Enjoy the Portland Winter Season Outdoors

Portland is a rainy city, but our winters are mild. When it’s not raining, the temperatures are almost warm enough to hang out outside on a weekend evening. Almost warm enough.

A fire pit is the perfect way to make your backyard more cozy, and charm your friends. It adds ambiance to your home and is a lovely way to entertain. Friends won’t want to leave the warmth of the circle. And, guaranteed, you’ll experience more conversation time than screen time.

How to Install a Backyard Fire Pit in Portland

Chimeneas, gas fed fire pits, smoke less units and truly pit-designed fire pits are just a few of the options for creating a lush blaze of warm flames in your backyard and maximizing your outdoor living.

The first step in determining what sort of fire pit you want to have is to do a safety assessment. Ensure you have enough clearance to install a pit without any chance of fire damage or stray sparks. Many fire pits are manufactured to be safe structures that help keep the flames contained and embers away from the ground. This is a good option if you have a small backyard.

A stone, brick or concrete pad under your fire pit unit is the safest way to have a fire in your Portland urban backyard.

Gas Fire Pits

Installing a gas fire pit is more involved than simply plopping down a chimenea from your local garden store, but the elegance and safety of a concrete-encased structure is often well worth it. If you have a natural gas line, it may not be too expensive.

There are a variety of styles available for gas fire pits, depending on the size and coverage you desire. A low rectangle design with lava rock is quite common. These are easy to light and the flames are contained. The ambiance is like that of a wood fire (without the crackle) and they emit a lovely warmth.

Free-Standing Fire Pits

Wood-fired free-standing fire pits come in a variety of shapes and sizes. The one you choose will depend on your personal taste, and the amount of space you have available. Even if the fire pit is broad, you don’t need to necessarily fill it entirely with wood. Start with a modest fire to be on the safe side.

Backyard Fire Safety

Consult with the fire department if you need suggestions for backyard fire safety and installation.

Never leave a fire unattended and keep an eye on children around the fire.

As the evening progresses, hot embers form at the bottom which makes for a very strong fire base, a hot fire and a potential safety hazard.

At the end of the night, be certain to thoroughly extinguish the fire. For gas fire pits, this means ensuring you cut off the gas source and turn off the pilot. For wood fires, douse the fire with water and spread the coals around to ensure no hot embers remain. Carefully hover a hand over the fire pit to ensure no warmth remains.