Best Fuel For A Fire Pit

Best fuel for a fire pit

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What is the best fuel for a fire pit?

Whether you’ve already bought one or you’re looking to invest in a fire pit you need to find out what is the best fuel for a fire pit?

In our opinion the best fuel for a fire pit is wood. Not only do you get the traditional crackling from the fire, but you also get a lot of heat and a lot of versatility on how you can use your fire pit. However, you have to evaluate what your needs are and according to that, you can choose the right fuel for your needs.

One of the best types available is kiln dried hardwood logs such as Eco Blaze but we’ll cover all the different available types of fuel below.

Different types of fire pit fuel

Below we’ve listed all of the different types of fuel you could choose along with the benefits of each. Gone are those days when seasoned woods were the only option for fire pits. Now, we have several different options to consider.

When it comes to choosing the best fire pit fuel, you have to be careful about which one you want. The type of fire pit you pick can automatically determine which fuel you have to use so make sure you decide on your chosen fuel first. Take a look at our range of fire pits on offer.

1) Seasoned Wood

This is the classic and the most traditional form of fuel that has been used for many centuries. This fuel can effectively create a lot of heat providing a comfortable ambiance during the chilly wintry evenings. Also, this fuel type is much more convenient as it can be found easily. Buy it in bulk from a log supplier, from a garage or garden centre. There is no need for setting up an electricity unit or supply pipe for this. Woods are also quite easy to source. And those crackling popping sounds and the smokey fragrance can set the mood for the evening. Seasoned wood is the most commonly used fuel in fire pits and will continue to be so.

The only downfall with wood is that if it is not dry enough or well seasoned it can give off smoke. You also have no way to control the smoke and as the song goes, Smoke gets in your eyes!

You can find out about the best types of wood to burn in a fire pit in our Wood – What to Burn in a Fire Pit? article.

2) Kiln Dried Logs

Kiln-dried logs are similar to seasoned wood but with one main difference. Kiln-dried logs have a much lower moisture content and have been dried within a kiln for a number of days. The key benefit with this is that the lower the moisture content, the higher the heat output and the less smoke they generate when up to optimum burning temperatures. You can see a selection of Kiln Dreid Logs here.

3) Smokeless Fuels

Although smokeless fuels don’t produce much smoke when up to temperature and provide a large degree of heat, they are not suitable for the majority of fire pits. Some fire pits have designed especially to burn coal or smokeless fuels but many are not.

4) Propane (LPG)

If you are looking for a much more advanced and sophisticated solution for your FIRE PIT, then propane gas can be one of the options to consider. But you need to know that propane gas may not give off as much heat like that of the wood fires. So, if you are expecting a lot of heat, then this is not the right one. But if you want an optimum heat along with an easy burning process and no smoke at all, then you must choose propane gas.

5) Gel Fuel

Another smoke-free clean-burning fuel that you can use is gel fuel. There will be no smoke, spills, or escaping sparks if you use this fuel option. The most amazing part of gel fuel is that they are easily available online and don’t produce any noxious fumes that can be harmful to your health or the environment. Although it looks nice, it doesn’t provide much heat as compared to that of the heat produced in a wood fire and will not keep you warm on cold nights.

6) Ethanol

If you are looking for the most environmentally friendly option to consider, then the ethanol fire pit is the best choice. Ethanol is a completely clean-burning biofuel that has two major benefits. First of all, it doesn’t produce any smell or odor that can be disturbing and irritating to some. Secondly, ethanol doesn’t produce any toxic fumes or air pollutants. A tray is needed for igniting the fire where the ethanol can be poured in and it can be hooked up to the pit. Again, similar to gel fuel, Ethanol does not produce much heat and will not keep you warm.

Which fire pit fuel to pick?

If you are looking for a lot of heat and the perfect ambiance for the fire pit where you can enjoy roasting marshmallows and hear the crackling sound, then you cannot beat a wood fire. We would therefore recommend you pick either seasoned wood or kiln-dried wood for your fire pit.

As we all know, woods can have an impact on the environment. Though many people love to use this as their fire pit fuel, finding a more eco-friendly option for some is their main aim. Hence, the best fuel for eco-minded people is ethanol. Ethanol is actually a plant-based fuel that is also renewable in nature. This fuel is not pressurized like that of gas and can provide a beautiful, soothing, and relaxing ambiance. Though they will not keep that warm on a chilly night, it is enough for most of the days. The only drawback to ethanol fuel is that the flames cannot withstand a strong breeze.

Finally, if warmth and ease is your main aim then you can’t go wrong with gas. Gas fire pits are easy to light, easy to clean, and produce more heat than gel fuel and ethanol.

Summary – Best fuel for a fire pit

From the above information, it is clear that there are some great options available for fire pit fuels, but when it comes to choosing the best fuel for a fire pit, a lot is down to personal choice.

We always use kiln dried fire wood such as Eco Blaze because it generally produces very little smoke when lit.

We hope all of the above has gone some way to help you choose the fuel for your fire pit.

If you’ve already chosen your fire pit and need some help on starting it, take a look at our how to light a fire pit article.