A fire pit can be a beautiful addition to your home. It should serve as a source of entertainment outside your house. Once they are properly exposed to time and elements, all fire pits will rust. Even if you have got the best fire pit, it will suffer. You don’t want that, right?
Suppose the fire pits are unprotected for a long time, the metal used in making it would begin to dilapidate. Having rust in your fire pits is not safe at all. The rust can cut someone if they are protruding out. Rust is also not safe if embers, fire, or ash are falling right through the holes caused by the rust.
You can still make use of your fire pit if some parts are not rusty and the fore-mentioned problems are not present. But you sure don’t want to have a rusty fire pit. We have provided tips on how you can keep your fire pit from rusting. We have also taken the time to explain why fire pits do rust in the first place.
Why Do Fire Pit Rusts?
Either you buy or build your metal fire pit, it may not or maybe painted. Like stainless steel, some metals do hold better than other metals when they are heated up and are exposed to elements like water. This explains why some fire pits would not rust as easily as others would.
Fire Pits are produced with metal that would easily rust are usually painted with high-temperature paint. The high-temperature paint is expected to protect the fire paint metals underneath.
If you are experienced with fire pits, you will know that the metal paints do come off some of the spots after using them the first time. Sometimes, some parts might be missing some paint when you open the kit box. These unpainted and exposed parts are where the crust begins to form.
The rust does form on these exposed parts because of oxidation. Oxidation can be referred to as an ordinary chemical reaction that happens when a metal comes in contact with oxygen. Other things, such as water and salt do help in speeding up the oxidation process.
Rain is probably the biggest enemy you have.
The longer the unpainted part of your fire pits is revealed to air, the more rust you would have. You might not want to know how fire pits rust; you just don’t want yours to rust. We have provided useful tips that can help you prevent your fire pit from rusting.
Tips on How to Keep Your Pit from Rusting
Your fire pit would become a problem once rust starts forming in it. You might be thinking, can I keep my fire pit from rusting? The answer is yes. We have provided some tips that would be efficient, effective, and helpful in preventing your fire pit from rusting.
1. Do Not Leave Your Fire Pit Outside
Since elements-snow, rain, and sun rays are some of the quickest ways to get your fire pit deteriorating and rusting fast, unless your fire pit is a concrete or natural stone fire pit. Most fire pits will begin to rust immediately after having been exposed to moisture while some will still be good when exposed to moisture.
So, if it is not necessary in the case of an outdoor portable fire pit, do not leave the fire pit outside at the mercy of natural elements. If you have to leave the fire pit outside, ensure that the pit has a cover over its head, and otherwise expect a mess after just a few use, in the case of a metal fire pit.
2. Cover Your Fire Pit When Not In Use
One effective way by which you can prevent fire pit rust is by covering your fire pit since the leading cause of fire pit rust is moisture, if your fire pit is an outdoor fire pit covering the fire pit is the most suitable option to prevent fire rust. Weatherproof fire pits covering are one of the great ways by which you can rust-proof your fire pit.
Because of the differences in the fire pit size and design, you will find fire pit covers come in various sizes, materials, and shapes to suit your fire pit design and shape. You can also get a custom cover made for you.
3. Clean Your Fire Pit Regularly
One easy way to avoid fire pit rust is by cleaning your fire pit. Cleaning your fire pit is an easy task, but remembering to clean it is a difficult task. Ashcan absorbs moisture from the rain or air and holds the moisture together on the metal surface. To worsen matters, the fire pit’s inner surface experiences more immense heat and is susceptible to rusting.
After there is no heat generated by the fire pit again, you can then dump the ash. You can then water or spray down any leftover ash to avoid starting a new fire. You can make use of a degreasing dish soap, or shampoo and water to clean the fire pit. Ensure you dry up the metal with a towel.
Ensure you pay special attention to the screws, corners, and other secret areas. If you are forgetful, natural gas or propane-powered fire pit would be the best for you. A fire pit powered by gas leaves no ash, while a smokeless, high-efficient fire pit leaves less ash than traditional fire pits.
4. Paint the Metal Part of Your Fire Pit
The most metallic part of a fire pit so come with a high temperature and weather-resistant paint but in some fire pits, these layers are thin and do wear off after making use of the fire pit for some time. Even if the metal has thick and quality paint it would wear off after continual use of the fire pit.
We would recommend that you apply a second coat of protective and high-temperature weather-resistant paint on the fire pit before you begin to use it. You should also try to repaint regularly after using it. This would guarantee that your fire pit is protected at the beginning and would slow down the deterioration rate by keeping your fire pit safe from rusting.
5. Apply a Coat of Vegetable Oil
Apart from painting, another effective and inexpensive method you can employ is to apply a coat of vegetable oil to the exposed metal part of your fire pit. The vegetable oil can be corn oil, canola, etc.
Apply the oil using a neat rag with a good amount of oil, wipe down the metallic part of the fire pit. You might encounter a bit of smoke when next you start a fire but you have nothing to worry about and the smoke should stop as soon as it starts. You have to do this continuously because rust does not rest, you shouldn’t.
6. Allow The Fire to Extinguish Normally
It is faster and easier to extinguish the fire in your fire pit by dousing it with water, but doing this will increase the risk of your fire pit rusting. You should leave the fire to extinguish normally unless there is an emergency and the fire needs to be put out immediately.
Dousing a fire pit with water would cause a sudden change in temperature. The fire would be cooled suddenly and would lead to the weakening of the fire pit.
7. Inspect Your Fire Pit Regularly for Rust
Even after taking a lot of precautionary measures, you might happen to still find some rusting on the fire pit. Metal is expected to rust. But, as soon as you find rust in any part of your fire pit, ensure you treat that area immediately to prevent the rust from spreading.
A little bit of rust now would turn into something bigger if not taken proper care of immediately.
Final Thoughts
Your fire pit is expected to serve as a source of entertainment outside your home. Once it becomes harmful to you or your family, it no longer serves its purpose of providing warmth. Once your fire pit begins to rust, it becomes harmful to you, your friends, and your family.
You shouldn’t let your fire pit rust at all. Our practical and efficient tips provided above would be helpful in preventing your fire pit from rusting. We have also taken the time to explain why fire pits do rust in the first place.
Henry Jurk is an experienced architect with over 20 years of expertise in paving. He shares his knowledge and provides solutions through his blog posts at OkPatio.com. If you have any questions about patios, gardens, and outdoor spaces, you can find the correct answers from Henry. You can contact him via email at ar.henryjurk@gmail.com or through the website’s contact page.
