Solo stoves are the most innovative wooden stoves on the market currently. The ability to reduce wood usage while being smokeless makes them a worthy investment. However, they are limited when it comes to location usage.

If you want to use your Stove under a patio or on a deck to keep warm during chilly spring and summer nights, keep reading to learn how to use a fire pit under a covered patio.

How much clearance do you need for a stove?

Solo Stove recommends ensuring the Stove is at least six feet away from the nearest building. The distance applies to garages, houses, and other buildings such as sheds and small structures. Many sheds are wood and will burn readily, so it’s important to include them in your calculations and leave plenty of space.

Because of the number of heat stoves can give off, it’s important to keep them well away from vehicles and their fuel sources to prevent any potential accidents. You should also consider other garden structures such as compost bins, chicken houses, guinea pig hutches, and raised beds.

How to Manage the smoke from a Solo stove

These tips will help you minimize smoke production;

Dump out the ash

While you don’t need to dump all the ash out of your Solo Stove after every burn, starting with an empty ash pan guarantees you’ll have amazing airflow inside your fire pit. It’s a step that’s easy to skip, but it’s just as easy to do and makes all the difference.

You can dump out the ash by simply tipping over your fire pit. If you can’t tip over your fire pit, a Shop Vac will do the trick. Ensure to take your fire pit out towards the edge of your yard or campsite.

Start small

Start your fire with a lighter, fire starter(s), and some dry kindling. You can use small twigs or chunk wood, but we like to use a hatchet to split up our Juniper Firewood for kindling.

Don’t rush into adding larger logs until after you have a nice ember bed smoldering. The ember bed helps the double walls inside your Solo Stove heat up, letting you get that secondary burn which helps eliminate smoke even faster.

Use the best firewood

The best firewood for your Solo Stove is super dry hardwood. Dry firewood guarantees your fire will start up easily and burn beautifully.

Don’t use too much wood

Keep your firewood below the secondary burns holes, and don’t let it rest on the flame ring. This allows our Signature Airflow Design™ to bring oxygen to all wood parts, creating super-efficient combustion.

Stir up the Stove

If your fire starts to die down, feel free to use some fire pit toolsHow to Start a Fire in a Fire Pit to mix up the wood to bring fresh oxygen to the fire. With the unique angle of our Fire Pit Tools, you can do this without even leaving your seat.

Can I get carbon monoxide poisoning from using a Solo stove?

Yes. You can. The manufacturer recommends that you not use Solo Stove Bonfire for indoor heating as toxic carbon monoxide can accumulate and cause asphyxiation and possibly death.

Can You Use a Solo Stove Under a Covered Patio?

It depends on the type of covered patio. It should have a high ceiling and should be open for increased ventilation. You should never use wood-burning fire pits on a covered patio or deck as a general rule of thumb. Wood fires release highly combustible creosote, embers, and sparks which can cause damage to all kinds of flooring and house structures.

In addition, wood-burning fires are much more difficult to contain and regulate, making them too hazardous to use on covered patios. If you have to use the Stove, ensure that your fire stays small. It’s easy to underestimate how much heat rises or how high flames can get once a fire is underway.

Always check above your Solo Stove site just as carefully as you check the vicinity and the base you’re setting it on. Think about how the wind might blow the flames and how big the fire will be.

Solo Stove recommends leaving up to 20 feet between the Stove and any overhanging structure. This includes low branches, awnings, or patio overhangs. The fire will produce a lot of heat, and even if it doesn’t set fire to the overhang, it could cause a lot of damage.

An overhanging structure will prevent the Stove from ventilating as effectively and could trap fumes down around the Stove. If you’re sitting nearby, this is dangerous. It’s much better to let the fire’s output dissipate freely into the sky without the interference of overhanging structures. The bottom line is that using a Solo stove under a covered patio is not advisable.

