How To Protect a Wooden Deck from a Fire Pit (6 Ways to Put a Fire Pit on a Wooden Deck)

Fire pits are a joy to have in your outdoors as they heat your space and add ambiance to it; they can be placed in your patio, your garden, and your wooden deck. It is not so common to find a fire pit in wooden decks because of the danger it portends.

Still, if you are among most people whose decks are a place they relax and have quality time with friends and family, then you might want to add a little something on your deck that is heartwarming; a fire pit will be great.

We would say that putting a fire pit in a wooden deck is a little tricky than in other parts of your house because of the risks of fire outbreaks. We will show you how to safely use a fire pit in your wooden deck that is safe for you and the deck.

What Can I Put Under the Fire Pit in My Deck?

There are several materials that you can put at the bottom of your fire pit that is non-combustible, are strong, and protect the integrity of the whole structure.

You put a layer of sand first at the bottom of the fire pit, then you add gravels or lava stone, paving stones, bricks or even fire pit glass on top of the sand.

These materials do not absorb moisture so much and so cannot expand nor explode as the heat in your fire pit increases.

Can You Put a Fire Pit on Trex Decking?

Some factors will determine if you can put a fire pit in a TREX decking, and these factors include:

1. How hot and how big is the fire? If the fire is not so hot and the fire pit is small, it means that you run less risk of your decking getting too heated up by the fire from your fire pit.

If you must place your fire pit in a Trex decking, then ensure that you control the fire pit’s temperature by turning the knob appropriately. You could also opt for a smaller fire pit to ensure your fire does not go beyond a given temperature.

2. How long has it been going and heating the surface below it? The longer the fire pit has been heating the surface below it, the more radiant heat the surface has acquired, increasing the risk of damaging the surface and fire outbreak. It is good advice to only use the fire pit on a Trex decking when it is necessary, and it should be for short periods

3. What is the ambient temperature of the day or evening? Higher temperature means that the chances of a fire outbreak increase, and you do not want a fire pit on a Trex deck for obvious reasons. Trex deck begins to soften at temperatures as low as 176°F.

4. Is there a breeze that can flow between the fire pit and the deck surface? If the momentum of the breeze is great, there are chances of sparks from the fire pit getting to the deck surface and causing damage.

What kind of composite decking? Wooden decking increases the risk of fire outbreak generally than most others. You should go for another decking like those made with PVC.

6. How much space is between the bottom of the fire pit bowl and the composite deck? The higher the space, the less the fire risk from the fire pit damaging the deck.

7. What kind of fuel will be used in the fire pit, wood, or gas: Wood burning fire pits are not recommended on Trex decking unless using a product called DeckProtect™. But even at that, it is still risky and best, so it is best to stick to gas burning fire pit on a Trex decking.

How To Protect a Wooden Deck from a Fire Pit

You can protect your wooden deck from being burnt by your fire pit by being very safety conscious and ready to fight any uncontrolled fire that might result. Here are a few safety tips that will help you keep your deck and home safe:

1. Your fire pit must be given at least 20 feet of clearance from furniture, railings, and all such materials that can easily burn.

2. Ensure that your fire pit is properly connected and installed, especially if your fire pit will run through your home’s gas supply.

3. If you use a wood-burning fire pit (which you must use with a lot of caution), you should store the extra firewood, far enough away from the fire pit at such a distance that a flying spark or ember does not land on the woods and cause an uncontrolled fire.

4. Always set your fire pit on a protective pad or mat so that it does not have direct contact with the wooden deck to ensure that the heat from the fire pit does not impact the wooden deck. Never set your fire pit on a bare wood deck but use protective pads which come in materials like stone, metal, and screen mesh.

5. Most fire pits come with a stand, so you should always use the stand to keep the fire pit from being too close to the floor of the deck.

6. You should never leave your fire unattended because it takes just a few seconds for a spark or flying ember to get caught in a flammable material that can lead to a fire disaster. So never leave your fire pit without someone there to watch it.

Do Fire Pit Heat Deflectors Work?

Heat deflectors are not just a great accessory to your fire pit; they are a means of redirecting the heat from your fire pit upwards and sideways where people sit so that the heat from your fire pit is evenly distributed around the space.

The heat from the fire pit deflected by the deflector does not travel by radiation but rather by convection, which makes the heat circulate more evenly.

