How to Start a Fire Pit with Wood? Follow These Simple Steps!

The fire pit is a best friend for your outdoor activities. It can warm up the mood, and the body, and you can even use it for emergencies or other practical usages. However, not all people know how to start a fire pit although they probably need it. Through this article, you will know how to start a fire pit with wood for beginners.

Starting Fire Pit with Wood Safely

To start the steps on how to start a fire pit with wood, you have to pay attention to safety issues. Safety is the most important thing whenever you want or need to start a fire pit. You could follow these tips to prevent avoidable damages:

• Set your fire pit on an even surface, so the fire will not escape from its place.
• You are highly suggested to place your fire at least 10 feet (± 3 meters) from any trees, houses, fences, or other structures.
• Avoid starting a fire when it is windy. Flames or embers can spread to your house, yard, or nearby trees which can burn those places.
• Consider using other alternatives instead of gasoline or kerosene to start the fire. These fuels can make the fire grow uncontrollably.
• Keep in mind to always monitor your fire regardless of the scale because the fire can spread quickly.
• Maintain proper distance to keep the family members, guests, children, or pets safe. Do not take or show risky behavior.
• Always keep a fire extinguisher, garden hose, bottles of water, or bucket of sand close to your fire pit to douse the fire if it gets out of hand. If you cannot extinguish it quickly, please just call the emergency number.

Step by Step on How to Start a Fire Pit with Wood

We have reached the main points of ‘how to start a fire pit with wood’. Before starting the fire, it is better for you to check the local laws about starting a fire pit first. If everything is alright, then you could follow these simple steps to start your fire pit using wood.

1. Preparation

Finding and choosing suitable wood is an essential step on how to start a fire pit with wood since not all kinds of wood can be used in the fire pit. After that, preparing tinder, kindle, and fire structure is also important to keep the fire pit remains lit and safe.

a. Tinder

Tinder is what you will use to start your fire. Make sure that the tinder is small and a kind of combustible material. You could choose something like dry leaves, pinecones, dry grass, newspaper, or dry tree bark. As long as the material is not toxic, you could use it to start a fire.

b. Kindling

Kindling is the material that keeps the fire stay alive. Materials for kindling could be bigger than tinder, such as twigs of pine, cedar, poplar, and spruce.

c. Firewood

Logs are the most essential part when you want to start a fire pit with wood as it is the main source of the fire burning. The most suitable firewood includes hardwoods such as maple, oak, ash, and birch. Make sure the firewood is seasoned and stacked properly before you use it.

d. Fire Starter

Lastly, you must prepare the fire starter to light the fire. There are many types of fire starters you could choose. The most common type includes kitchen lighter or matches. However, if you want to change the tools, you could consider using an electric arc or butane torch lighter.

2. How to Start a Fire Pit with Wood: Lit the Fire

Starting the fire is the most important step on ‘how to start a fire pit with wood’. First, you have to build the fire structure to place the wood, kindling, and tinder. This step is important since a good fire structure can create good ventilation to enable the oxygen flows to light the fire or make the fire remain lit.

Moreover, a good fire structure is important since if it is not good enough, the fire pit can collapse which reduces the ventilation and may shut the fire off or send fire sparks flying out of the pit. Here are several fire structures that you could use:

• Cross Fire Structure: It is the position where the tinder is in the center. Then, put the kindling on top of the tinder in a crisscross pattern, so do the firewood. Do not forget to create gaps for ventilation.
• Teepee Fire Structure: You could start constructing this structure by pit the tinder material in the center of the pit. Then, put the kindling vertically around the tinder with an opening on one side. Repeat this process with the wood logs with the same pattern.
• Log-cabin Fire Structure: Just like the two structures, put the tinder in the center of the pit. Then, you could construct the kindling with a Teepee structure.

After that, place two wood logs on either side of the Teepee and lay two additional logs straight across the first two logs. Repeat this step twice or thrice to complete the structure.

After constructing the fire structure, all you need to do is just light the fire and let the whole combustion process happen. Light the tinder from several sides to ignite more burn. You could add more firewood and arrange it to keep the ventilation and maintain the flame.

3. The Aftermath

The last part of how to start a fire pit with wood is the extinguishing process. If you want to finish your fire pit, then you do not need to add more firewood to the fire for about an hour.

After that, the fire should be down to embers. You could use sand or dirt to put off the fire. Do not use water for it will damage the pit, create steam and just tarnish the land with the dark-burnt remains.

Wood Fire Pit and the Warm Throughout the Night

Through the article about how to start a fire pit with wood, you could get an insight into how to start a fire pit safely using wood. The wood fire pit is a versatile medium to gather your beloved people around you. It could directly improve your psychological state through the relaxing sensation and the warmness of the fire.
Besides the warmness that you could share, you also can use the fire for practical use such as cooking and lighting, or even in emergencies, such as when you are lost in the middle of the jungle or when you want to send an emergency message. These all are some benefits if you know how to start a fire pit with wood properly.