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
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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..
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! 😆
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.
Excellent fire pit design by creating a path for both primary air and secondary air.👍 Kindly provide the height dimension of your fire ring? I will be building a 48” diameter ring that extends from the ground to the underside of the cap. Any suggestions are welcomed. Thank you!
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
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
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
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 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 ...
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 🤦🏻♂️
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!
What makes this video absolutely amazing is, you DID’NT have all the blah, blah blah!! (My wifey calls it FLUFF talk) shirt, sweet, and to the point. I give you 👍🏽👍🏽’s up, señor!!
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.
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!
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” 🤪
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
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 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
If you build this in a freeze/thaw zone then those loose bottom blocks will shift and heave with the ground and crack all the cemented joints. Prefab fire pits use a ring that is high carbon steel to resist the effects of the heat of the fire. That galvanized “metal” will not last that long if you use it a lot and will get rust holes. That will negate all the burn holes that were drilled in the sides. Good luck.
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
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.
Where do you get that kind of stone for building the walls, what is it called, i see everybody on tube using those and there is NOTHING like this in my region...
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!
Another reason to remove that beautiful grass first. Replant it elsewhere. Very interesting video, and you've a great speaking voice. Which, gratefully, was not drowned out by music. Thanks for that, too.
I don’t think I really had anywhere else to plant grass 😅 but yea I should have dug it up. I might try to refresh the pit this year and mortar the whole thing together to see how it goes. We bump into it a few times with the mower and it’s shifted a bit. Hey that’s the first time someone’s told me I got a decent speaking voice…usually people want me to shut up 😂
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.
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.
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?
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!
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.
Just finished mine. After rain tomorrow (in CT) fire restriction should lift and be safe to try out. I did dig down 1ft "donut" /anulus shape before stacking blocks and backfilled with stone/sand/clay as know with winters here would go to shit after few hears, and mortared all 3 block layers. Slots at bottom rest mortared inside so no extra air can get in. I used different blocks but same idea, they just did not have smooth top/bottom so had to mortar. Left much less space between blocks and ring but should be fine. When went to TSC last year the TARTAR brand ships with three together, one inside next so smallest is like 28" diameter and had wished got that but this 32in diameter worked fine. Made tops removable but sealed best could and then mortar lip right on ring to inner edge of tops...will see how holds up. Bottom ring also mortared but will break free if I need to pull it. All the cement dust created had to dig out center and refill as water would not drain. A lot of work and not $200 anymore but looks good and should work. Thanks for Vid!
I was just thinking to redo the pit, dig it down a bit and mortar it all. Smacked it a few times with the mower and it’s all a little off tilt. Did you just use regular mortar? How’s it holding up?
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!
Of all the videos I have watched on this, yours looks to work the best. I think the deciding factor is you sealed the bottom and only a few holes feed the bottom and stuck to small holes on the top
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.
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!
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.
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?
Super well produced video! I do have one suggestion: Have you considered directing the airflow to make a tendency to vortex? If you can pull that off it will look even more awesome & should increase efficiency while reducing smoke even better. Best wishes!
How exactly would you get a rotation to the air? The only way I can think of would be with steel tubing in the holes at about a 30* angle. A lot of extra work for a very small gain in efficiency.
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.
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.
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 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?
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!
Just found your channel And you’re doing great? Good plan and preparation makes for a great completed project! I own a campground in Alaska and have 30 or more fire pits, it would be nice to do all my pits as smokeless ..
I’m confused about the top bricks. The ones you link look like normal paver bricks. The ones you laid on top in the video have a V shape. Did you cut them into that shape?
No Lowes just took a weird picture. If you check out the dimensions you’ll see a “long” short dimension and a “short” short dimension. It’s an angled brick
I really like that you made a point of mentioning the size and spacing of the holes and all the material you used. Most of these videos on smokeless fire pits seem to gloss over the details... Judging from gasifier stove designs, I think you could use more air flow from the lower holes to support the primary burn. Just off the top of my head, I would try maybe 6 or 8 one inch holes spaced around the bottom. As it is, you probably have to get the primary air from over over the top of the fire pit or from the secondary air holes. Some have put a 4 inch pipe providing outside air under the fire but I think more air holes around the bottom would work just as well with less hassle.
Thank you! I do have 8 holes at the bottom (also 1/2” each) and they have been working great. They should have been a little higher off the ground though as after a few fires they do get buried. I am bad at cleaning out the pit though so it does take nearly 10 or so fires for the lower holes to be covered.
I need to make my secondary burn holes smaller. I just have a gap on mine where the top bin is taller than the bottom bin. I have also found taller thinner pits work better.
