What's the best way to make a temporary firepit w/o marking my yard?

peripatew

peripatew

Joined
Jul 31, 2007
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I'm currently renting, and I'd LOVE to make some type of fire pit that won't damage the yard. I'd like to work on some fire skills more, and my son would love to as well!

I've thought about getting some type of metal trash can lid, or half of an old charcoal grill, and setting it on some cinder blocks.

I'm not sure how concerned I should be with a metal base, as it will stay hot longer, and be dangerous... but the fire and coals themselves are also dangerous.

Any other thoughts?
 
go out to Jerrys and see if they have any of the terra cotta chiminaus (beats me how ya spell that) left. I paid about $40 for one 6 or 7 years ago when I was back in town for awhile, and it is still going strong. it's two piece and you can use it with the top smoke stack on or off. I even used it to smoke a deer skin when I was still in town.
hit me at my e-mail if ya want. I am thinking I should invite you and your boy out to look around and visit. I will be passing the pass around knife off to you one of these weeks.
here's a pic of my camp that is east of my driveway 20 yards or so.
be safe... Ted
 
I've thought about getting some type of metal trash can lid, or half of an old charcoal grill, and setting it on some cinder blocks.
Click to expand...
You could dig a shallow pit, inlay the old charcoal grill. Set the sod and dirt aside to refill the hole when finished.

A No-Trace backyard fire ring. :)
 
I use the bottom third of a 55 gallon drum that I cut up, put a few holes in the bottom for air vents & it works great. also I set it on several bricks. it can be moved to other locations easily & pretty much leaves no trace!
 
Air conditioning supply houses have secondary drain pans that go under A/C units in you attic (if you live in a warm climate) or go under water heaters to catch leaks. They are made of sheetmetal with turned up edges (hemmed) to form a basin that would make a good campfire base if set on bricks or blocks. Since I have a friend in the sheetmetal business I have a 24"x24"x2" one custom made of stainless steel.
 
There are plenty of really cheap BBQ grills for sale in places such as Wal-Marts, Target, or perhaps even your local supermarket. I'm talking about grills that are under $5, stamped metal on three legs with a rack for the burgers. Just leave off the rack and use it as your fire pit. It won't last more than 2-3 years and then the rust will eat it, perhaps a couple more if you put in an inch of sand in the bottom first. But for those 2 years it will be a great place for a small campfire! Be a real big spender and blow $10 and get the large sized ones and you can actually use split logs in it!

Stitchawl
 
I would think you best bet is to just get a fire place. The can be had under $100 now, for $160 cdn I got a beautiful copper plated one that took a nice patina.
 
Ted, you Home Camp is sweet....I love it...

sorry, bout that,


Ok i used an old grill it worked and is highly portable...plus all you gotta do to walk away from it is close the lid. much safer than an open pit...
 
An old steel truck/car wheel works well, I used to use one all the time as a charcoal BBQ, if you pick one about 10-12" deep and put the deep side up, this is about the right height for the coals, a grill can be improvised from an old refridgerator shelf. Make sure you burn the paint off first before cooking ! If you are really worried about scorching the lawn, put it up on top of an old patio stone.
 
I am having a similar dilemma. A buddy of mine suggested the barrel from a clothes dryer. They won't readily rust and the holes make it work like a stove. I am trying to locate one now.
 
I don't know about the clothes dryer barrel, but my family has been using the preforated tub from inside a washing machine for years. They are great. You can find them really large, to pretty small. Very portable. Put a few bricks under it and there will be virtually no lasting damage to your yard. My father is also a plumbing contractor so they are not that hard to come by for me. Try calling up a plumber or two and see if you can score one...or a few.

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Using a washer tub is an outstanding idea. Very portable and most likely free. :thumbup:

Jeff
 
washer or dryer tubs are the awesome.

a small sandbox is also a good one, take the curvy red brick edging and get 2 or 3 50 pound bags of playsand. give it 2 months or evne 6 weeks to come back when you take it all up, the grass won't care
 
I have been wanting to do this too, I rent a 100 yr old farmhouse with a killer yard and it has a big ole tree begging for a fire pit under it. I like the third of a 55 gallon drum idea but need to find a drum and someone to cut it.
 
There are a lot of commercially available "portable" firepits available these days. Usually they are a cast iron or copper bowl on legs with a grate and sometimes a screen. I have a couple of these and they can be used on a deck or lawn without doing any permenant damage. Here are several available from Home Depot to give you an idea.

I prefer a stone fire ring for the nostalgia, though.

-- FLIX
 
All great ideas. I use a Weber Smokey Joe grill for my fire pit. It also doubles as a BBQ grill:D Nobody freaks out around here if they see open flames coming from a grill. When you are done, simply pop the cover on, close the vents and you're good to go, even saving coals for the next fire. Completely portable, I move it around for a change in scenery.
 
TedPalmer said:
go out to Jerrys and see if they have any of the terra cotta chiminaus (beats me how ya spell that) left. I paid about $40 for one 6 or 7 years ago when I was back in town for awhile, and it is still going strong. it's two piece and you can use it with the top smoke stack on or off. I even used it to smoke a deer skin when I was still in town.
hit me at my e-mail if ya want. I am thinking I should invite you and your boy out to look around and visit. I will be passing the pass around knife off to you one of these weeks.
here's a pic of my camp that is east of my driveway 20 yards or so.
be safe... Ted
Click to expand...

Holy crap your camp is awesome. I could live in it, though I know I would eventually want a door lol.
 
stitchawl said:
There are plenty of really cheap BBQ grills for sale in places such as Wal-Marts, Target, or perhaps even your local supermarket. I'm talking about grills that are under $5, stamped metal on three legs with a rack for the burgers. Just leave off the rack and use it as your fire pit. It won't last more than 2-3 years and then the rust will eat it, perhaps a couple more if you put in an inch of sand in the bottom first. But for those 2 years it will be a great place for a small campfire! Be a real big spender and blow $10 and get the large sized ones and you can actually use split logs in it!

Stitchawl
Click to expand...

I love the grill idea. It'd be perfect for me I think....cheap. Thanks!!
 
I like the looks of the Weber Smokey Joe. At around $30, it would be fine. I'll have to see it in person before I could judge the width and depth. The rains have started here in the NW, so I'm definitely wanting to get this going, and enlarging are tarp shelter so we can have some outdoor fun despite the rains (this is our first time here for the rains).

L!
 
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