DIY smokeless modern firepit of brick, steel, and stucco. Looks great, but does it deliver?

Smokeless firepits, like Solo Stoves, are all the rage. But they just don't have that modern minimalist look that we love. Nor do they have the shape that we want for a fire pit -- long and low -- big enough to keep a handful of people warm, but you can still see each other, hold a conversation, and prop your feet up. So we tried our best to build a firepit with sleek good looks, and that does all we want it to. Bonus if it's also smokeless -- but not required.
I forgot to mention that one of the steel panels was a thinner gauge than the rest. It was shelved in the wrong slot at the metal store, and we didn't notice until we got home and got started. So that one might be the problem we encountered at the end.

[@charlie08240824]

"Straighter than we are!" lmao🤣

[@jackwalsh1468]

Martha, you go girl!!! Cheers, Mate.

[@richardingle7540]

Now that's another great job Martha , glued bricks that's a new one , but it worked 💪 👷‍♀️ 👍

[@ShoestringMartha]

Thanks! I was skeptical too, but that stuff is amazing!

[@keithbrookshire]

That's an epic fire pit. Y'all should be proud.

[@ShoestringMartha]

Thanks so much!

[@michaelbruchas6663]

I would have never thought of gluing bricks! Welding at home - maker Laura Kampf would be proud of you!

[@ShoestringMartha]

As a HUGE Laura fan - thanks for that 🥰

[@Shadowgrey5937]

The puppy!!!!! smooch 💕

[@spychiatrist3045]

You went to all that trouble but neglected continuing the supply holes on the bottom with concurrent ones in the metal, the key element.

[@ShoestringMartha]

👍🏼

[@snakeoil24snake3]

please explain

[@chrispatterson229]

My thoughts exactly that's the whole jist of a smokeless pit. Your typical intake in the bottom and an additional intake at the tip of the flame for a secondary burn.

[@spychiatrist3045]

@@snakeoil24snake3 the comment below yours mostly explains it. Both tiers of the holes are necessary, but the bottom ones are even more important because they’re closest to the center root of the fire where it wants the most oxygen, ie. the intake holes at the bottom, and yet the holes in the top where the material is metal are crucial for burning the smoke at a second stage so that it’s mostly a smokeless fire. It’s kind like of the difference between incineration and calcination, which is a difference in amount of heat and style of burn. It all has to do with heat flow and thermodynamics. I had to watch something like 6 different smokeless fire pit videos on here to understand all this, but it makes a lot of sense. In fact, it’s a little bit like how a jet engine works, just way less complicated or involved. There’s a great short that explains that. kzbin.infokfuJbm3gG0Q?si=alGn9vvbajPt9y_8

[@2sweetcaroline]

What a cool build! You are lucky you can build a wood fire. I live in the central valley of California. Due to the enormous amount of pollution in our air, we cannot have wood fires. This is going to provide you with many good time and wonderful memories! Enjoy.

[@ShoestringMartha]

Bummer; more so because home wood fires were probably just a tiny fraction of the cause. 😕

[@suzanne5961]

Nice build S.M. It looks great! You ladies are very handy!! I have a solo stove. When it's burning at full tilt there is very little, if any, smoke. But getting to full tilt there is definitely smoke. So the camp fire smell is unavoidable as far as I can tell. Enjoy your terrific firepit!

[@ShoestringMartha]

Interesting… thanks so much for the first hand intel 😊

[@Shinesman21]

its a good idea to understand the tech before attempting to build one. You needed some (but less) holes on the bottom of your metal. You also went too large on the holes up top. 1/2 inch max. Also, the wood/fire has to be below the upper holes to work. The idea is that air is drawn in through the bottom but restricted by amount of holes. The other air drawn in through your bricks is then forced upward and heated. It it comes through your upper holes preheated and with a pressurized force. this air then causes secondary combustion above your fire to zap away any smoke.

[@ShoestringMartha]

👍

[@ImDunton]

Meow! This video has me purring with excitement! As a feline who loves to curl up next to a warm fire, I appreciate the effort this human went through to create a modern, minimalist firepit that is both functional and aesthetically pleasing. It's great to see humans putting their creativity to work and taking on DIY projects like this. Although it sounds like they encountered a small hiccup, I'm sure they'll still be able to enjoy cozy nights by the fire with their loved ones. Keep up the good work, humans!

[@ShoestringMartha]

😄 Was this written by AI? 😏

[@gypsygirl731]

Well done the secondary combustion goes away with the spacing on bottom of bricks from under let’s air through which you’ve done. the holes on top of the metal lets the air flow too and stops smoke. It’s the right method perhaps the fire ring metal you see in kits is the ticket they come in pieces and you have to drill the holes.in any case take it as it is now it’s better than full blown smoke

[@cillaloves2fish688]

Wow! Nice DIY project... U could cook (grill) on that too!