By far the best video on the subject, should compact underneath the block, though this is going to settle and look uneven that’s the only thing that he did wrong
I literally just did this build with the same brick and cap. using the same ring. i had a hell of a time getting the top cap pieces to come together to a circle and have an overhang. ALL because I didn't move the trapezoid brick in closer as i went higher. i unfortunately glued them together (not the cap pieces). i may have to take that top layer apart and just move them in closer.
Under "The Fix" section you stated that you put rock under the ring, can you show a picture of exactly what you did? Did you just add gravel or did you bring the ring up a few inches? Great video by the way!
I brought the ring up. Basically I took the ring out, put rocks where the ring sits, and put the ring back. Sorry there wasn’t more detail, I thought the camera was recording when it wasn’t 🙄 whoops
I had to post a comment because you had 999 of them. I had to get you to 1000! Question, why does everyone put stone at the bottom of the fire pit? Doesn’t it just get buried after a couple of burns? This is a great video. The other videos I’ve watched everyone puts up to 2 inch holes at the top and no holes at the bottom. Your fire pit is the best working smokeless fire pit I have seen and I’ve watched about 50 videos. Well done!
Ahaha thanks for rounding out the comments! As for the stone, I believe it helps with drainage, lets the water seep out of the pit. Otherwise you’d have a damp mud pit for a while after it rains
Nice explanation of the theory and a good looking build. Only thing to consider is that yes, the galvanization burns off but as it does it releases toxic fumes, this is why when welding on galvanized materials we wear special welding hoods similar to a scuba set-up. I don't mess around with galvanized products! I will be using your hole layout in my yard soon, thank you!
Yea admittedly I should have made a bigger statement about the first burn and the zinc. Stand wayyyy back and get it up to temp real good. The best ring would have been stainless or just steel but I just couldn’t get my hands on anything like that in my area.
Hi Jon - I love your ideas on the smokeless firepits! I have prepared my property for the fire pit and am ready to purchase the ring, stones, etc. Here's my reason for reaching out to you. I had wanted a larger pit ring (48"). However, I cannot find a corrugated steel one like you used in the larger size. Is the corrugated steel better for creating the smokeless pit than say a black steel ring (Amazon: Simond store portable fire pit ring liner, 48" diameter x 12"ht x 2mm thick heavy duty steel)? If it is, I'll go smaller in order to get desired results. I just thought I would get your input before I purchase the materials. I had planned to build it this weekend but don't want to regret changing my original plan to follow your design! Thanks so much! Hope to hear back soon!
So going bigger usually means you’d want the pit to go deeper. A wide shallow pit will have very little (or none at all) secondary burn effect. If you take those solo stoves on the market, you’ll noticed they’re nearly 1:1 in depth and diameter. That gives you a really good gasification and secondary burn effect. As you widen the ring while keeping the depth the same, the effect starts to require a bigger and bigger fire. I think 36” by 12” was the biggest I could stretch it to still get those fire fingers at the top. Not saying the 48” is impossible to use, I just think it would need a very big fire or well seasoned wood to have a good burn.
@@Jon_Chan After sending the message I watched the videos again and told my son...I think we would always have to have large fires to get the heat up based on what Jon said in the videos... thanks so much for your prompt middle of the night response! Now I'm ready to get the materials 😁 I had to have trees cleared and brush and these awful Florida vines for several weekends to prepare... I'll keep you posted!
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”?
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. :)
Only guy on youtube building these correctly like a wood gas stove LOL. Love to see it.
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.
watched many but this gentleman nailed it, also with a crisper short video, thanks!
The first diy smokeless firepit which actually works!
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
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.
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.
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?
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.
Yours is the first one that actually seemed to work. You can actually se the re-ignition at the top. Awesome job!
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.
holy crap you can actually see the top holes working! nice shot!
I have watched all the videos on "smokeless" fire pits and I think this is the best. Thank you!
As others have stated before me, best video of its kind. Gives me the confidence to give it a go. Thank you.
I like the smoke to keep the mosquitos away to be honest, but this is an awesome design.
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. 😊
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 😆
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..
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.
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.
4:58 I like how you protected the grass with the insulating gravel layer
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!!
I've 'burned' through several videos on this subject and yours is the best! Great cinematography too!
Haha thank you!
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.
Excellent fire pit design by creating a path for both primary air and secondary air.👍
Kindly provide the height dimension of your fire ring? I will be building a 48” diameter ring that extends from the ground to the underside of the cap. Any suggestions are welcomed. Thank you!
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
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
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
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 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 ...
Hands down best smokeless firepit video around; I've watched tons only to come back to this one. Thanks brother!!
Thank you!
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 🤦🏻♂️
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!
What makes this video absolutely amazing is, you DID’NT have all the blah, blah blah!! (My wifey calls it FLUFF talk) shirt, sweet, and to the point.
