Garden Heating The Traditional Way
With the increased new trend in outdoor living, which has
undoubtedly been by TV Gardening DIY programs, we are all
spending more money on our garden and patio areas. Creating an
inspirational outdoor living space is something we can all do
with a wide range of hard and soft landscaping products,
lighting, decorations and garden accessories available widely on
the market.
Some of the latest innovations are in garden heating which
allows us to spend more of our precious leisure time enjoying
our garden or patio area, be it for entertaining family and
guests or simply for relaxing.
Fire pits and fire baskets are now widely available and not only
bring the real flame, cosy atmosphere to your garden or patio
but also create a great amount of heat, light and ambience.
Traditionally fire baskets were used as far back as the days of
the Roman Empire as a form of heating for castles, manor houses
and great stone buildings. Fire pits are a more modernist
refined and classy form of the original fire basket; however
both have their own charms.
Fire baskets and fire pits are simply filled with wood logs
which are lit. They give off quite a lot of light, but more
importantly their heat output is very high. They give the user a
similar feel and create an ambience similar to sitting around a
camp fire. The actual flame and glow of the fire are enough to
make the user feel warm and cosy. You make more use of your
garden and patio areas at night by using fire pits and fire
baskets to warm up the whole area.
Fire pits usually come with a steel mesh fire guard to stop
sparks and embers from flying around, however the more
traditional fire basket has gaps in between the steel which hold
the logs. To counteract the fact that some embers will drop onto
the floor below the fire basket, nearly all will come supplied
with a ground tray to collect the ash and embers. The ash and
embers in a fire pit simply collect within the bowl for easy
disposal.
They are a really great way to add charm, elegance, ambience,
light and heat to any garden or patio area and are easy to use
and maintain. Fire baskets are usually powder coated so they
won't rust very easily. Fire pits come in either black powder
coated bowls, solid copper bowls or stainless steel bowls, all
of which sit on powder coated steel leg frames which are
removable.
The heat output for fir pits does not reduce or alter with the
different bowl finishes, however placing the safety mesh guard
over the top (for obvious safety reasons) will slightly reduce
heat output.
Some fire baskets are available with a steel barbecue mesh tray
which sits on the top of the fire basket. This gives the fire
basket a dual use for cooking as well as a formidable heat
source.
When choosing a fire pit or fire basket always takes into
consideration the size of your garden or patio area. It is
important to remember that you will probably want access around
the fir pit or fire basket, so choose the right sized item,
bearing this in mind.
Care and maintenance of fire pits is very simply, although they
can be left outside all year round it is highly recommended that
the copper and stainless steel fire pits are give a light
coating of oil at the end of the summer season so that they
retain their lustre. Covers are available and will have the
obvious impact of lengthening the life of a fire pit. Powder
coated fire baskets can be left outside in the garden or patio
and won't rust, however steel fire baskets should be given a
light coat of oil. If rust does appear on a steel finished fire
basket, then this can be removed by using a wire brush, and then
a light oiling should be applied. Always ensure that if oiling
these items, only a light thin coat is applies.
Fire pits and fire basket really are the cutting edge of outdoor
living and life style this year. It is anticipated that they
will be one of the biggest selling garden accessories and heat
sources for this season, so if you want to enjoy your garden for
longer when the sun goes down, they are a must for you.
Enjoy long nights throughout the year with your fire pit or
fire basket - your life will take a new turn into outdoor living.
Resource
Angus Charlton is managing director of Arboreta, an online
store offering fire pits and
fire baskets . He is a keen gardener who has developed a
garden furniture business that resources from sustainable
rainforests and contributes to the art of Feng Shui for gardens.
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