Do you have a firepit on your patio / deck?

Question

If so, are they 'safe' to use on a wooden deck? Any suggestions on buying one, based on what you already know about yours?

Answer 1

I had a fire pit out on my slate patio. It was ceramic and it split into several pieces within a year, so I will not buy another ceramic one. Maybe I burned too many sticks in there, but there was no warning that I should only burn four charcoal briquets at a time or anything like that.
My next one will be metal, but in no case would I put it on a wooden deck. That's just asking for trouble!

Answer 2

I wouldn't use a firepit on a wooden deck without first laying down some sort of protective surface underneath that extends at least a foot out from all sides of the pit. You could use cinderblocks, paving bricks, a concrete slab, etc to protect the surface. Without some form of protection, you can damage your deck. The heat from the bottom of the pit can do damage as well as any hot items that fall out of the pit. If you plan on using a firepit within 20 feet of your home, don't even think about lighting a fire without putting a protective screen over your fire pit to reduce the possibility of sparks popping out of the fire and landing on your house.

Personally, when I use my pit, I put it as far away from my house, shed, and my trees as I possibly can. The worst thing that has happened is I have a dead grass area where the heat from the pit killed the grass. I didn't lay down anything to protect my lawn, silly me.