWSncU12NVhqRUl
Great job, lots of scientific reasoning behind this build. You did a better job explaining than most other videos. Here's 1 more sub to get you closer to 1k and monetization!
Hi, thank you for the well detailed video. I happen to really enjoy cooking over an open fire - except for the smoke. Before starting to cook I always let the fire burn down low. If I were to put a steel grill on top would thus be good for cooking over do you think?
Nice video and great idea incorporating old technologies. For those who believe its "pressure" doing the work here...it isn't. It's the velocity of the air caused by the vacuum owing to differential pressure between the interior and exterior of the pit :)
Ah interesting, so you’re saying the fire is creating a low pressure area inside the pit, which is sucking in air from the high pressure around the pit?
This is going to be a great addition to my preschool program! I never knew that smokeless fire pits even existed. Now I’m checking the different designs out on u-tube, and I really think you’ve perfected it. Thank you so much for sharing your ideas! 🍎 Miss Allyson’s Preschool, Vacaville, Ca.
Well done. Most people add too much primary air, it takes surprisingly little air down at the bottom. I have found about 1% of the bottom surface area in primary air vent is about right on the ones I build and larger pits need even less. Adding too much primary allows too much up-flow and cools the fire, and the gasses don’t get as much time to fully break down. With less up-flow, more fresh air comes in over the top edge and actually forces the heated secondary air farther out(and down) over the fire and pushes any unburnt gas back out over the heat to get another chance and more time at being broken down. You also show the second very important point. These things need to be full from side to side to burn like your video shows. A 36” pit with an 18” fire will not burn like this, so if you don’t burn fires this large, you need to find a smaller ring and build a smaller pit. My favorite size is about 18” which I build out of 80 gal hot water heater tanks. I don’t drill holes anymore, I found that a thin slot at the top works just as well, but a little harder to setup with a ring and brick build unless you put some brackets on the ring to maintain it’s orientation to the top of the brick.. One problem you are going to run into is with those CC capstones. They are getting a lot of heat from that superheated secondary flame, and they are going to start to fracture and the tips fall off.. I just tore down an old fire pit I made from pavers/retaining wall block and nearly every one had separated parallel to the ring about 1.5” in from the face exposed to the fire...
Yes! I get the airflow argument a lot. More isn’t always better. And we do like to fill the pit when we have a full circle of people, which shows off the airflow nicely. As for the caps, I was hoping to figure out a better material one day as I figured direct heat exposure probably isn’t good for longevity. It’s starting to turn a bit reddish in some spots. Would you have a recommendation?
@@tomrobinson7393 a flat steel plate on top in place of the pavers, or a ring and plate(flange) under and in front of the pavers to shield them with a little layer of sand between the ring and pavers for insulation/isolation from the heat... this would also make sealing the top edge easier, or setting a fixed gap instead of drilling all the holes...
@@rronmar thanks for explaining. Unfortunately Lowe’s is out on the pavers linked. Home Depot’s are bigger and won’t fit a 36” ring. So many products unavailable these days!
I gave it a little more thought and got me an idear!!! Looking at the Solo design, I see that the bottom of the "can" has a bunch of holes in it. It appears to burn so hot that it turns everything to ash. So You can easily buy an aluminum water heater pan, drill a bunch of 3/8 in holes in it and place it at the bottom of the pit. Position it above the bottom holes in the ring. support the pan with like 3" thick blocks. Its make for easy cleanup. Just pull the pan out and dump it the neighbor's yard! LOL..
Haha I can’t imagine it getting any hotter! It’s already extremely hot when it’s operating at peak efficiency that you have to back up a few paces. I don’t really have anything left in the pit after a fire, it all goes down to nothing!
I wish ppl would watch more videos of actual landscapers doing hard scapes before trying projects like this. You really need a compacted layer of rock under your block. They are going to settle and look all uneven,
Haha thanks bud. I knew I cheated and will be redoing it later. I did try to make a note of it in description so others don’t take the shortcut as I did. I had a lot of stuff working against me that week and the only end goal was a pit was needed by Saturday evening.
I get that this was more to prove the design works but sadly a lot of people do thier actual final builds like this. To spend that much in material and not create a solid and level foundation for it is irritating to anyone who values good and lasting construction.
@@stevenbeall9637 how do Ih get a solid foundation? I dug up my grass, leveled the dirt & was going to lay (play) sand down that the lava rock would go over. What do you suggest?
Jon, what an awesome video. I have looked at dozens of videos trying to figure out how I wanted to build my fire pit. After all that searching I found that yours is exactly how I want to build mine. Kudos and thanks a million.
@@Jon_Chan I saw the list. Another reason yours is my favorite DIY smokeless fir pit. As far as the rusting on the fire ring, now that the galvanization has burned off, have you thought about using some high temperature spray paint on the ring? This should help slow down the oxidation, don't you think?
