Had my backyard fire pit 3 years before I realized I was building the fire wrong

I always just tossed logs in a pile and poured lighter fluid on them. Looked impressive for 5 minutes then smoldered for hours. Last weekend my neighbor came over and showed me the teepee method with kindling underneath. Night and day difference. Been doing it the hard way for 3 summers for no reason. Anybody else have a basic outdoor thing they overcomplicated?

2 comments

2 Comments

adams.henry10d ago

Been doing it the hard way for 3 summers for no reason" - that's exactly how I felt when I learned the log cabin method. But here's something nobody talks about: your fire pit design might be the real issue. I had a shallow bowl pit and no matter what stacking method I used, it made the fire choke on its own ash. Swapped to a raised grate with air holes underneath and that changed everything more than the teepee trick ever did. The airflow underneath stops that smoldering problem you mentioned. Also check if your wood is actually seasoned, wet wood will kill any stacking method every time.

elizabetha9210d ago

Raised grate totally changed things for me too. Had the same problem with a shallow pit and once I got some airflow underneath it was like night and day. Also started splitting my wood smaller which helped a ton.