Out door fireplace/pit

[wg_bent]

I've been tossing around the idea of an outdoor fireplace in my head now for a while, and have been burning some logs that aren't woodstove foder recently in a big fire pit made out of loose piled rocks. First problem is that I think it's against town ordinance to so this, but it's also against the law to drive more than 45 mph on the road that borders my property too...umm...I never exceed 45 on that road. %-P Secondly, it smokes like mad, third, the rocks always crack during a burn, fourth, a pile of rocks is kinda ugly, fifth, I'd (and this is idealism at it's best) like to incorporate a copper manifold that would funnel pool water to heat the pool, and last even if # 5 doesn't pan out, I feel like I just want to build an outdoor fire place for the heck of it. In looking at designs out there, I'm thinking a large rumsford type design might be sort of cool, or I'm thinking of a unique design where It's a 360 view fire pit with a chimney centered over the pit, that's supported by brick stilts maybe 4 or 5 with the chimney portion sitting on top of the stilts. If the stilts were about 3 feet high, I could toss in some pretty big logs (stumps?) and burn them. Any experience out there with this kinda thing? Any useful links? I'll certanly take ANY input I can get on this. Low budget is also the order of the day.

 

[elkimmeg]

I grew up where many had outdoor fire places and incinerator trash barrells Still in many areas. Local outdoor burn ordinances,
do not apply to out door burn pits or fireplaces. My dad built one. I remember he extended the chimney to direct the smoke from getting in out eyes. We used to cook pop corn hot dogs on a stick and marshmellows. He incorperated a metal grill just for cooking. He used 4 sections or about 8 ' of clay flue and with stones and motar built it. He was quite handy being a research Chemist

As for heating pool water? you would need a coil a a pump and some kind or aquastate most important a pressure relief valve
My take you are dreaming trying to heat your pool water why not use a solar cover or solar pannels.

Speaking of which; We have had 15 pool heating permits this month so far. So much so for energy conservation We can't waste enough?

Sorry Warrren this is not aimed at you. I don't get why rush the pool temps, when two weeks from now it will heat up so much It will be like swimming in a bath tub?

 

[MountainStoveGuy]

one way to get around it here is to have a cook grid for it. They cant ban grills.

 

[wg_bent]

I grew up where many had outdoor fire places and incinerator trash barrells Still in many areas. Local outdoor burn ordinances,
do not apply to out door burn pits or fireplaces. My dad built one I remember he extended the chimney to direct the smoke from getting in out eyes. We used to cook pop corn hot dogs on a stick marshmellows. He incorperated a metal grill just for cooking. the used 4 sections or about 8 " of clay flue and with stones and motor built it He was quite handy being a research Chemist

As for heating pool water? you would need a coil a a pump and some kind or aquastate most important a pressure relief valve
My take you are dreaming trying to heat your pool water why not use a solar cover or solar pannels.

Speaking of which; We have had 15 pool heating permits this month so far. So much so for energy conservation We can't waste enough?

Sorry Warrren this is not aimed at you. I don't get why rush the pool temps, when two weeks from now it will heat up so much It will be like swimming in a bath tub?

No worries elk, didn't take it that way, I told my wife early on I wouldn't put a fossil fuel waster on the pool. Takes a lot of BTUs to heat 17,000 gallons of water.

Yeah, I know I'm probably dreaming...we like to have "camp" fires in the summer, and why waste all the heat if the pool is cooler than we'd like...Pump would be the pool pump, since the loop is open at both ends, that's the pressure relief. Why am I thinking of this? Just tinkering, that's all. Unfortunately, it looks like my basement just became my summer project though. I'm installing laminate flooring down there to replace the carpet.
Last night...pulled carpet. Hmm, pine baseboard looks funny...kinda wet/rotted looking...yup...rotted...crap.
Pull baseboard and some sheetrock off...yup, studs/furring strips all rotted and gone, skanky as hell. I know how to fix the moisture problem, goes back to no gutter on the house there, so easy fix outside, just a PITA inside. rebuild walls, insulate (there was no insulation in the walls at all anyway), etc... sigh...then to make matters worse my wife hauled my daughter off the the ER at 9:30 with a severe stomach bug. (she seems better now...sleeping as I type this)

 

[Harley]

Though possible, I don't think it would really be practical to supplement the heat for the pool. My thought would be there would have to be a fairly large coil within your firepit to give the water enough "contact time" with the flame to make much of a difference at all. Then the problem would be routing the plumbing to the pool - would it be above or below ground? Then you would probably have a fairly big PIA in draining and winterizing that system.

I think I would focus more on just designing a nice firepit, and enjoy that (but I like the concept). I'm fairly sure you are probably OK code-wise with most anything you do... since it's probably looked at more as a grill or BBQ, than considered "outdoor burning" - but that's Elk's territory, so my thought is really only a guess.

Hope your daughter is doing OK

 

[BrotherBart]

Do a floating firepit in the center of the pool.

 

[suematteva]

Floating fire pit with the home entertainment system...and floating splitter..

Where The Mrs. Vintage goes for piano lessons..they have an above ground pool with a wood fired pool heater...both times i have had to pick her up it has been raining cats and dogs..and have not ventured out to look at it. It is an above ground pool and has a coil inside a wood stove. Her Lessons for the summer are over if you want me to ask for more details give a holler and I will ask. matt

 

[wg_bent]

Floating fire pit with the home entertainment system...and floating splitter..

Where The Mrs. Vintage goes for piano lessons..they have an above ground pool with a wood fired pool heater...both times i have had to pick her up it has been raining cats and dogs..and have not ventured out to look at it. It is an above ground pool and has a coil inside a wood stove. Her Lessons for the summer are over if you want me to ask for more details give a holler and I will ask. matt

Sure, take a look. be kinda cool to understand what they have.

 

[stuart]

yea i also have a pool heater too for the cost of upkeep and always diffrent weather hot to cold you need it,, before i had a pool heater it is waste to even own a pool and yes gas is $1.98 a gal

 

[begreen]

Hmm, propane $3/gal here....

 

[suematteva]

Will See what info I can dig up from them and see if I can post some pics. matt