Yea it probably would help slow the rust but my wife was uncomfortable about burning wood in something painted, so I skipped it for her. Besides, once rust forms, it actually slows further oxidation naturally. I’d expect 4-5 years out of this ring.
Use black high heat spray paint on the inside of the ring! It'll make the metal absorb more heat, for a better burn, and also just look better. It would be great to see someone weld vertical metal fins on the outside of the ring, to assist in distributing the heat from the metal to the passing air.
@@silencesddAlso, as I just mentioned in the other video's comments, if you really want to create the best surface for the spray paint to adhere to, and make it rust proof, wet down the ring a few times after you've removed the galvanization, to develop a light layer of rust, and then wipe that with naval jelly. The phosphoric acid will react with the rust to create a material even harder than the iron itself, as well as prevent rust from developing for about a year. That will create the perfect etched surface that will tenaciously grip the paint. With the addition of the paint, the rust prevention goes from a year, to indefinitely. The matte surface will attract and hold soot more readily, which makes the surface hydrophobic.
Lol meant to get back to answer and got buried. I was against the paint because of the uncertainty if it would dissipate anything into the air because, you know, it’s still paint at 1000+C. I’m sure it’ll do as you say, it’s just not for us.
So I am under contract to buy our first house and I have always wanted a firepit, and this is the best explanation of how and why to do things your way. Thanks for putting it together.
Thanks for some of the design ideas vs some of the other videos out there. Converted existing fire pit to accept drop in fire ring with 3 inch lip. Will drill half inch holes near the top and a few along bottom. Assuming by your results 8 1/2 holes along the bottom was enough intake down low.
@@Jon_Chan Echoing everyone on the great vid! Similar question about the bottom holes. I love the concept of airflow at the bottom. Originally I was going to bring in fresh air via a vent pipe underneath but am afraid I would be constantly cleaning it out. I like your idea of the holes at the bottom but wonder if you think it lowers the efficiency of airflow from the top holes? When I look at Solo type pits, they sepearte the fresh air flow from the top. My future decision is in your hands :-).
@@MichaelBallard5574 haha thank you! As for the bottom holes taking away from the top holes, I don't think it makes a significant difference. I was looking at Solo's cross sectional diagram and they pull the intake from the same location and splits it between the updraft (bottom holes) and the secondary inlet (top holes) after it enters the pit. Their updraft intake has the advantage of being heated to some degree as it takes a roundable way to get to the fuel. This becomes a top lit updraft gasifier to some degree and those operate on the same principals, one intake split between updraft and secondary. Just gotta keep the lower holes in small quantities as I think too much would then cool the fire too much. pardon my ramble, train of thoughts just keep going
I used the stainless steel drum from a washing machine set on top of a dryer’s round drum. Coiled tube between the two to warm the pool. It’s above ground and has retaining wall bricks to make it look nice.
If you're anything like me, you watch a bunch of videos on smokeless fire pits and you glean a lot from each one but yours I enjoyed the most. Thank you.
It’s a raised fireplace- not a fire pit, & accordingly will warm your head, but not your lower body. (Handy for cooking, not great for keeping warm)
To see a real pit fire⤵️
ua-cam.com/users/shortsKuHgVJOul2I?si=FWSncU12NVhqRUl
Three years later I'm here doing the same thing as you
I built exactly as outlined but also added a stove pipe from bottom of pit and return to the center for air to the center. I wanted to tell you no smoke and was the hottest fire I ever see burning. Amazing. Excellent design. appreciated
What’s a “stove pipe”? Do you have a link to your final product or a mock up of what this would be like with the “stove pipe”?
Seen a few DIY smokeless pit YT.
Yours was the easiest, no fuss.
You must have been pleased when you got the "fingers of flame" from the top holes.
Keep up the good work, well done.
I have watched all the videos on "smokeless" fire pits and I think this is the best. Thank you!
The first diy smokeless firepit which actually works!
I've watched more than a few of these DIY smokeless fire pit videos and hands down yours appears to be the best design. Thanks for taking the time to produce this.
Thank you for watching!
I agree, this is just a guess but Jon may have an engineering background with his drawing at the start explaining how it will work.
Then the build and re-adjustment with explanations.
Found it really helpful
Totally agree!!!
Same and agreed!
I also agree. :)
I knew if I waited long enough an engineering mind type of guy (you) would make the necessary modifications to make it a worthwhile project.
Only guy on youtube building these correctly like a wood gas stove LOL. Love to see it.
watched many but this gentleman nailed it, also with a crisper short video, thanks!
I don’t care what this dude makes. He’s so calming and relaxing to listen too 😂. Also great fire pit! I’ve watched about 5 of these today and yours is BY FAR the best
Yours is the first one that actually seemed to work. You can actually se the re-ignition at the top. Awesome job!