Firepit deflectors truly work, and they help distribute the heat generated in the fire pit evenly so that all the people around the fire pit can have the same warmth.

Should I Put Sand on My Fire Pit?

You can put sand on your fire pit, and this is because sand can soak up the heat generated from the fire pit and then redistribute it evenly all over the unit so that no part of the fire pit is hotter than the others.

Sand also helps protect the metal bowl of your fire pit from the heat generated in the fire pit.

6 Ways to Put a Fire Pit on A Wooden Deck?

Before you put your fire pit in a wooden deck, you should do the following:

1. Since accidents can never be predicted, it is best to keep a fire extinguisher, water, or a hose connected to a water source to fight the fire in the event the fire gets out of hand.

2. If you are using a wood-burning fire pit, then you must exercise a lot of caution because fire can crackle and send embers flying from the fire pit to the wooden deck or other flammable materials around like furniture, paper, and the likes which could then burn the deck and even cause a fire outbreak.

Also, ensure that you dispose of the ash is disposed of properly. Before you dispose of it, make sure that it is cool enough to be touched.

Leaving ash in your fire pit can cause corrosion over time if the ash gets wet. It will also cause a mess that you will have to clean up too.

3. Ensure that your wooden deck is strong enough to hold the fire pit because some fire pits are heavy, and with all the installation and construction, they weigh heavily on your wooden deck.

4. Always position your fire pit away from furniture and other flammable materials. It is advised that you install some fire-resistant surface like tiles on you place your fire pit.

5. Always use a gas-fueled fire pit because they have the lowest probability of causing a fire outbreak. If the gas fire pits are well installed and maintained, they hardly produce sparks which means the possibility of a spark escaping is almost non-existent.

6. some fire pit pads are sold online and in stores designed to protect wooden decks from very high temperatures. Some of these pads can withstand temperatures as high as 1400°F. Covering your cement fiberboard with a tile will act as a fire pit pad.

Can You Use a Fire Pit on A Covered Porch?

It is common for most people who have a covered porch to want to make the best use of then; that is why they place a patio umbrella there, keep their furniture for small bites or even full meals outside, and even want a fire pit there.

But before you can put a fire pit on a covered porch, there are different things you will have to consider. The factors below will help you figure out if you can have a fire pit on your porch.

1. The flooring

You must consider the material the floor of the porch is made of as this will determine if you can place a fire pit on them and the type of fire pit that can go on them.

Concrete and bricks are very good and safe flooring materials that can take your fire pit on your covered porch. While composite, vinyl flooring, and wooden surfaces are combustible, you must be extra careful to place a fire pit on them.

2. The location

You must check with the manufacturers and even the city laws to find out the minimum distance required for the fire pit location. The space of your porch must be open and clear from all combustible materials like tree branches.

3. Height of the porch ceiling

You must determine if you have enough vertical clearance from the roof of your porch to the floor where you can fire pit.

Different cities have the recommended clearance you can have before fixing a fire pit underneath your covered porch.

Do a little research to determine the figure for your area. This clearance is necessary because heat from the fire pit can over time damage the ceiling and can even lead to a fire outbreak.

4. The amount of ventilation

Inadequate ventilation in an enclosed porch can build up a lot of dangerous gases that you don’t want around you.

The big deal about this gas, especially carbon monoxide, is that they don’t smell or feel any different than the oxygen you breathe so that you might be breathing- in poison and never know it.

So, if your covered porch has a lot of spaces for free movement of air in and out of it, then you can install a fire pit.

Generally, there are a few forbidden things that should not be found very close to your fire pit, one of them is plants and tree branches, which are always around us.

You should also keep your pets far from the fire pit as you can never tell what they can do to endanger their lives and the people around them.

Children should not stay too close to the fire pit and, if they must, stay some safe distance from the unit and be monitored by adults.

Conclusion: How To Protect a Wooden Deck from a Fire Pit

If you want to fix a fire pit in your wooden deck, you must do so with care and caution and abide by the laid down safety rules enumerated earlier.

If you must fix a fire pit on a closed porch, ensure that you are not exposing yourself and people around you to the risk of a fire outbreak.

You can do that by ensuring that your patio has enough ventilation and clearance, amongst other things. If not, leave the fire pit out of the closed porch. Our maxim is safety first.

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How To Protect a Wooden Deck from a Fire Pit