OT: Low smoke fire pit advice
- Thread starter jxndawg
- Start date
We own a Solo. My bride bought it, and I was really skeptical.
Thing works. You get some smoke until it gets good and hot, then a LOT less smoke - not smokeless, but smoke less.
And it burns hot. You can hunker down around it and not get smoke in your eyes.
We put it on our dock, on 4 fire blocks from Home Depot. I was nervous at first, and kept the hose at the ready, but no problem.
I like it a lot.
Thing works. You get some smoke until it gets good and hot, then a LOT less smoke - not smokeless, but smoke less.
And it burns hot. You can hunker down around it and not get smoke in your eyes.
We put it on our dock, on 4 fire blocks from Home Depot. I was nervous at first, and kept the hose at the ready, but no problem.
I like it a lot.
We just finished our pool and wanted a not-so-permanent fire pit outside on our deck for ambiance and cooking more than anything.
We went with the Solo Bonfire.
The short answer to "is it smokeless?" is "kind of".
The way it works is, there's a set of inlet holes at the bottom that channel the air in two different places, 1 - straight up through the fuel source, and 2 - up the side and out a second set of holes at the top.
It's supposed to kind of ignite the air a second time as it's exiting the top of the stove, thus eliminating the smoke.
And it does... but you have to supply it a ton of fuel to keep it hot enough to get that secondary combustion.
Which is fine if you've got an abundance of wood, because it goes through it pretty fast... but in Florida it's hard to find firewood without buying truckloads.
We opted for the cast iron griddle, and it does a hell of a sear on a steak - and cooks fine for me - but if anyone likes it medium or above, you might have some issues getting it up to temp without finishing in the oven.
As far as how much heat it puts off - unless you're standing right next to it, it doesn't really provide much in the way of radiant heat.
So if you want a pit to provide warmth as you're sitting around, you might want to look at other options.
All in all , I like it. It's a cool gadget.. looks nice, but I would be disappointed if I were using it for a heat source.
We went with the Solo Bonfire.
The short answer to "is it smokeless?" is "kind of".
The way it works is, there's a set of inlet holes at the bottom that channel the air in two different places, 1 - straight up through the fuel source, and 2 - up the side and out a second set of holes at the top.
It's supposed to kind of ignite the air a second time as it's exiting the top of the stove, thus eliminating the smoke.
And it does... but you have to supply it a ton of fuel to keep it hot enough to get that secondary combustion.
Which is fine if you've got an abundance of wood, because it goes through it pretty fast... but in Florida it's hard to find firewood without buying truckloads.
We opted for the cast iron griddle, and it does a hell of a sear on a steak - and cooks fine for me - but if anyone likes it medium or above, you might have some issues getting it up to temp without finishing in the oven.
As far as how much heat it puts off - unless you're standing right next to it, it doesn't really provide much in the way of radiant heat.
So if you want a pit to provide warmth as you're sitting around, you might want to look at other options.
All in all , I like it. It's a cool gadget.. looks nice, but I would be disappointed if I were using it for a heat source.
Solo does for sure. I burn pine so it's a big deal.
It smokes in the beginning, then once the fire gets hot it's barely noticeable. I like the Solo because it's light and portable. Can take it camping, use it on the patio, or put it in storage for the winter.
It smokes in the beginning, then once the fire gets hot it's barely noticeable. I like the Solo because it's light and portable. Can take it camping, use it on the patio, or put it in storage for the winter.
I had one. They work, but you have to use them exactly like the instructions say. The critical thing is you must have the wood sitting a few inches lower than the lip of the pot. If a piece of wood is level with the pot, it smokes like a normal fire pot. Long story short, you have to use shorter pieces of wood and you have to be strategic about placing wood in the pot.
And like others have said, they aren't smokeless. Just slightly less. Nothing that will make you say "holy cow, where has this been my whole life".
And like others have said, they aren't smokeless. Just slightly less. Nothing that will make you say "holy cow, where has this been my whole life".
Brother in law just got a Solo and it works. I mean it's a fire so their is smoke but the day we used it was certainly windy and smoke wasn't blowing in your face as long as you keep the logs below the lip
We got a propane one and they're good from a warmth perspective, if smoke bothers you, or when there's a fire ban.
For me though, it's hard to beat the real thing
For me though, it's hard to beat the real thing
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FIL owns a company called Earthscape supply that specializes in those outdoor fire pits. They have all kinds of neat Rosetta Stone Hardscape products they sell (outdoor kitchens, fire pits, walkways, etc). You should give them a call and ask for Drew 601-500-5513. They have a website too that’s pretty easy to find on google.
We put in a fair amount of fire pits. If it’s built in, go gas iunless you just have no way of letting yourself do it. Push a button and you have fire. Turn it off when you are done. If it’s temporary or portable, get whichever smoke less model you like.
Blue Sky. Less than Solo. Works great.
https://www.blueskyoutdoorliving.com/pages/high-efficiency-fire-pits
https://www.blueskyoutdoorliving.com/pages/high-efficiency-fire-pits
Friend down the street has one of those, not sure what brand. His father-in-law told him he thought the outside stayed cool. Friend BARELY touched it, was in agony the rest of the night. It's possible his father-in-law is trying to get rid of him.
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