It's the best-looking firepit 100%. To help with the smoke when the fire is starting keeping the wood below the top ring of holes will work more efficiently to get the secondary burning of the combustible gases. Once the fire gets good and hot then it really won't matter. Because in the end, who wants a tiny fire anyway. Friends loved ones, and a few adult beverages sitting around a fire is as good as it gets. Add a little food and you have a perfect evening. Thank you for the great video.
holy crap you can actually see the top holes working! nice shot!
As others have stated before me, best video of its kind. Gives me the confidence to give it a go. Thank you.
So Jon I finished my fire pit, and burned two fires to burn the zinc off of the galvanized ring. We enjoyed the fire tonight and it burned really clean. No smoke at all exiting the ring. I did not see the fire streaks coming our of the upper holes as you did, but it could be that I didn't build quite as large a fire as you did. I used 1 1/2" fire brick for the top course, and sealed it with 5000 degree caulk to the third course of retaining wall blocks, to create a sealed gap around the galvanized ring, and to force the heated air through the upper 1/2" holes. I cut the rectangular fire bricks with a tile saw into a trapazoidal shape. Thanks for sharing what you learned.
This is so awesome. I love how you did zero ground prep, it's so unneeded if you have a level spot. Nature will take care of it. I've been burning campfires and large brush piles for 25 years. I know my stuff. Great design. This will be done at my NH vacation property. If I like it I will do it at my permanent residence as well. Here in New England we are plagued by variable winds, meaning smoke will literally follow you around the fire! I think the only thing I would change is make the bottom holes a little bit higher.
Agreed, at least 3" up.
@@Jon_Chan do you mean 3 inches up from the bottom of the base?
So the top holes were 2" apart, yes? How far apart were the bottom holes?
I like the smoke to keep the mosquitos away to be honest, but this is an awesome design.
Thank you so much for the diagram, a detailed explanation of the phenomenon of “smokeless “ and the dramatic slowmo showing how air pushes in through the holes!
Your two videos about this firepit really helped me with making some key design choices with a project of my own I already had half-done when I saw your videos So helpful! Thank you.
I have watched a ton of videos on this. I'm so interested in doing this right. I've seen the double rings and all that but I thought mathematically there was a better way without the two rings. You did a great job breaking this down to how this should be done. Makes perfect sense. Thank you. Great job.. Logic always wins..
My 1st comment on a fire pit, 5 out of 5 stars! I've watched over 20 hours and now know dozens of things I won't do. I'm going to try to avoid the galvanized steal, out of an abundance of caution. Thanks Jon for showing us the right way.
I built my fire pit similar to this and it works perfectly. After things come up to temp there is no smoke! The heat output is also way more than my old fire pit. Thanks for the video. You should get an award.
Haha thank you so much! Your subscription would be an awesome reward ;)
Hey, would you mind sharing your material list? I would like a smaller version as well. 😊
One of the best videos for smokeless firepits and one of the best end results. Thank you!
I used a thin layer of pea gravel then on top of it I put a bag of lava rocks in the same ring as yours. If you pour water over the embers at the end of the night or it rains on it the ash will just dissolve into the ground. I found that the lava rocks really heat up like coals and must help it do this. I never have to clean ashes out.
Nice! I’ll have to keep the lava rocks in mind. The bricks at the bottom get wiggled up on the next fire so the new logs are always above the ashes. I think I clean out a pit maybe a couple times all season.
Likes how you showed the first attempt and the issue you had, then the fix.
Probably going to try another improvement next spring 😆
Great video, Jon. Exactly what I was looking for. The smaller holes around the top create more pressure. Other videos did not have the holes at the bottom of the ring. I am looking forward to building my pit.
Thank you for doing this and showing enough detail that the build, and how it functions, can be understood. That is the difference between showing and teaching.
What an amazing set of instructions. I needed 58 4×8 bricks but otherwise fantastic version one. I haven't done mortor yet, but tinfoil hides well and covers enough cracks to get a strong jet effect. I used 3/8th in holes. Followed the comments to put 3in high on bottom. Looking forward to my version two but it works so well i have little ideas on what is next. Thanks for a simple way to achieve a smokeless pit. Couldn't be happier with how it turned out!
I like this build a lot. I was given a fire ring but it didn't have the flange on top, so this build is perfect for what I have. Thank you!
yours is the first 100% functioning one ive seen. Im building a rectangle cinder pit but using your airflow approach.
Very nice job, really appreciate the time you put in to show me how to do this properly.
Tip for you, pun intended.
the tip is the first thing to go on your step bits. They will last years if you drill a quick pilot hole first with a small bit and finish to size with step bit.
thanks again from bc canada.
