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One of the main reasons for having an outdoor living space in Des Moines, Quad Cities, Cedar Rapids, or Waterloo, IA, is having the ability to spend time relaxing outdoors. Elements that can add to the ambience of your outdoor living space include comfortable patio furniture, character rich hardscaping materials, and fire features. Fire pits create simple focal points that can add tremendously to the enjoyment of good weather, fine food, and the company of friends. These provide a place to gather, serve as a decoration, and add warmth to chilly evenings outdoors.
When having a fire pit installed, you have numerous choices, amongst them what type of fuel to use. Two primary considerations are wood-burning fire pits and gas fire pits. Gas fire pits are powered by natural gas or propane and connect to the gas line of the home or a propane tank. Wood-burning fire pits use wood, coal, or other organic fuels.
While wood-burning fire pits are an age old favorite, providing the aroma of woodsmoke and the hands-on experience of building a fire, gas options have a number of unique benefits. Here are some of the reasons you might want to opt for gas rather than wood as fuel for your fire pit:
Less Hassle
With a gas fire pit, you never have to worry about “feeding” the flames as you would with a wood-burning fire pit. You can sit back, relax, and focus on enjoying your outdoor living space, as the gas fire pit operates with a flip of the switch and does not need stoking. You also don’t have to worry about the hassle of remembering to buy wood or coal and transporting it in order to keep the fire burning. Gas fire pits don’t require extra space for wood storage either, and you won’t have to worry about chopping logs into smaller pieces to get your fire going.
Related Read: Rich Color Options for your Fire Pit
They’re Safer
The flame level of a gas fire pit can be controlled just as you would with a stove, which is handy whenever you have children or pets around. Also, you don’t experience sparks or other dangerous aspects that come with a wood-burning fire pit; including the potential harm caused by excessive smoke that wood-burning fire pits produce.
Because gas fire pits are so easy to turn on and off, there’s less chance of them being left unattended. The flames are also tightly contained, meaning less of a safety risk even if they are left alone for short periods of time.
They’re Clean
Though wood-burning fire pits send up nice flames, after the fire subsides, you are left with piles of ash to clean up. This requires some labor. The smoke produced by wood-burning fire pits can also leaves residue on the material from which your fire pit is constructed. Natural gas or propane fueled fire pits do not require any of the cleanup that wood-burning fire pits need. Additionally, natural gas or propane fueled fire pits don’t produce smoke, so leave behind no residue. This also makes them good for people with allergies.
The title image features a patio paved with Richcliff with Series 3000 accents and Estate Wall verticals.
