What Is The Best Fuel For Fire Pits And Chimineas?
Gathering around a warm fire pit with friends is one of the most enjoyable ways to enjoy an evening in the outdoors. Whether you choose to use a fire pit or chiminea, you’re going to want to make sure that you’re choosing the best fuel.
When chilling out with friends and family, the last thing you want is a fire that keeps going out or, just as bad, a fire which covers you in smoke. In order to help avoid this, let’s take a look at the best fuel for fire pits and chimineas and where you can find them.
Best Fuel For Fire Pits
Open fire pits offer a fantastic way to socialise with friends in the garden. In order to get the most out of your fire pit, you want to burn wood that is dry, correctly sized and burns clean.
Wood that is wet is harder to light, spits more easily and has a shorter burn time than dry wood. Wood with a low moisture content, on the other hand, is easier to light, will burn for longer and is also a lot more eco-friendly- In fact, wet wood has been identified as one of the largest producers of the pollutant PM 2.5, giving us another reason to opt for more sustainable dry hardwood options. Luckily all Lekto wood fuels are 100% chemical-free and have a minimal moisture content so do not produce any nasty smokes.
When choosing the best fuel for fire pits the kindling is just important as the logs themselves. You’ll want to start your fire off with a strong burn from the kindling before you top it up with hardwood logs. Like any of the best fuels for fire pits, the kindling should be dry so it catches quickly and carries on burning. With this in mind, Lekto’s natural fire kindling has a moisture content below 10%.
Before you start lighting your wood-burning fire pit, make sure the logs you’re using are the correct size. You might need to cut them into smaller pieces to fit the pit as you don’t want any embers falling over the edge!
Best Fuel For Chimineas
So we know that the best fuel for fire pits is dry and clean, but what about when it comes to using a chiminea?
When it comes to choosing the best fuel for Chimineas, to be honest, the principles are much the same. The difference between a fire pit and a chiminea is that a chiminea has (as you might guess from the name) a chimney at the top through which the smoke is funnelled. Chimineas are used to make smaller, more enclosed fires than fire pits which are larger and more open.
Although different in size and appearance, the best fuels for fire pits are the same as the best fuels for chimineas. As with fire pit wood, chiminea wood should be low in moisture content and cut down to size. It’s also important to follow similar safety guidelines for both these types of outdoor fire-making.
When lighting your chiminea, start the fire off with some extra dry kindling, before adding hardwood logs. If you want to keep the fire going later in the evening, you can also add a Leko night briquette- this will keep the fire glowing without you having to lift a finger, meaning you can sit back and enjoy.