I give you 👍🏽👍🏽’s up, señor!!
Thanks!
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.
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!
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.
yours is the first 100% functioning one ive seen. Im building a rectangle cinder pit but using your airflow approach.
This is the way! After seeing 23 thousand video on smokeless fire pit
This should be the de-facto standard video on how to DIY a smokeless fire pit!
Didn't know I needed one of these until I stubbled onto this video. VERY NICE!!! Now I gotta find that ring.
It’s just so mesmerizing to watch! Everyone was just staring at those top holes the whole 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
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!
One of the best videos for smokeless firepits and one of the best end results. Thank you!
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.
Definitely seems to be the best video for this I've found. Nice work
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
If you build this in a freeze/thaw zone then those loose bottom blocks will shift and heave with the ground and crack all the cemented joints.
Prefab fire pits use a ring that is high carbon steel to resist the effects of the heat of the fire. That galvanized “metal” will not last that long if you use it a lot and will get rust holes. That will negate all the burn holes that were drilled in the sides. Good luck.
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
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.
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.
Where do you get that kind of stone for building the walls, what is it called, i see everybody on tube using those and there is NOTHING like this in my region...
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 🍻
My husband just built a firepit following the instructions in this video. It works perfectly and looks great.
That’s awesome! 🙌🏼
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!
Another reason to remove that beautiful grass first. Replant it elsewhere.
Very interesting video, and you've a great speaking voice. Which, gratefully, was not drowned out by music. Thanks for that, too.
I don’t think I really had anywhere else to plant grass 😅 but yea I should have dug it up. I might try to refresh the pit this year and mortar the whole thing together to see how it goes. We bump into it a few times with the mower and it’s shifted a bit. Hey that’s the first time someone’s told me I got a decent speaking voice…usually people want me to shut up 😂
@@Jon_Chan Ask the people who tell you to shut up, "How you gonna learn if I do that?"
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!
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? 😉
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.
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?
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!
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!
I've been looking at videos all day your video is by far the best
Just finished mine. After rain tomorrow (in CT) fire restriction should lift and be safe to try out. I did dig down 1ft "donut" /anulus shape before stacking blocks and backfilled with stone/sand/clay as know with winters here would go to shit after few hears, and mortared all 3 block layers. Slots at bottom rest mortared inside so no extra air can get in. I used different blocks but same idea, they just did not have smooth top/bottom so had to mortar. Left much less space between blocks and ring but should be fine. When went to TSC last year the TARTAR brand ships with three together, one inside next so smallest is like 28" diameter and had wished got that but this 32in diameter worked fine. Made tops removable but sealed best could and then mortar lip right on ring to inner edge of tops...will see how holds up. Bottom ring also mortared but will break free if I need to pull it. All the cement dust created had to dig out center and refill as water would not drain. A lot of work and not $200 anymore but looks good and should work. Thanks for Vid!
I was just thinking to redo the pit, dig it down a bit and mortar it all. Smacked it a few times with the mower and it’s all a little off tilt. Did you just use regular mortar? How’s it holding up?
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?
Of all the videos I have watched on this, yours looks to work the best. I think the deciding factor is you sealed the bottom and only a few holes feed the bottom and stuck to small holes on the top
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.
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!
Passing on other helpful tips: keep the wood below the top holes to ensure wood fully burns...
2nd that... Solid tip!
No bullshitting and straight to the point. Thank you so much!
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!
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.
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
Super well produced video! I do have one suggestion: Have you considered directing the airflow to make a tendency to vortex? If you can pull that off it will look even more awesome & should increase efficiency while reducing smoke even better. Best wishes!
How exactly would you get a rotation to the air? The only way I can think of would be with steel tubing in the holes at about a 30* angle. A lot of extra work for a very small gain in efficiency.
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!
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.
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!
you have made one of the best one have seen on the web thank you
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.
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 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?
Excellent video on how to diy smokeless fire pit. Best I’ve seen. Running to Lowe’s today to get started. Thx!
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?
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!
Just found your channel
And you’re doing great?
Good plan and preparation makes for a great completed project!
I own a campground in Alaska and have 30 or more fire pits, it would be nice to do all my pits as smokeless ..
I’m confused about the top bricks. The ones you link look like normal paver bricks. The ones you laid on top in the video have a V shape. Did you cut them into that shape?
No Lowes just took a weird picture. If you check out the dimensions you’ll see a “long” short dimension and a “short” short dimension. It’s an angled brick
I would spray paint the ring black with heat resistant paint just a suggestion
Using the Milwaukee step bit, did you have to sand the holes? Great video!
