Spark Screens, Smoke and Choosing Firewood

A good wood fire comes down to three things you control: a spark guard sized to the bowl, firewood dry enough to burn hot, and a plan for putting the fire out properly at the end of the night. None of it makes a wood fire smoke free, because no wood fire is, but together these habits mean less smoke, fewer stray embers and happier neighbors. This guide draws on Fire Pit Art's own guidance for its fire pits and on the US EPA's Burn Wise program for choosing and burning firewood.

Why use a spark guard

Wood pops, and a popping log can send embers out of the bowl. Fire Pit Art's advice is simple: "It is best to always use a spark guard with your fire pit." The company explains that flying embers can burn people near the fire as well as ignite flammable items nearby.

It also makes a point that is easy to miss. A guard may be optional while someone is actively tending the fire, but Fire Pit Art calls it "a significant safety benefit when you retire your fire pit for the evening", which is exactly when a quiet bed of coals is most likely to be left alone. Think of the guard as the lid you put on at the end of the night, even if you take it off while the fire is lively.

On a well made art steel piece, the guard is part of the look. Fire Pit Art's Artisan spark guards are built from heavy stainless steel mesh with two inch wide 304 stainless steel bands, then painted black with high temperature paint, so the dome reads as a finished part of the sculpture rather than an afterthought.

Fitting a spark guard to your fire pit

A spark guard only works if it sits properly on the rim, which is why Fire Pit Art makes each size for specific designs. The fit list below comes from Fire Pit Art's product pages.

If your design is not on the list, call us before ordering and we will confirm the right guard with Fire Pit Art. Guards are made to order. Fire Pit Art guarantees the screen material for sixty days against failure and the frame for ten years with proof of purchase, and notes that the mesh may rust over time. Every size is in our spark guard collection.

A guard keeps embers in; it does nothing about smoke. For that, you need the right wood.

Choosing firewood

The US EPA's guidance is about dryness far more than species. Its Burn Wise program says to "burn only dry, split, well-seasoned wood", seasoned for at least six months, and notes that wood burns best at a moisture content of less than 20 percent. Dry wood burns hotter and cleaner. Damp wood does the opposite, and that is the heavy smoke everyone remembers from a bad campfire.

A few habits make this easy. The EPA suggests testing wood with a moisture meter, a small handheld tool that takes the guessing out of it. It also describes the signs of seasoned wood: it is darker, weighs less and sounds hollow when hit against another piece. Store your supply outdoors, off the ground, with only the top covered, so air can move through the stack and keep drying it.

A steel log rack does that job and looks the part beside an art steel fire pit. Fire Pit Art makes the Crescent, Wings in Flight and Orbit racks in steel, with stainless versions of the Crescent and Wings in Flight.

What not to burn

A fire pit is not an incinerator, and the EPA's list of what to keep out of it is specific. Do not burn:

• household trash, including cardboard, plastics, foam, and the colored ink on magazines, boxes and wrappers
• coated, painted or pressure-treated wood
• ocean driftwood, plywood, particle board, or any wood with glue on or in it
• wet, rotted, diseased or moldy wood
• green wood, construction waste or yard waste

Scrap lumber from a renovation project usually falls into this list too, since so much of it is painted, treated or glued, however tempting the pile in the garage may be.

Starting the fire

The EPA recommends starting fires with newspaper, dry kindling or all natural fire starters, and never with gasoline, kerosene or charcoal starter. Build a hot fire, as the EPA advises, and add split wood once it is burning well. A hot fire burns cleaner than a smoldering one, and how you start it largely decides which kind you get. Fire Pit Art sells a fatwood fire starter alongside its fire tools if you want everything to match.

Smoke and your neighbors

Every wood fire makes smoke. According to the EPA, wood smoke is a mix of gases and fine particles, and the biggest health threat comes from the finest particles, known as PM2.5. The EPA lists children, teenagers, older adults, people with lung or heart disease, and outdoor workers among those at greater risk.