Ah that’s a great idea! Basically sacrifice the tip on cheaper normal drill bits rather than this much more expensive step bit.
Built this. Nearly exactly as you list and I have to say it's the best thing I've done in my yard in a long time. It is geeat
Best smokeless fire pit video out there! THANK YOU! To the point, informative, not stretched out with any dumb fill.
-U could be a big youtuber if u wanted, u have all the qualities. Just make more videos like this fire pit one about other things people want to see.
Thank you so much! This was always a fun side hobby for the past 7-8 years, never really expected to amount to much. Maybe I’ll stick with it, it was quite fun after all. And I never realized how great of a community would actually subscribe and like some random fire pit video from a kid with 20 subs. This was an incredible experience.
My husband just built a firepit following the instructions in this video. It works perfectly and looks great.
That’s awesome! 🙌🏼
Like Mark Taz Graves I have watched a bunch and think yours is the best design. I like how you made changes and didn't skip and just show the finished product. I think it is a mistake most people will make. Thanks Man!
Thanks! I wanted to drive the point that I combined ideas from different sources and made mistakes. This is by no means a perfect design, it can always be better! 😆
@@Jon_ChanYou rock…exceptional attitude! Thanks for your time and presentation!!
Outstanding....i wonder if you had sealed all the bricks and the top completely but had 3 lower openings at bottom bricks if it would be even better???
Yeah I would mortar it all together minus the holes at the bottom. I think I was concerned the ring might need replacing every few years but now that it’s seasoned for a while now, I’m confident it’ll hold up longer than I thought. Plus, it doesn’t help that my wife knocks it with the mower and it screws up the pit. Or when the kids randomly decide to walk on it 🤦🏻♂️
I like it... let me tell you why...I could see right from the start you were a guy who knew how to actually measure "well I had to have a hole on the seam to make it come out even" the size of the top orifice is key... others I've seen drill a huge inch and a half or so....my brain told me some thing was wrong with that...I am happy I stumbled upon this video...great job ...
simple and well done. I've watched others and will say this is the only one that actually had defined "fire fingers." I think I'm ready to tackle this myself!
Fire fingers! 😆 I love it!
This should be the de-facto standard video on how to DIY a smokeless fire pit!
I built this design last weekend. It came together faster than expected and works great. Thanks for sharing.
That’s awesome!!!! Thanks again for watching!
Saw a notification you shared a video but I think UA-cam deletes those comments 😢 can’t find the link or the comment at all!
@@Jon_Chan Not surprised. Sent it to your email.
Not only did you make a smokeless fire pit, but it’s also a wood gasification pit. Which is why there is flames out the top holes. Usually wood gas is wasted and just rolls out of the pit away from the flame. Very nice job! Took 5 videos to find what I wanted to see. It’s possible! Thanks for the design!
I'm assuming that if you want the actual fire a bit higher in the pit (not as deep) you would drill the bottom set of holes a bit higher in accordance with the layer of pavers that have the gaps between them?
@@luckyrockmore2796 well personally I’d probably add more wood, or buy a ring that is a bit more shallow. You’d still want the holes as low as possible. It’s the wood gas exiting the bottom holes mixing with the fresh oxygen and coming out the top that creates the top flame. If it’s just smokeless you want to achieve, more oxygen is generally the key, along with properly seasoned wood.
When you shifted the ring up to create the seal under the cap stone, what happened to the relationship between the air inlets and the ring ( and bottom holes)?
It’s a raised fireplace- not a fire pit, & accordingly will warm your head, but not your lower body. (Handy for cooking, not great for keeping warm)
To see a real pit fire⤵️
ua-cam.com/users/shortsKuHgVJOul2I?si=FWSncU12NVhqRUl
No bullshitting and straight to the point. Thank you so much!
Love how detailed you are and how you linked everything you used in the description. Most definitely making this went to your links to buy everything just like yours but Lowe’s is out of all the bricks you used ”must be because of this video” 🤪
Haha yea the side effects of a successful build video 😂 I know the rings are all gone at my local tractor supply.
Excellent video of how convection air can create clean combustion.
We incorporated the exact same principal in our double sided fireplace in our Den/ Family room on one side and the kitchen/ Dining area on the other.
So far it's made chimney cleaning an absolute ease. Nicest thing is it doubles the heat output and you can burn greener wood or wood with a higher moisture content. We had to get higher heat rated glass for the Kitchen/dining room side but other than that....even our local Fireplace/Woodburning Stove owner was VERY IMPRESSED with how well it works. The day we had him come out to see it with his job foreman we let them pick the wood to burn and they got the most wet rotten pieces from a stack we made years ago that were on bare ground and in no time at all the temp in the Kitchen Breakfast Bar area went from 62° to 75° (it took about 20 min because of the vaulted ceilings in those rooms) but it was SNOWING like crazy and only in the mid Teens outside the day they came out.