Safety Tips For Using a Solo Stove Pit On A Patio

Here are some tips for using a Solo stove safely;

• Ensure that the outdoor space where you will use your fire pit has been completely cleared of flammable materials such as leaves and twigs.
• Also, be sure that no children or pets run around near the area before igniting anything.
• When lighting your wood-burning fire pit, ensure that everyone stays away from the opening until all embers have stopped producing flames.
• Once the fire is lit and burning, keep an eye on how hot your patio surface gets. If it exceeds over 100 degrees F, consider moving the fire pit to another location or covering it with something that will protect you from excessive heat, such as sand.
• Never throw liquids onto the wood with active flames; this can cause a surge of flame that could spread out of control very quickly.

Note:

There are plenty of great spaces where you can use these highly versatile and useful pieces of kit, but there are also some places where you absolutely should not set your Solo Stove up. Doing so could risk your life and the lives of others, and if you’re in an area with lots of flammable material, it could potentially start serious wildfires. If you must have a fire pit on your patio, opt for a gas firepit.

How to use a gas fire pit under a covered patio

Gas fire pits generally don’t burn as hot as wood fires and can be controlled and regulated for safe operation. Keep the fire pit a safe distance away from any walls and windows. Generally, a perimeter of 10 feet around the fire pit to the structure of your home is recommended to keep things controlled and safe. Refer to the manufacturers’ recommendation and user manual for proper placement.

Overhead Clearance on the Covered Patio

Maybe more critical than the proximity to the housing structure is having adequate ceiling height and clearance above the fire pit. Patio covers can be permanent, framed structures attached to the home or lighter materials like fabric and composites.

Although the gas fire pit is controlled, it still radiates heat, and heat rises. If there is not enough clearance above the fire pit, the patio cover can overheat, melt, and catch on fire.

Where you decide to place your fire pit, ensure that it doesn’t block an overhead clearance. Maintain at least seven feet of clearance between the top of the fire pit and the patio cover, ceiling, a mounted ceiling fan, or light fixture.

Proper Ventilation

Proper ventilation is critical for the safe use of any fire pit. If there isn’t adequate ventilation in the covered patio or deck, the radiant heat can build up and cause problems if it’s not adequately dispersed.

Covered spaces with plenty of ventilation are safer, keeping the patio cover or ceiling from overheating or melting. Conversely, when there is little ventilation on a covered patio, the clearance requirement should be increased.

Any obstructions to airflow on your covered patio, whether furniture, plants, decorations, or the like, reduce ventilation even more. Ensure plenty of airflow in the covered patio or deck, especially around your fire pit, to avoid overheating and unsafe conditions.

Types of Flooring of the Patio or Deck

When considering the type of flooring you have and whether it is safe for a fire pit, consider these points:

• Weight of the fire pit
• The radiant heat of the fire pit at the base

Type of flooring

Concrete patios are ideal for gas fire pits because they can easily handle the weight, are not combustible, and won’t melt or warp from the heat. Wood decks can work for gas fire pits if they are structurally sound. Composite decks may require additional support and a heat barrier pad under the fire pit to prevent warping.

How to Fireproof your patio

Here are some tips to follow when using an open fire on the patio;

Heat Resistant Mat

The best way to protect your concrete patio from getting damaged is by using a heat-resistant mat under your fire pit. This will be an easy way to keep your concrete patio or deck safe from flame damage while still allowing you the luxury of enjoying your outdoor fireplace, grill, or fire pit during cooler weather.

Bricks and Tiles

Use tiles or bricks around the edge of the fire pit that sits flush against each other. This will help direct some of the heat back up rather than down onto your concrete slab.

Keep in mind this is an expensive option because you have to purchase so many materials separately and figure out where everything should go without damaging anything else underneath them!

Use Sand

Use sand instead of rocks around your firepit. At least with this method, if there’s a spillover during use, which does sometimes happen no matter how careful you are, the sand will help prevent it from going down onto your concrete.

It’s not as aesthetically pleasing, though, and can be difficult to clean out if something gets spilled on top of or around it.

Cover the firepit

Cover your fire pit with a fire screen protector. This will prevent embers and wood from falling out onto your concrete patio and damaging it.

Build a small stone wall around the fire pit

This will serve two purposes: keep kids away while creating a barrier between the heat and pavers. You do not have to build a large wall; 30-inches should do the job.