# Fire Pit on Concrete



## ZTMAN (Feb 19, 2015)

IMO there are many options, none of which would involve a doughnut hole in the middle of a new 14' patio. Sooner or later you will get tired of the fire pit, and its easier to deal with a fire pit put on top of the concrete vs tryin to fill in a three foot hole in your patio.

Google fire pit on patio and you will see hundreds of options.


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## GASCo (Jan 23, 2017)

robstapp1985 said:


> So we are having a 12 to 14' concrete circle poured. I have heard that you shouldnt put a fire pit on concrete. The answers seem to vary. So should I just have them pour a circle but leave a 36" fire pit ring kinda like a doughnut? Or can I just throw some sand and grave in the bottom on top of the concrete and be good to go?


I'm assuming you are talking a wood burning fire pit. in this case you're right. Wood/coal fire on top of concrete will crack it. Your idea of leaving an unpoured area in the center works well for that. You can put sand and gravel there and it will be safe to have wood burning. 

Another idea is pour concrete over the whole area but isolate the center circle with a expansion gap. The center circle will be more resistant to cracking and will not damage the doughnut in case it cracks.

The sand and gravel on top of the concrete won't do much to protect it from the heat in my opinion.


If you're talking a gas burning fire pit you'll have some appliance there and the concrete won't get nearly as hot, so the doughnut in this case doesn't make sense.


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## Bondo (Dec 8, 2007)

Ayuh,.... My water frontage is poured concrete, 'bout 60s vintage,...
I use an 18" length of steel I cut off a 40" propane tank,...
I lay a loose course of chimney bricks I salvaged from the chimney I tore down,...
Then maybe 1/2 dozen bricks to hold the steel ring up off the bricks for draft,....
It's been there goin' on 12 years, 'n I've burnt a mountain of wood in it,...
I've replaced a few, but not all of the bricks a couple times, usually when I move the pit a few feet 1 way or another,...
Zero, No spaldin' or heat damage under it,...









The thingy surroundin' the fire pit is my bent prop fishin' pole flower pot mobile I built for Deb,...


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## ZTMAN (Feb 19, 2015)

I always thought you had a decorator's eye Bondo


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## Bondo (Dec 8, 2007)

Ayuh,... Thank you,.... It usually starts with surveyin' the scrap pile, 'n figurin' out what hidden treasures are in there,...

There's a few projects in that picture,...
The fire pit, 'n mobile mentioned,...

On the round steel base of the mobile is a umbrella stand, made of an aluminum SBC flywheel, with a prop welded to it, a sleeve in the center for the umbrella pole, backfilled with molten lead for ballast,...the silver piece 'bout 4clock,...

On the top of the railin' are propane tank flower pots, painted green,...

'n the tugboat adapter on the back of the little tin barge,....
The 2x4s gives me great towin' power for haulin' the houseboat across the river each Spring, 'n Fall,...
I bought the houseboat for a guest cottage,... I moor it out front, May to September,...
Never even tried to get it runnin',... No time,....









'n in the extreme right lower corner of this pic is a ladder I built outa ole asphalt paver conveyor chains,...
You can just see the left rail of the ladder,...


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## jomama45 (Nov 13, 2008)

We always leave a hole (with plenty of stone in it for drainage) in patios that are going to have a firepit built on them. It allows the water to drain out without washing ash across the patio.


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## GASCo (Jan 23, 2017)

The OP disappeared I think. 

Anyway, I believe theses change because experiences change.. I have burned one single fire (charcoal) on concrete and got it cracked. Bondo has done it for several years with no problem. 

There is concrete quality issues and definitely concrete thickness issues as well. his slab looks like it is several inches thick. The slab I damaged was 4" at most.


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## Canarywood1 (May 5, 2012)

You shouldn't burn fires directly on concrete.


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## stadry (Jun 20, 2009)

take another look - bondo's using a steel rim which's set on 2 brick layers,,, nobody w/any sense builds a fire on conc UNLESS they intentionally want to destroy the conc,,, look at it this way, IF it were ok to burn on conc, why's there firebrick on fireplace bottoms & walls ? ? ? ?


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## lenaitch (Feb 10, 2014)

Bondo said:


> The thingy surroundin' the fire pit is my bent prop fishin' pole flower pot mobile I built for Deb,...


I'm glad you explained that - saves my imagination from taking over.


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## landfillwizard (Feb 21, 2014)

Built a fire pit on 2" thick patio blocks 3 years ago. Placed 3" of #1 washed stone in the bottom and 3" of beach sand over top. Shovel out 3 years of ash, stone, and sand. Did not find any damage to the patio blocks!


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## MTN REMODEL LLC (Sep 11, 2010)

robstapp1985 said:


> So we are having a 12 to 14' concrete circle poured. I have heard that you shouldnt put a fire pit on concrete. The answers seem to vary. So should I just have them pour a circle but leave a 36" fire pit ring kinda like a doughnut? *Or can I just throw some sand and grave in the bottom on top of the concrete and be good to go?*


Probably should use a cemetery.:wink2:


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