Now granted this is a ULTRA MODERN Log Home we designed ourselves and the way we built this house the insulation values are super high which means it takes very little energy to cool or heat the entire home, still to go from 62° to 75° using ONLY THE FIREPLACE AND CEILING FANS TO CIRCULATE AND HELP WITH COLD/WARM AIR EXCHANGE.....to accomplish this using only a 2 sided fireplace that the Wife and I designed..... considering the shear square footage we raised the temp in....well....I'm sure you can understand why our Local Fireplace/Wood Stove store owner was way more than just a little interested in how we accomplished this using no fans or blowers..... were in negotiations with him now on the design rights (which we had our lawyer take care of so we own the rights to our design.) So that this Store Owner can manufacture and sell and install them.
It certainly puts out way more heat and on calm nights it’s such a clean burn. An indoor fireplace with such design sounds pretty awesome!
Please let us know if / when this indoor design becomes available. Kudos to you for the idea!
Hey Jon - I have been studying smokeless fire pit DIY videos all month, and this is by far the best one. I am doing my homework and will be building mine next month. I plan on videoing it, throwing it on UA-cam and certainly giving you plenty of credit. Thanks!
So where’s that video? 😜
did you end up building your own?
It’s a raised fireplace- not a fire pit, & accordingly will warm your head, but not your lower body. (Handy for cooking, not great for keeping warm)
To see a real pit fire⤵️
ua-cam.com/users/shortsKuHgVJOul2I?si=FWSncU12NVhqRUl
Built this yesterday! Well worth the time to drill the holes!
You sir have done it correctly! All the other DIYs in this firepit do wayyy too big , and i even thought that's not gonna have the pressure it needs
I was thinking the same thing as I watched several other videos before finding this one. Chan is also the only one I have seen mentioning a vent system at the bottom.
4:58 I like how you protected the grass with the insulating gravel layer
Well Looks like I’ll be buying another ring... Hackmans honestly worked for me but this is next level.
It’s a raised fireplace- not a fire pit, & accordingly will warm your head, but not your lower body. (Handy for cooking, not great for keeping warm)
To see a real pit fire⤵️
ua-cam.com/users/shortsKuHgVJOul2I?si=FWSncU12NVhqRUl
After watching about 10,502 of these videos, this is the best one! The design makes so much sense! I'll be implementing this method for my own fire pit.
Thanks for this!
I agree with Mark TAZ Graves - after watching a lot of these videos, this design has the best concept. Nice video. Thank you for sharing it with us!
Thank you!
Do you think the holes at the bottom are necessary if you are holding logs above the ground/stone with a grate? I went with 7/8" inch holes 2" on center for the top holes. Considering making 8 bottom holes which I don't think will detract from performance.
When you’re at full burn it’ll help fuel the base of the fire. Since all the heat is pushing the air up and out, it creates a low pressure area at the base which tries to suck in oxygen. Since all the oxygen burns before it gets to the bottom of the pit, you will be waiting for the fuel to get to the top of the fire before it burns. So bottom holes will increase your burn rate and higher heat. If you’re looking to slow down your burn, skip the bottom holes.
@@Jon_Chan Or, you could create some type of system to open and close holes depending on what you want at that time.
It’s a raised fireplace- not a fire pit, & accordingly will warm your head, but not your lower body. (Handy for cooking, not great for keeping warm)
To see a real pit fire⤵️
ua-cam.com/users/shortsKuHgVJOul2I?si=FWSncU12NVhqRUl
Looks great and appears to work great. My only comment to anyone wanting to try it is keep your distance the first time you burn on it. The fumes produced when the galvanized coating is burning off the metal ring are very toxic to breathe in. Welders have to take special precautions whenever they weld on galvanized materials.
Yep, the first burn didn’t have anyone around the fire. Nasty stuff.
Building one of these for a customer this week. Your video is hands down the best I’ve seen. Thanks for the upload!
Nice blast furnace design! You might want to 1) prep the base with some gravel and stone dust so it lasts longer, 2) dry fit the blocks like you did, but glue them in place, and 3) don’t heat up mortar right away, give it time to dry, so you don’t boil the remaining water that’s in it.
Can you please explain what you mean by prepping the base with some gravel and stone dust?
Really is a blast furnace. Consumes a lot of wood but the biggest comment I get from guests is how hot it is; no one is disappointed about standing an extra foot away.
This is not a blast furnace as the fuel is neither compressed nor "blasted" with superheated fresh air. Blast furnaces use a heat exchanger to heat the ambient outside fresh air and then mechanically "blast" / blow it into the combusting fuel mixture at the BOTTOM of the burn chamber. Delete this sh*t before someone thinks your stupid.
