Enjoy your outdoor fire pit in the winter: 5 tips for a great experience

Who says fire pits and fire tables are only good for three seasons of the year? A fire pit is a wonderful, toasty addition to the winter months! During this time, it can add joy to the monotony of days and social distancing.

So, prepare the seating, snacks, and drinks, and enjoy the warmth of your outdoor fire pit as we march on to spring.

1. Use a lid or cover on your fire pit to keep it clear from snow.

This is an important step, maybe the most important step, to enjoy a fire outside during the winter.

Similar to your grill, you want to keep some type of cover over the main part of your fire pit to prevent snow from collecting inside. A wet base can make it more difficult to start a fire. If you unfortunately left the cover off, or haven’t purchased one yet and there is already snow inside, shovel out as much as you can. 

As an alternative, if it’s a light and portable fire pit, consider moving it to a covered area, whether under an awning or on your porch (as long as it’s cooled down and the embers are no longer active, of course!)

2. Keep your firewood dry or give your gas fire pit a quick once-over.

Like we mentioned above, wet can make starting a fire difficult. It isn’t impossible, but you will end up with more smoke and less flame. Store your firewood in a dry place throughout the winter for quick and easy fire starting. Also, make sure your kindling is dry. 

For a gas fire pit, just give the unit a once-over to make sure nothing is leaking or caked with snow that would prevent it from working.

3. Dig a path to your fire pit.

After snowfall, it might be delightful to build a fire to stand around as you build igloos, have snowball fights, and sled the day away. Create a clear path to your fire pit to keep your guests a little warmer than standing in knee-high snow. You can do this when you go to check on the fire pit and set up the scene. For a more festive area, put that snow to good use and build an open igloo around the fire pit for a fun twist to the experience.

4. Make sure seating is dry, and bring out some blankets.

Clear off the seating area of snow if you already have chairs, benches, or other seats around your fire pit. If you can bring already clean chairs over to the area, that might be better as they won’t be as cold and wet. Another festive idea is to use large tree stumps as seats. If you don’t mind the cold, you can get creative and build seating made of snow!

Don’t forget the blankets. It can help keep guests warm as they take a reprieve near the fire. Store the blankets in a large, plastic tub to keep them from getting wet.

5. Sit back and enjoy.

The fire is built, the family has bundled up, and the fun is being had in the snow. While you are around the fire, bring out the s’more supplies and some hot coffee and cocoa.

Need winter fire-building supplies or a new fire pit? Contact AES Hearth and Patio if you live in Camp Hill, Carlisle & Central PA.