That is why the EPA asks people to "be a good neighbor when burning and consider your neighbors, as well as wind direction", and to never burn wood during air quality alert days. The EPA's Burn Wise site links to local air quality information you can check before you light. Placing the pit so the prevailing breeze carries smoke away from your seating and your neighbors' windows helps too.

If you love the look of a fire pit but smoke is a real problem for your household, most Fire Pit Art designs are also offered for natural gas or propane, and the EPA notes that natural gas and propane burners offer reduced air pollution compared with wood.

Putting the fire out

A fire is not finished until it is cold. The Smokey Bear campfire guide from the USDA Forest Service program breaks it into four steps: drown the ashes with lots of water, stir them into a mud with a shovel, drown them again, then hold your bare hand just above them to feel for heat. "If it's too hot to touch, it's too hot to leave." Keep water and a shovel nearby from the moment you light.

For a steel fire pit, ask us about the method Fire Pit Art prefers for its bowls; the lids on the Saturn and Magnum models are described as usable as a fire snuffer. Whatever the method, never leave embers unattended.

The right kit

These pieces cover the essentials: a spark guard for the end of the night, a rack to keep wood dry, tools, a natural starter and the grate. The grate is marked by Fire Pit Art as not for cooking.

Before your first fire, read burn bans and local rules for wood fire pits. For choosing the fire pit itself, see art steel fire pits, and for how the finish ages, how steel fire pits patina.

Common questions

Do I need a spark screen on a wood fire pit?

Fire Pit Art recommends always using one, because flying embers can burn people nearby and ignite flammable items. It calls a guard optional while the fire is being actively tended, but a significant safety benefit when you retire the fire pit for the evening. Some cities and counties also set their own spark screen rules, so check with your local fire department as well.

How dry should firewood be?

The US EPA says wood burns best at a moisture content of less than 20 percent and recommends checking it with a moisture meter. Burn only dry, split wood that has been seasoned for at least six months. Seasoned wood is darker, weighs less and sounds hollow when two pieces are knocked together. Store it outdoors, off the ground, with only the top covered so air keeps moving through the stack.

Can a wood fire pit burn without smoke?

No wood fire is completely free of smoke. Smoke is heaviest while a fire is starting and when the wood is damp, and dry, seasoned wood burned in a hot fire produces less of it. If smoke is a serious concern for your household or neighbors, a natural gas or propane fire feature is the better choice. The US EPA notes that natural gas and propane burners offer reduced air pollution compared with wood.

How do I get rid of the ashes safely?

Let the ashes cool completely, then place them in a tightly covered metal container. The US Fire Administration advises keeping that container at least 10 feet from your home and any other buildings, and never emptying ashes straight into a trash can. Ashes can hold heat for a long time, so treat them as live until you are sure they are cold.

Sources

1. Fire Pit Art, Should I Use a Spark Guard on My Fire Pit?
2. Fire Pit Art, Artisan Spark Guard SG-36.0, materials, made to order, fit list
3. Fire Pit Art, Artisan Spark Guard 27.5, 34.5, 34.5 Magnum, SG-40, SG-44.5, fit by design
4. Fire Pit Art, Warranty, Artisan Spark Guard terms
5. Fire Pit Art, Magnum with lid, lid as fire snuffer or tabletop
6. Fire Pit Art, Grate for Wood Burning Fire Pit, not for cooking
7. US EPA Burn Wise, Best Wood-Burning Practices, seasoning, moisture, storage, signs of seasoned wood, what not to burn, fire starters
8. US EPA Burn Wise, Backyard Recreational Fires, neighbors and wind, air quality alert days, gas alternatives
9. US EPA Burn Wise, Wood Smoke and Your Health, fine particles, groups at greater risk
10. US EPA Burn Wise, links to air quality and Check Before You Burn information
11. Smokey Bear (USDA Forest Service program), Keep Your Campfire from Becoming a Wildfire, drown, stir, drown, feel
12. US Fire Administration (FEMA), Discard Ashes Safely