Lekto’s 6 Step Cast Iron Chiminea Care & Maintenance Guide

Cast iron chimineas are a popular choice for outdoors lovers. They’re perfect for outdoor cooking but they’re also just great for socialising with friends on a summer evening. If you apply the correct cast iron chiminea care, your chiminea should last for a number of years.

To help you get the most out of your chiminea we’ve put together our 6 step cast iron chiminea care & maintenance guide. So, without further ado let’s take a look at the key points we should be taking into consideration when thinking about cast iron chiminea care.

Choose The Perfect Spot

Step one in our cast iron chiminea care guide is all about choosing the perfect spot for your wood burning chiminea to be placed. A firm, level space that is away from any flammable materials is what you’re looking for. Ensure the chiminea is placed away from fences and branches and never place it on a flammable platform like a wooden decking. It’s also important to put a fire-proof material underneath the chiminea in order to prevent risk of fire.

Assembly (Please Read The Instructions!)

This may seem like an obvious one, but it’s actually a really important step in applying the correct cast iron chiminea care. Read the instructions carefully before attempting to assemble the chiminea (this will really save you time in the long run) and also prevent accidents. The parts will be really heavy and so it’s definitely worth asking someone to give you a hand. Always start assembling the chiminea in the spot you want it to sit to avoid carrying parts around. Once assembled, check all the parts to ensure the chiminea has been fitted securely- This is an essential part of cast iron chiminea care as it can prevent potential accidents.

Curing

Step number 3 in our cast iron chiminea care guide is all about preparing the chiminea for use. Due to the nature of the material, cast iron chimineas can be prone to rusting. In order to prevent rusting as much as possible you’ll need to ‘cure’ the chiminea on first use- this simply means lighting a fire in two stages to prepare the chiminea for the high levels of heat it will experience.

Start by lighting a small fire inside the chiminea with natural kindling. After burning the kindling for about an hour add larger logs to create a bigger fire. Allow the fire to burn for another hour and then let it cool down.

Burning The Right Wood

Now your chiminea is set and ready to go, it’s time to enjoy some fun evenings around a roaring fire. Before you start, make sure you’re using the right wood. Step number 4 in our cast iron chiminea care guide is all about choosing the best wood to burn and that’s because it really has an impact upon the longevity of the chiminea. Clean, dry hardwood logs produce less ash and other waste when burning and don’t contain any nasty additives. Burning clean fuels will help keep your cast iron chiminea in good nick whilst also helping the environment .

Safety Is Key

A really important step in our cast iron chiminea care and maintenance guide is using the chiminea safely. Chimineas are not designed to burn large amounts of wood and so always build your fire cautiously and in slow stages. Never add an accelerant like alcohol or gasoline to the fire as this could cause an explosion. It’s also really important to avoid extinguishing the fire with water as the sudden change in temperature can cause the cast iron to shatter.

Investing in a few fire safety tools, including heat resistant gloves is a really good idea for keeping yourself protected when tending to the fire.

Keep It Clean

Last but certainly not least in our cast iron chiminea care guide is cleaning. Brush the ashes out regularly, clean and dry the grill and interior. In the event that your cast iron chiminea has been subject to rusting, this can be salvageable. Surface rust can be scrubbed away using detergent and a wire brush ( just be sure to wear goggles to avoid any nasty muck getting in your eyes).