Turns out that burning trash is illegal in my state, for good
environmental reasons. It makes dioxin and whatnot.

i

In article , Bob G wrote:
On Thu, 15 Jul 2004 00:46:14 -0700, Tim May
wrote:


It's idiotic to plan to make a 55-gallon drum into a firepit.

(I thought the thread was a joke, but then people began contributing
silly ideas, advice about whether $5 was too much to pay, about whether
$8 was the righ price, etc.)

Fact is, a 55-gal drum is too high for social uses. It's the right
height for Detroit or Chicago ******s and Mexicans to stand around,
burning used pallets and breathing in that pressure-treated lumber
aroma.

For white people, a fire pit should be a sociable height. And white
people presumably _own_ the property they are building the firepit on,
as opposed to the skanks and addicts setting fires in 55-gal drums to
keep warm on cold Detroit and Chicago nights.

A firepit in a backyard can easily be made of just a dozen or fewer
cinderblocks, arranged in a circle. Or bricks, for a fancier setup.

This produces a fire at a sociable height, where people are in lawn
chairs or whatever. Not like a bunch of ******s rubbing their hands
around a 55-gal drum where old transformers are being burned.

Are you unemployed people all going ****** on us?


Hmmm. Actually he was talking about burning various rubbish. Which
is legal in a great many places. Tho, often there are various safety
rules which must be followed. ie All ignitable items, other than the
stuff to be burned must be removed to a distance of 3 feet all around.
Call should be made to city office to ensure that a burning ban isn't
in effect due to conditions being too dry. So on and so forth.

A barrel of the sort I described does a better job, due to better air
circulation, a bit extra height, and so forth, in burning rubbish.
And burning it pretty damn completely. I know, Tim. I've been doing
it for many years. As have a great many other folk I know.

You can also relocate it easily on your property if needed for
convenience. ie Where I live everyone has at least a couple acres.
So, for instance, one neighbor of mine, instead of hauling trash clear
across property to put in barrel. Has two locations he commonly uses,
And, like myself, when not using it, he moves it to a storage location
to keep it out of the rain.

Now, a fire pit is a different subject. I have one of those also. As
you asserted, easily to build. I ringed a circle with interlocking
concrete blocks. Then dug a hole inside the circle. Made a small
trench in which I laid some large pipe. Trench angling down from
ground level to bottom of pit. Covered pipe. Put screen over above
ground end. For combustion air. To allow air to reach into pit at a
low point.

Didn't have to, but decided to get decorative. Removed sod and some
underlying dirt in a suitable area aound pit. Laid in sand and
gravel, then mixed and poured concrete. Now, I'd bought a couple
molds some years back. At a state fair, where a guy was selling em.
Plastic molds which one lays on top of wet conrete, then press down
upon. Molds have "pockets" in then of varying size and shapes. Idea
is to press em into place for a bit, at the right time, then remove.
Leaves top of concrete with a pattern. Which when painted, makes
surface look like it's made of cut stones of various sorts and colors.

Works pretty nifty. But I decided after the one use that it was more
work and effort than it was worth to me. So next time the wife wanted
a stone surface, I just bought the rocks, already cut flat on one side
from this place I know, and used those.

Anyway, you're right. Such a fire pit is a nice place to relax,
socialize, sip a cool drink in hot weather, or a cup of hot cider in
cool weather. While perhaps roasting some marshmallows or whatever
just for fun. My kids, and their kids, friends, etc routinely come
over several times in a year, and we do just that.

But a burn barrel, or burn pit .... and a fire pit for enjoying an
evening fire, are two different things.

Bob