One of the best DIY videos on UA-cam. But I would pre punch before drilling to minimize travel and align the holes more nicely.
Awesome video, thank you for doing this.
I did something similar, except i used a 12" x 10' sheet metal roll around the outside edge of a fire ring i bought (Steel Fire ring in place of the tractor supply ring you used). The sheet metal had a 1" gap from the steel ring, creating a envelope all the way around the inside steel ring which was fed with (5) 1-1/4" emt (metallic tubing) inlets, which i set in mortar within the decorative stones i laid around that steel ring assembly.. Have yet to light a fire but ill keep you posted if anyone's interested!
How’s that work out?
Excellent video on how to diy smokeless fire pit. Best I’ve seen. Running to Lowe’s today to get started. Thx!
as others have said this is the best design of the smokeless rings out there. I feel its an improvement to the awesome one from Haxman. I also like the smaller holes to make the jets work best. I am scrolling though the comments to see if anyone has other links for pavers that are not out of stock. I will share if I can find some as it is likely an issue I see based on where I live.
Thank you! And sorry to have contributed to the hardscape deficiency!
If you find any, please post. I can not find any anywhere. I like the look of these I only find mostly tan and red.
Thanks for the nice explanation.
these diy videos often lack the theory behind it and it's hard to push the boundaries of how it's down when you don't know the theory.
I usually follow the question of How? with Why? 😉
I've been looking at videos all day your video is by far the best
Great design and great secondary burn. And I was gonna comment that about your shoe. Big fires that go on for a while can have embers stay hot well over 24 hours. Depends how much ash covered the live embers because it insulates them.
Fantastic video! I really appreciate you including the materials in the description. I had a couple questions I couldn't find the answer to anywhere else:
What do you do with the ashes afterwords? I've been told rain washes them away (under the rocks in the bottom of the pit), but I wanted to check.
What were those 4 small bricks you places inside the middle of the pit?
How do you know once all the galvanization is gone? And have you thought about coating the ring with any heat and rust resistant material?
I appreciate any answers you might have, and thanks again for the great video!
Thanks Charlie! I burn all hardwood so there really isn’t much ash left. The 4 bricks keep the new logs off the old ashes. When I make a new fire, I wiggle up the bricks and place them back on top so the wood is above the ashes. I clean out the pit once the vent holes are completely buried, maybe 2-3 times all year. The zinc is burned off when the steel looks dull, usually requires a nice big fire to get it all. As for coatings, we weren’t comfortable with any paint on the inside so we let the rust form. Once rusted a little it will slow down oxidation on its own, so it’s no effort on my part for maintenance.
@@Jon_Chan thanks for the quick answer, I’m about to set up my own fire pit and having this video and info is a big help. I hope your fires are always big and smokeless!
Hands down best smokeless firepit video around; I've watched tons only to come back to this one. Thanks brother!!
Thank you!
Totally not fair that this is not the most viewed DIY smokeless fire pit video.
I’m a nobody on the internet so it’s a win for me ☺️
@@Jon_Chan I’m recommending you to my neighbors who are thinking about building one.
@@ljs2001 people like you make the world a better place 🍻
The best smokeless fire pit hands down. I have watched a lot and I don’t think anyone can compare to this one.
It’s a raised fireplace- not a fire pit, & accordingly will warm your head, but not your lower body. (Handy for cooking, not great for keeping warm)
To see a real pit fire⤵️
ua-cam.com/users/shortsKuHgVJOul2I?si=FWSncU12NVhqRUl
Passing on other helpful tips: keep the wood below the top holes to ensure wood fully burns...
2nd that... Solid tip!
Awesome! I used brick on the bottom with a fireplace grate .Super easy to clean up with Flat blade shovel.
That’s a great idea!
Great job, lots of scientific reasoning behind this build. You did a better job explaining than most other videos. Here's 1 more sub to get you closer to 1k and monetization!
The whole lot of you subbing recently are amazing. Thank you! Was thinking 1K subs would be a year end goal to meet!
you have made one of the best one have seen on the web thank you
Hi, thank you for the well detailed video. I happen to really enjoy cooking over an open fire - except for the smoke. Before starting to cook I always let the fire burn down low.
If I were to put a steel grill on top would thus be good for cooking over do you think?
I wouldn't suggest doing that. Anything is possible but not always survivable.
these pits run hotter than normal fires if you wanted to cook on it you might need to make a metal stand to lift the food fire to stop it burning
Nice video and great idea incorporating old technologies. For those who believe its "pressure" doing the work here...it isn't. It's the velocity of the air caused by the vacuum owing to differential pressure between the interior and exterior of the pit :)
Ah interesting, so you’re saying the fire is creating a low pressure area inside the pit, which is sucking in air from the high pressure around the pit?
