Here is all to know about a fire pit heat deflector.
Guide to Fire Pit Heat Reflectors
If you own a fire pit or have used one before, you should know that that it won’t function effectively without its component parts.
This outdoor heating system has various parts among which are burner pans, burners, enclosures, installation collars, fittings, valves & keys as well as flanges.
Other key components include regulators, gas lines, heat deflectors, ignition keys, and so on. Here, we’re more interested in one of these components; the heat deflector. What is this used for? How does it work?
These and more questions will be answered in the course of our discussion.
Functions of A Fire Pit Heat Deflector
Our discussion about the heat deflector won’t be comprehensive without first discussing its functions. What purpose does this fire pit component serve?
As the name suggests, a fire pit heat deflector serves to prevent the upward escape of air (heat).
Instead of moving upward, such air is radiated sideways with the help of the heat deflector. The functions of the heat deflector remain the same irrespective of shape (whether round, square, or rectangular fire pits).
There’s more to the fire pit heat deflector.
Apart from serving the purpose of heat deflection, this key fire pit component also serves to protect against the elements. As part of an outdoor heating system, such provisions (protection against the elements) need to be made available.
Heat Deflector Design
Firepit heat deflectors come in varying designs. Irrespective of design, they’re all built for a common purpose; preventing upward escape of heat and radiating the same sideways.
There are several brands of heat deflectors that serve all shapes and sizes of fire pits.
With this fire pit component, users get to keep the heat in. For a heat deflector to be considered as having an excellent design, its construction should be such that it isn’t blown off easily.
You should also be able to install and dismantle easily.
What more? A heat deflector must be durable enough and most importantly, it should be reasonably priced.
Let’s briefly discuss each of these points for better understanding.
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Excellent Construction
One thing that buyers look out for in a heat deflector is the design. Does it have an excellent construction? As a buyer, you’ll need to consider that this is will be installed outdoors.
As such, it’ll be exposed to strong winds and the elements.
In view of this, the construction should be such that it won’t be blown off easily. In a nutshell, your fire pit heat deflector should be able to withstand adverse weather conditions like strong winds, etc.
REVIEW: Fire Pit Wind Guards
Of course, you won’t and can’t be using your fire pit during a tornado or other extreme conditions.
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Easy to Install and Dismantle
One of the benefits of excellent engineering is the ability to easily install or couple as well as dismantle or uncouple your heat deflector.
This should be one of your key considerations when shopping for a fire pit heat deflector.
The deflector must not remain on the fire pit all day. It should easily be taken down or dismantled and kept for future use. Some heat deflectors come with collapsible legs for easy dismantling.
With knowledge of this criterion, you get to improve your user experience.
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Durability
Durability is crucial when it comes to picking a fire pit heat deflector. This largely boils down to the design as well as the material used in construction.
Consider looking for those made from stainless steel material. These tend to be the most durable and serve the purpose without developing faults.
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Reasonably Priced
Different people have varying preferences when it comes to picking the right fire pit heat deflector. The best deflectors have an excellent design and are also reasonably priced.
Without reasonable pricing, buyers are more likely to seek cheaper alternatives for costly heat deflectors.
Fuel Type Matters
Before purchasing a fire pit heat deflector, it’s important to consider the fuel type your fire pit is designed for. Basically, there are gas-powered fire pits as well as those designed for burning wood.
Such knowledge will be factored in when buying a heat deflector.
Some deflectors are built solely for gas fire pits while others are for wood-burning fire pits. You can’t switch between the two. In other words, you can’t use fire pit deflectors meant for gas fuel on wood-burning fire pits.
What’s the Size of Your Fire Pit?
Is this necessary? It is! The size of your fire pit counts when choosing a heat deflector.
This somehow contradicts the assertion earlier made about heat deflectors serving multiple sizes of fire pit right? Not exactly! Firepit heat deflectors will mostly fit various size ranges.
For example, a 29-inch diameter (for round fire pit heat deflectors) heat deflector may serve fire pits with sizes that vary from 37”, 39”, 42”, 47” 53”, and 59”.
Top Firepit Heat Deflector Brands
When it comes to fire pit heat deflectors, there are lots of brands or manufacturers to choose from. While most of these claims to be the best, there are those which have proven to be dependable, thus winning the trust of users.
Some of the top brands include Titan Great Outdoors and Fire by Design. Other major heat deflector manufacturers include Higley Welding Minnesota, and Heat Warden.
It’s important to note that this isn’t an exhaustive list of top brands to consider.
Can I Make My Own Fire Pit Heat Deflector?
If you have a flair for DIY projects, you might want to consider making your own heat deflector.
For this to happen, you’ll need the right tools. These include malleable sheets (aluminum or stainless steel), metal bars (for the stand), metal shear, screws, soldering guns, and scribe.
Other tools required include brake (for bending of metal sheets), rivets, pliers, drill, riveter, metal shear, and clipper. Of course, you’ll also need to have a measuring tape.
Take a measure of your fire pit and begin by making the lid, followed by the legs.
We won’t get into details on how to construct a fire pit heat deflector here. This is because there are tons of YouTube tutorials on that. All you have to do is search for what best fits your needs.
There you have it! The fire pit heat deflector serves an important function by preventing heat escape and evenly distributing or radiating heat.
With the knowledge made available here, you’re able to make informed decisions on what to purchase.