Fire place grate in fire pit

[facory]

Has anyone used a fireplace grate in a fire pit? Thinking about doing that so the air can better circulate up through the wood providing a better fire.

Good/bad idea?

[Peg_Leg]

ktmrfs wrote:
Nope, and I have a much better fire pit I carry around. go to an appliance store and beg, borrow or buy a metal washing machine drum. Use a cutoff wheel to cut the center post off if needed. then when you go camping fill the drum with firewood. for fires put the drum on top of the existing firepit grate, or on the ground and toss in some wood and light it. Virtually NO smoke, lots of heat radiated as the metal heats up, almost no clinkers, just some ash in the morning, and almost no soot. All the tiny holes in the drum draw lots of air and give you a hot burning fire. And you will use less wood than a regualar firepit.

If your anal, weld some 3/4" nuts (3) on the bottom and when you don't have a firepit, screw in some 8-12" long 3/4" bolts into the nuts to space it off the ground to draw from underneath.

Based on comments from other campers when they see mine, I'm tempted to carry a "spare" or two and have them for sale at a campground.

Ok, ok, ok, so I'm anal. I slice off some square tubing and weld to the bottom for my legs. I've got a brand new one sitting behind the 5er getting ready to go to Talladega. The old one got hit by a car first time out about 7-8 yrs ago. It's been hit by a police car once. Had a ruff life, it's dented and rusted but will still do the job.

I was given the idea by John (Rest in peace old friend) from NH, at Atlanta Motor Speedway before the tornado took out the backstretch.

I also carry a grill from a round BBQ. I always put it over the "burn barrel" and throw a piece of sheet metal on top when were done for the night.

[Dakzuki]

We carry a fire pit with folding legs. I can set it up anywhere we feel we want to or I also set it up on top of the campground one. Some of the campground ones are so deep you have to build a raging inferno to see a flame. I don't know who designs them but it clearly isn't somebody that has campfires.

[ktmrfs]

Nope, and I have a much better fire pit I carry around. go to an appliance store and beg, borrow or buy a metal washing machine drum. Use a cutoff wheel to cut the center post off if needed. then when you go camping fill the drum with firewood. for fires put the drum on top of the existing firepit grate, or on the ground and toss in some wood and light it. Virtually NO smoke, lots of heat radiated as the metal heats up, almost no clinkers, just some ash in the morning, and almost no soot. All the tiny holes in the drum draw lots of air and give you a hot burning fire. And you will use less wood than a regualar firepit.

If your anal, weld some 3/4" nuts (3) on the bottom and when you don't have a firepit, screw in some 8-12" long 3/4" bolts into the nuts to space it off the ground to draw from underneath.

Based on comments from other campers when they see mine, I'm tempted to carry a "spare" or two and have them for sale at a campground.

[xPIXx]

Sometimes we prop the pit up with some bricks to let air in from underneath.

[Water-Bug]

Tending a fire to keeping it burning is 1/2 the fun of having a fire. Leave the grate at home.

[Bumpyroad]

mhardin wrote:

korbe wrote:
I would not want to carry a grate around just for this purpose. We have found that with the right placement of the wood, it burns just fine.

Agree!

x3
bumpy

[K_Charles]

I have heated our house with wood since we had a house the same as my parents and grand parents. The furnice that we have now has no grates nor do most fireplaces. Grates will make the fire hotter and the wood won't last as lone. A fire pit works just fine without grates.

[mhardin]

korbe wrote:
I would not want to carry a grate around just for this purpose. We have found that with the right placement of the wood, it burns just fine.

Agree!

[korbe]

I would not want to carry a grate around just for this purpose. We have found that with the right placement of the wood, it burns just fine.

[Shavano]

Moved to General Forum

Moderator TT's

[2oldman]

I would think this belongs in General, not this forum or the other one.