This is going to be a great addition to my preschool program! I never knew that smokeless fire pits even existed. Now I’m checking the different designs out on u-tube, and I really think you’ve perfected it. Thank you so much for sharing your ideas! 🍎 Miss Allyson’s Preschool, Vacaville, Ca.
Definitely seems to be the best video for this I've found. Nice work
Well done. Most people add too much primary air, it takes surprisingly little air down at the bottom. I have found about 1% of the bottom surface area in primary air vent is about right on the ones I build and larger pits need even less. Adding too much primary allows too much up-flow and cools the fire, and the gasses don’t get as much time to fully break down. With less up-flow, more fresh air comes in over the top edge and actually forces the heated secondary air farther out(and down) over the fire and pushes any unburnt gas back out over the heat to get another chance and more time at being broken down. You also show the second very important point. These things need to be full from side to side to burn like your video shows. A 36” pit with an 18” fire will not burn like this, so if you don’t burn fires this large, you need to find a smaller ring and build a smaller pit. My favorite size is about 18” which I build out of 80 gal hot water heater tanks. I don’t drill holes anymore, I found that a thin slot at the top works just as well, but a little harder to setup with a ring and brick build unless you put some brackets on the ring to maintain it’s orientation to the top of the brick..
One problem you are going to run into is with those CC capstones. They are getting a lot of heat from that superheated secondary flame, and they are going to start to fracture and the tips fall off.. I just tore down an old fire pit I made from pavers/retaining wall block and nearly every one had separated parallel to the ring about 1.5” in from the face exposed to the fire...
Yes! I get the airflow argument a lot. More isn’t always better. And we do like to fill the pit when we have a full circle of people, which shows off the airflow nicely.
As for the caps, I was hoping to figure out a better material one day as I figured direct heat exposure probably isn’t good for longevity. It’s starting to turn a bit reddish in some spots. Would you have a recommendation?
@@Jon_Chan steel:)
@@rronmar do you mean a flat steel ring set on to of the pavers replacing the top row of cemented blocks?
@@tomrobinson7393 a flat steel plate on top in place of the pavers, or a ring and plate(flange) under and in front of the pavers to shield them with a little layer of sand between the ring and pavers for insulation/isolation from the heat... this would also make sealing the top edge easier, or setting a fixed gap instead of drilling all the holes...
@@rronmar thanks for explaining. Unfortunately Lowe’s is out on the pavers linked. Home Depot’s are bigger and won’t fit a 36” ring. So many products unavailable these days!
your vid is the most helpfull out of all the ones i have seen its very straight to the point
While watching you build the pit in the backyard all I can hear is my dad in my head yelling “You’re gonna kill the grass!!!” Awesome pit dude
Haha I said it to myself 😂 next video I’m working on is me trying to grow better grass!
I gave it a little more thought and got me an idear!!! Looking at the Solo design, I see that the bottom of the "can" has a bunch of holes in it. It appears to burn so hot that it turns everything to ash. So You can easily buy an aluminum water heater pan, drill a bunch of 3/8 in holes in it and place it at the bottom of the pit. Position it above the bottom holes in the ring. support the pan with like 3" thick blocks. Its make for easy cleanup. Just pull the pan out and dump it the neighbor's yard! LOL..
Haha I can’t imagine it getting any hotter! It’s already extremely hot when it’s operating at peak efficiency that you have to back up a few paces. I don’t really have anything left in the pit after a fire, it all goes down to nothing!
Dude I can’t believe how artsy your filming did editing is lol
I’m an ape with a camera, but I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Awesome 👏..Love the Smokeless fire-pit design..I will try to follow this just will dig a hole n fill it with gravel before making the ring..
Just what I was looking for, I was suspicious that the holes needed to be smaller than Haxman example. Bought the same ring last night.
Oh yea, smaller holes gave it better pressure and probably heats the air a bit more.
@@Jon_Chan watched the same video before and he had much larger holes...like 2 inch holes all the way around. Glad I found your video!
I've 'burned' through several videos on this subject and yours is the best! Great cinematography too!
Haha thank you!
I wish ppl would watch more videos of actual landscapers doing hard scapes before trying projects like this. You really need a compacted layer of rock under your block. They are going to settle and look all uneven,
Haha thanks bud. I knew I cheated and will be redoing it later. I did try to make a note of it in description so others don’t take the shortcut as I did. I had a lot of stuff working against me that week and the only end goal was a pit was needed by Saturday evening.
@@Jon_Chan lol. This sounds exactly like my life. subscribed.
I get that this was more to prove the design works but sadly a lot of people do thier actual final builds like this. To spend that much in material and not create a solid and level foundation for it is irritating to anyone who values good and lasting construction.
@@stevenbeall9637 how do Ih get a solid foundation? I dug up my grass, leveled the dirt & was going to lay (play) sand down that the lava rock would go over. What do you suggest?
