To keep your tabletop fire bowl in peak condition throughout the year, there are a variety of tips you’ll want to keep in mind. The ongoing maintenance of a tabletop fire bowl will have it working all year-round on your patio or outdoor space.
Fire pits are becoming a more common landscaping endeavor that homeowners are including in their backyards. Everyone likes the nice and relaxing glow of a flame at the end of a busy day or week at work, and it makes for great decor in your outdoor space. Inviting guests over to your backyard is always made more enjoyable with a bit of heat and natural lighting to gather around.
Tabletop fire bowls can also add a lot of resale value to your home and outdoor living space, so if you’re planning on moving out in a few years, getting one in your backyard will pay off dividends into the future. To have your tabletop fire bowl looking and working to its potential, you’ll need to keep it routinely maintained.
Maintenance Tips
If you’re thinking about starting maintenance for your tabletop fire bowl, you’ll want to become familiar with all of the parts in it. Pull out your owner’s manual and familiarize yourself with all of the hardware that you might be potentially making tweaks to. Check all of the gas and propane connections, and perform some of these maintenance tips around once a month.
Cleaning
Your owner’s manual will most likely suggest what cleaning products you should be using for your fire bowl, and you’ll typically want to stick with the products they recommend. If you have a ceramic tabletop fire bowl and you’re using stainless steel or metal products to clean it, things could start to turn ugly pretty fast.
Before cleaning, ensure that you’re wearing eye protection to lower the chances of getting something like ash particles in your eyes. You’ll also want to put a good pair of gloves on and get a good mask with a dust filter in it.
Metal Cleaning
If your tabletop fire bowl is metallic, get a dry scrub brush and start to brush out any loose dirt or debris that is lodged in any of the parts. The solution you’ll want to use is about a quarter of a cup of baking soda and around a gallon of warm water. Ensure to clean the screen and the grates, and remember to give everything a good rinse after you’re finished with scrubbing.
Ceramic Cleaning
If your tabletop fire bowl is ceramic, you’ll want to use a combination of dish liquid and hot water. Around half of a cup of dish liquid and around two gallons of warm water should do the trick. After you’ve mixed in your dish liquid with the water, get a scrub brush and start brushing the surfaces. Having a hose nearby makes things much easier, and if you have a pressure washer, even better.
Wood-Burning Fire Pits
If you have a wood-burning fire pit, you won’t want to use any type of accelerants as part of your cleaning routine. These products can cause damage and also pose a safety risk to anyone around the outdoor fire pit. You’ll want to ensure to get rid of any creosote in your fire pit. Creosote results from burning wood and is known to be quite flammable.
To get rid of creosote, get a good brush and you can simply clean it with the baking soda solution that you used to clean your metal tabletop fire bowl. Some people wonder if they can safely use water to clear up a fire at the end of the night. The use of water to drown out a fire is advised against because it could warp the material in your fire bowl.
Another negative factor of using water is the amount of smoke that will result from it days after you dowsed out the fire. None of your neighbors will want to be dealing with the smoldering smoke as a result of you putting your fire out with water for the next week. Especially if you have a large bowl, the burner may smoke for much longer than a smaller bowl.
When you use a tabletop fire bowl, you’ll want to make sure that there are no plastic products anywhere near it. Doing this can cause toxic fumes to arise, and if plastic begins to melt, it’s very difficult to clean it up.
Gas Tabletop Fire Bowls
Gas tabletop fire bowls are so much easier to keep maintained in comparison to ones that require wood to fuel them. While a tabletop fire bowl might be an annoyance to clean up at the end of a week, it’ll also prolong its lifespan and make sure that it is fully functional the next time you want to use it. No one wants to have guests over to a rusty and filthy fire bowl. This might have people thinking that you don’t take care of your yard or products.
Always Turn Off The Gas Before Cleaning
Before cleaning your tabletop fire bowl, you’ll want to make sure that the gas line is shut off. For tabletop fire bowls that operate through a propane tank, disconnect the tank from the fire bowl. Place the tank well away from the fire bowl in an area that has a good amount of ventilation circulating through it.
Keep It Covered
When your tabletop fire bowl isn’t in use, you’ll want to keep a cover over it until you’re ready to use it again. A vinyl cover won’t cost you much money, and it will ensure that no dirt or debris will find its way into your fire bowl during the periods of time that you’re not using it. Periodically, you’ll want to check to make sure that the gas connections aren’t leaking.
Getting a simple cover for your fire bowl is something that will prevent that amount of maintenance you’ll be having to do. Without a cover, you’ll have to be pulling random objects out of it all of the time. The wind can easily blow twigs, leaves, and branches into the fire bowl, but not if you have a cover on top of it.
If you’re thinking about getting a cover for your fire bowl, always make sure to wait until things cool off before putting it on. No one wants to make the mistake of their vinyl covers melting to the fire bowl.
Before using your tabletop fire bowl, make sure that there is no debris in the burner pan. All of the drain vents should be free and clear of bugs and other objects. Before using it, consider taking off the fire glass to do a quick inspection to make sure there isn’t any residue or debris in the fire bowl itself.
Burning
If your tabletop fire bowl functions on gas, you’ll want to resist the urge to burn other objects in it. Throwing wood into your fire bowl could turn things bad pretty quickly. No one wants to be dealing with the risk of their house burning down over something like relaxing outside in front of their fire bowl. Always make sure to adhere to the instructions in the manual for the safest operations.
Cooking
Sometimes people wonder if they can cook things with their tabletop fire bowls. If the manufacturer states against it with your particular fire bowl, you’ll want to avoid doing so. You’ll also want to steer clear of using lighter fluid in your fire bowl. This could turn the fire into something that’s beyond your control faster than you’d think.
Rust
If your fire bowl is metal, rust can tend to creep its nasty face into it after a period of time. You’ll always want to periodically check your fire bowl for signs of rust. If you do happen to spot rust, get some sandpaper and take care of it as soon as you can. A good wire brush will also prevent it from spreading further around the fire bowl.
There are rust-resistant sealants that you can also purchase to lower the chances of the rust from getting out of control.
Cracks
If your fire bowl is manufactured from concrete or stone, you’ll want to ensure that there are no cracks forming. If you do notice a small crack anywhere on the surface, address the issue as soon as you can. Over time, cracks can start to form near the pipe, and if you notice that happening on yours, you might want to consider contacting a professional to come and take a look at it.
Gas Line
When you’re not using your fire bowl, make sure to keep the gas line shut off. In addition, do a routine check on your gas line to make sure that there are no leaks. Sometimes people get a water and soap solution and administer it to the gas line. They will then turn the gas line on and see if there are any bubbles throughout the line.
Keeping your tabletop fire bowl maintained might take a little bit of extra work throughout the year, but it will make sure that it’s always ready to be used the next time you’re in the mood for it. Following these basic maintenance tips will have your fire bowl ready to be lighted up in all seasons of the year.
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