😅
Thanks! No it did not need sanding, those bits are nice 👌🏼
I really like that you made a point of mentioning the size and spacing of the holes and all the material you used. Most of these videos on smokeless fire pits seem to gloss over the details...
Judging from gasifier stove designs, I think you could use more air flow from the lower holes to support the primary burn. Just off the top of my head, I would try maybe 6 or 8 one inch holes spaced around the bottom. As it is, you probably have to get the primary air from over over the top of the fire pit or from the secondary air holes. Some have put a 4 inch pipe providing outside air under the fire but I think more air holes around the bottom would work just as well with less hassle.
Thank you! I do have 8 holes at the bottom (also 1/2” each) and they have been working great. They should have been a little higher off the ground though as after a few fires they do get buried. I am bad at cleaning out the pit though so it does take nearly 10 or so fires for the lower holes to be covered.
@@Jon_Chan I didn't realize you had 8. Still, they are only 1/2 inch. Will you experiment with primary air?
Does the brick/stone get super hot? What about explosions of the surrounding bricks/stine/concrete from the heat
I need to make my secondary burn holes smaller. I just have a gap on mine where the top bin is taller than the bottom bin. I have also found taller thinner pits work better.
By far the best video on the subject, should compact underneath the block, though this is going to settle and look uneven that’s the only thing that he did wrong
Agreed, do the base better and mortar the blocks together. After hitting it a few times with the mower, it’s all jacked up.
I literally just did this build with the same brick and cap. using the same ring. i had a hell of a time getting the top cap pieces to come together to a circle and have an overhang. ALL because I didn't move the trapezoid brick in closer as i went higher. i unfortunately glued them together (not the cap pieces). i may have to take that top layer apart and just move them in closer.
Under "The Fix" section you stated that you put rock under the ring, can you show a picture of exactly what you did? Did you just add gravel or did you bring the ring up a few inches? Great video by the way!
I brought the ring up. Basically I took the ring out, put rocks where the ring sits, and put the ring back. Sorry there wasn’t more detail, I thought the camera was recording when it wasn’t 🙄 whoops
I had to post a comment because you had 999 of them. I had to get you to 1000!
Question, why does everyone put stone at the bottom of the fire pit? Doesn’t it just get buried after a couple of burns?
This is a great video. The other videos I’ve watched everyone puts up to 2 inch holes at the top and no holes at the bottom. Your fire pit is the best working smokeless fire pit I have seen and I’ve watched about 50 videos. Well done!
Ahaha thanks for rounding out the comments! As for the stone, I believe it helps with drainage, lets the water seep out of the pit. Otherwise you’d have a damp mud pit for a while after it rains
@@Jon_Chan oh yeah! I should’ve known that lol. Thank you.
Nice explanation of the theory and a good looking build.
Only thing to consider is that yes, the galvanization burns off but as it does it releases toxic fumes, this is why when welding on galvanized materials we wear special welding hoods similar to a scuba set-up. I don't mess around with galvanized products!
I will be using your hole layout in my yard soon, thank you!
Yea admittedly I should have made a bigger statement about the first burn and the zinc. Stand wayyyy back and get it up to temp real good. The best ring would have been stainless or just steel but I just couldn’t get my hands on anything like that in my area.
Hi Jon - I love your ideas on the smokeless firepits! I have prepared my property for the fire pit and am ready to purchase the ring, stones, etc. Here's my reason for reaching out to you. I had wanted a larger pit ring (48"). However, I cannot find a corrugated steel one like you used in the larger size. Is the corrugated steel better for creating the smokeless pit than say a black steel ring (Amazon: Simond store portable fire pit ring liner, 48" diameter x 12"ht x 2mm thick heavy duty steel)?
If it is, I'll go smaller in order to get desired results. I just thought I would get your input before I purchase the materials. I had planned to build it this weekend but don't want to regret changing my original plan to follow your design!
Thanks so much! Hope to hear back soon!
So going bigger usually means you’d want the pit to go deeper. A wide shallow pit will have very little (or none at all) secondary burn effect. If you take those solo stoves on the market, you’ll noticed they’re nearly 1:1 in depth and diameter. That gives you a really good gasification and secondary burn effect. As you widen the ring while keeping the depth the same, the effect starts to require a bigger and bigger fire. I think 36” by 12” was the biggest I could stretch it to still get those fire fingers at the top. Not saying the 48” is impossible to use, I just think it would need a very big fire or well seasoned wood to have a good burn.
@@Jon_Chan After sending the message I watched the videos again and told my son...I think we would always have to have large fires to get the heat up based on what Jon said in the videos... thanks so much for your prompt middle of the night response! Now I'm ready to get the materials 😁 I had to have trees cleared and brush and these awful Florida vines for several weekends to prepare... I'll keep you posted!