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salem's avatar
salem
Explorer
Jan 03, 2017

Propane Fire Pits

I noticed a guy here in the cg a couple of nights ago with one of those propane gas rings, pits, campfires, whatever they're called. There were several people sitting around the fire so I didn't want to intrude and ask questions. Do any of you use them and if so, how do you like them? I'm getting to where I'm tired of hauling wood in the back of the truck. Plus, more often than not, we don't burn it all so I load it up again and take it back home. Do they put out the same amount of heat? Many have lava rocks in them. Is there a problem if you drop a marshmallow off the end of your s'mores fork? I realize there is no definitive answer to this next question, but what about amount of propane usage? If you burn it 2-3 hours a night, about how long will the standard bbq type bottle last? Thanks all.

22 Replies

  • Nutinelse2do wrote:
    We have had one for almost 2 years. Got it in Nevada at Lowes for $99.

    Love it. No smell, no smoke, no firewood, and can use it during a burn ban. Best thing, is when you turn it off, it's off. No embers. Go inside to eat dinner and turn it off.

    Gives out an amazing amount of heat for its size. A 20lb or 5 gal lasts usually lasts us a week of nightly use. It depends how high you turn it, and how long you use it a night.

    We have several people a week comment about getting one, and they come over and share our fire sometimes over cocktails.

    One of the best investments we have made since we left for fulltiming almost 3 years ago.

    We get propane for under $2 a gal, so for us, it's a no brainer.


    X2

    It doesn't matter what brand you buy, they are all simple and efficient. If any of you are going to be in Quartzsite for the big RV show later this month you can get a deal.... I think. Every year for the last 4 or 5 there has been a guy just inside the big tent. He sells the factory returns for the "Campfire in a can" for $75 vs about $150 new. Most are sold "as new in the box".

    We got ours 3 years ago and the only defect was one rock log that was cracked in half. It works great and as noted they put out a lot of heat for not a lot of propane. Especially nice when you encounter a Red Flag restriction, you can still have a nice little fire.

    Most RV parks are not set up for a real wood fires and prohibit them outright but I have never seen one that restricted the use of the propane fire pits. IMHO: Camping without a fire {of some sort}, just ain't the same.... :S
  • We have had one for almost 2 years. Got it in Nevada at Lowes for $99.

    Love it. No smell, no smoke, no firewood, and can use it during a burn ban. Best thing, is when you turn it off, it's off. No embers. Go inside to eat dinner and turn it off.

    Gives out an amazing amount of heat for its size. A 20lb or 5 gal lasts usually lasts us a week of nightly use. It depends how high you turn it, and how long you use it a night.

    We have several people a week comment about getting one, and they come over and share our fire sometimes over cocktails.

    One of the best investments we have made since we left for fulltiming almost 3 years ago.

    We get propane for under $2 a gal, so for us, it's a no brainer.

    Edit....As for your marshmallows, it will stink until it's totally burned, but we have dropped a couple items on our lava rocks, and haven't had any problems.

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