Jon, what an awesome video. I have looked at dozens of videos trying to figure out how I wanted to build my fire pit. After all that searching I found that yours is exactly how I want to build mine. Kudos and thanks a million.
Yay! Let me know how it goes! If you want parts list as a guide, check out the description.
@@Jon_Chan I saw the list. Another reason yours is my favorite DIY smokeless fir pit.
As far as the rusting on the fire ring, now that the galvanization has burned off, have you thought about using some high temperature spray paint on the ring? This should help slow down the oxidation, don't you think?
Yea it probably would help slow the rust but my wife was uncomfortable about burning wood in something painted, so I skipped it for her. Besides, once rust forms, it actually slows further oxidation naturally. I’d expect 4-5 years out of this ring.
Use black high heat spray paint on the inside of the ring! It'll make the metal absorb more heat, for a better burn, and also just look better.
It would be great to see someone weld vertical metal fins on the outside of the ring, to assist in distributing the heat from the metal to the passing air.
Would it be best to burn a fire or two first before applying the paint, in order to burn off the galvanized layer?
@@silencesdd It's actually necessary to do so for the paint to stick well enough to last
@@Dev-lc4cd that's what I figured. I think I'll have to give this a try.
@@silencesddAlso, as I just mentioned in the other video's comments, if you really want to create the best surface for the spray paint to adhere to, and make it rust proof, wet down the ring a few times after you've removed the galvanization, to develop a light layer of rust, and then wipe that with naval jelly. The phosphoric acid will react with the rust to create a material even harder than the iron itself, as well as prevent rust from developing for about a year. That will create the perfect etched surface that will tenaciously grip the paint. With the addition of the paint, the rust prevention goes from a year, to indefinitely. The matte surface will attract and hold soot more readily, which makes the surface hydrophobic.
Lol meant to get back to answer and got buried. I was against the paint because of the uncertainty if it would dissipate anything into the air because, you know, it’s still paint at 1000+C. I’m sure it’ll do as you say, it’s just not for us.
I built this one and it works amazing! Great job and thanks for sharing!
How many bricks does it take to make it?
It should probably be said that burning galvanized steel is very toxic. Don't breathe the fumes as this is burning off.
So start a fire and go inside to let it all burn off?
Best smokeless design on the internet. I'll be trying this...
Incredible to know so much about fire and understand so little about heat?
Best video on gasification fire pit
Great job buddy you should put a piece of bar grate on the bottom so as to keep wood and embers off the bottom
This is awesome and right on budget at $200. Now I just need a house to go with it
So I am under contract to buy our first house and I have always wanted a firepit, and this is the best explanation of how and why to do things your way. Thanks for putting it together.
This is the way! After seeing 23 thousand video on smokeless fire pit
loved the slow mo...that proved your point!
The draw up and explanation is on point thank you
Thanks for some of the design ideas vs some of the other videos out there. Converted existing fire pit to accept drop in fire ring with 3 inch lip. Will drill half inch holes near the top and a few along bottom. Assuming by your results 8 1/2 holes along the bottom was enough intake down low.
Yea I think that was plenty, tho I’d prob keep it about 3” above the bottom. Mine are getting buried at 1.5”
@@Jon_Chan Echoing everyone on the great vid! Similar question about the bottom holes. I love the concept of airflow at the bottom. Originally I was going to bring in fresh air via a vent pipe underneath but am afraid I would be constantly cleaning it out. I like your idea of the holes at the bottom but wonder if you think it lowers the efficiency of airflow from the top holes? When I look at Solo type pits, they sepearte the fresh air flow from the top. My future decision is in your hands :-).
@@MichaelBallard5574 haha thank you! As for the bottom holes taking away from the top holes, I don't think it makes a significant difference. I was looking at Solo's cross sectional diagram and they pull the intake from the same location and splits it between the updraft (bottom holes) and the secondary inlet (top holes) after it enters the pit. Their updraft intake has the advantage of being heated to some degree as it takes a roundable way to get to the fuel. This becomes a top lit updraft gasifier to some degree and those operate on the same principals, one intake split between updraft and secondary. Just gotta keep the lower holes in small quantities as I think too much would then cool the fire too much.
pardon my ramble, train of thoughts just keep going
Best DIY design I have seen using this ring! secondary burn baby!
Never seen a fire pit burn so well. Great job!
Thank you!
Wow. I.liked it the first fire i think it looked better. Had more action. They both worked really well. Big flames almost no smoke.
I used the stainless steel drum from a washing machine set on top of a dryer’s round drum. Coiled tube between the two to warm the pool. It’s above ground and has retaining wall bricks to make it look nice.
Oh that’s neat, you just pump in cool water, pass it by the drums and off it goes into the pool!