[@ShoestringMartha]

Definitely! 🔥🍢

[@scottking4837]

Great job ladies!!!!

[@cameronwong7608]

Very nice looking fire pit! i just finished my patio and planning on building a long rectangular pit like you both have done. Maybe I'll skip attempting to make it smokeless after seeing the tribulations you all went through! Question though, does the stucko siding hold up to the heat and does it provide any strength or is it more for looks?

[@ShoestringMartha]

Thank you! The size and shape were definitely the primarily goal. Smokeless was a "would have been nice". 😄 The stucco is hanging in there, but there are a couple very fine hairline cracks. I suspect because we applied it super thinly. With another coat, I bet it would still be perfect. Also, with the metal liner and the air gap, the brick stays very cool. So the only heat the stucco really experiences is at the top, and from the sun. It doesn't provide any structural support. It is purely for looks and to fill in the gaps.

Are you able to provide final measurements?

[@ShoestringMartha]

Outer dimensions are 71.5x24x10”

[@markaponte7057]

Square is the problem airflow must recreate a tornado movement. Try stirring any liquid in a Square cup and a round cup notice the difference

[@ShoestringMartha]

👍

[@Shinesman21]

not true. there is a guy who made a square DIY that is almost 100% smokeless. The problem here is the holes, size, quantity, and placement.

[@getnanoed]

FYI dry I mean dry wood is best for smokeless systems. I break apart palet wood.

[@ShoestringMartha]

We buy juniper from a local firewood vendor, and this batch was from the bottom of the heap, so it *should* have been very dry --- except, if I recall correctly, we may have gotten a bit of rain a few days prior to this burn. 🤔

[@arvand26]

I think the top hole should be smaller

[@ShoestringMartha]

Totally a possibility!

[@antomano5623]

I think the holes should have been on the bottom to make it work better.

[@et8893]

Looks amazing. But the shape is wrong for air-flow. Inflow-outflow. The amount of air in should be equal or slightly higher than outflow. But anyway, it looks amazing.....

[@ShoestringMartha]

Thanks -- we've really been enjoying it! So you're saying there should be more of the bottom / outside holes, than the top / inside holes?

[@et8893]

@@ShoestringMartha Firstly the shape is wrong and wont create a vortex to pull the air up faster. And yes the holes in the bottom should be slightly larger so as to not starve the fire of air flow for the secondary burn. But if they are too large then it has a reverse effect where the secondary burn dose not work. As the steel gets hotter more air flow is created. Looks great though, love what you did.

[@stephenbuckley5273]

It’s some haters up in these comments, but well done Martha. Question: Do you know what the equivalent version of “Quikrete” stucco is in comparison to the Fastwall one you used? Also, how is it hold up with the heat?

[@ShoestringMartha]

LOL true story! We still love it, and that's all that matters to me. 😄 It looks like Quikrete makes something called "one coat fiberglass reinforced stucco", but I haven't been able to find it as available on any of the big box stores' websites. 😐 Hopefully you will have better luck locating it. It has held up really well. With the metal liner, and the air gap, the heat doesn't really transfer to the brick at all. You can put your hand on the outside and it's cool to the touch. There are a couple of hairline cracks, but I think that has more to do with how thinly we applied it. It definitely could have used 3 coats, instead of 2. Or 2 thicker coats.

[@stephenbuckley5273]

Yall are a good sport 😂. Thanks for the info! I appreciate it! If we end up grabbing it I’ll link the video so you can see how ours came out! Thanks for the inspiration

[@Tim_E88]

Hi there, I really like your build and it will help me to build my own firepit with similar dimensions. Did you do any further improvements since your first build? Greetings from Germany.

[@ShoestringMartha]

Hello and thank you! 👋🏼🙂 Unfortunately, it’s still too hot here to mess with it. Maybe in winter 😅

[@Tim_E88]

@@ShoestringMartha please make an update video. I want to start building next summer, so no need to hurry 😉

[@chrishart3718]

How did the glue hold up with the heat? Great job by the way. Really Cool

[@ShoestringMartha]

Thanks! The adhesive we used on the brick did surprisingly well with the heat! 👍🏼

[@briannelton9153]

How long to drill the holes through the steel?

[@ShoestringMartha]

Considering I had to change bits 3x for every hole, and take breaks to allow the driver batteries to cool off / recharge, I'd say about an hour. Could go faster, with proper tools and kinder weather.

[@happyjojo626]

😁 good effort but you need to go back to the drawing board.

[@ShoestringMartha]

👍🏼

[@jeffreyulery2182]

Just way to much open air to create a controlled flow.

[@ShoestringMartha]

👍

[@aZz7eCh]

You built it entirely too big for such small fires.

[@aZz7eCh]

But don't let that stop you using it. Great firepit all the same.

[@ShoestringMartha]

👍🏼

[@maco1713]

Smokeless fire doesn't exist!

[@JustDux]

It doesn't work at all

[@ShoestringMartha]

👍