How to make fire pit wind guard

So you’ve started a fire in your backyard pit, only to have the wind whip it out of control. Here are some easy ways by which i make wind guard for my fire pit, you can also follow this way about how to make a fire pit wind guard that will protect the flame from any interference by mother nature.

What Is Fire Pit Wind Guard?

Fire pit wind guard is to prevent the smoke that comes out of the fire pit from being blown away by strong winds.

Why Should I Build Fire Pit Wind Guard?

If you are using your fire pit quite often, then likely you will need to build a wind guard not only for the protection of your health, but to make sure that you can continue to use it. However, if you only used it once or twice a year and do not want to deal with building a fire pit wind guard, then maybe its best you should quit using one (or choose another place where you can enjoy your barbecue).

Just a side note: this article is about building a wind guard for your outdoor fire pit, not for a wood stove in the house.

What Materials Do You Need?

You will need several items that you most likely already have around the house or can easily get from a local store such as Lowes or Home Depot. All these materials add up to about $40. If you are currently looking to buy pre build best backyard fire pits, then check out this linked Article.

1) Pipe – 4″ diameter irrigation pipe works just fine but other types will also work.  I recommend using black steel pipe because it won’t rust.

2) Fire Pit Ring – this is a piece of metal that you can buy from Lowe’s or Home Depot. I used a 10″ x 24″ flat sheet, which cost me only $3.58. You will also need four legs to hold it up and some pieces of plywood for the base of the wind guard.

3) Flexible Hose – you can get two 3′ sections of hose from the hardware store.

4) Garden Hose Adapter – this is to connect your flexible hose to your water supply. It normally comes with a rubber washer that goes between the adapter and the flexible hose.

5) Cinder Blocks – I think I used 12 blocks for this project, but you can use more or less depending on the size of your fire pit. Look at the bottom of the article to see how many blocks are needed for a 6″ wind guard.

6) Plywood – one sheet measuring 2′ x 4′ will be enough.

7) Nails or screws – I used eight 1-1/4″ long nails, but you can use screws if you want to make this a more permanent fixture on your patio.

8) Drill and drill bit (8-10mm) and two L brackets

9) Black marker and rag for marking the pipe

Steps To Build Fire Pit Wind Guard

Once I decided on where the fire pit is going to be located, I started marking the pipe with a black marker. The size of your wind guard will depend on how big or small your fire pit is; 6″, 8″ or 10″. For this article, I chose the 6″ size because it is small and will be perfect for our patio. I got 8′ of pipe because that would cover up about half of the fire pit, which is more than enough.

Step 1 – Marking The Pipe

Once you decided on which size wind guard you need to build, mark your pipe accordingly using the black marker. I didn’t want to bother measuring, so I just went with 6″ which is the size of our fire pit. Also mark the pipe where you will bend it by 45 degrees. This should be about 3-4′ from one end of the pipe.

Step 2 – Bending The Pipe

Place the pipe on an object such as a cinder block (I used this for support) and use your foot to push the pipe against it. This will make the bend in the pipe much easier. Then bend the pipe by 45 degrees using a straight edge to help you get a perfect 45 degree angle.

Step 3 – Cutting The Pipe

Cut the pipe using a hacksaw. Once you get to about 8″ from one end (or the size of your fire pit), stop cutting and repeat this process on the other side. This will be for inserting two L brackets which will act as ties that hold the wind guard together. You can alternately just use one L bracket, but the two L brackets will keep the wind guard from sliding around and also look better.

Step 4 – Fitting The Ring To The Pipe

Slide the ring on where you cut it at 8″. Mark this point using a black marker because we need to bend the ring at this point.

Step 5 – Bending The Ring

Place the ring on top of a cinder block or any straight object to help you bend it. Bend by pushing down with your foot and then pulling it towards yourself. Once you have bent it, slip the end through the other end of the ring to create a circle. Using a pair of pliers, grab hold of each end and twist it several times until you have tightened up the ring.

Step 6 – Assembling The Wind Guard

The pipe can be very tricky to get through the ring if you only bent one side. I had to use a pair of pliers to guide the pipe through the ring. Once you got one end through, line up the two L brackets and push them both into place. Apply this process also on the other side end.

Step 7 – Finishing Up

You are now done assembling your fireplace wind guard. The last step is to make the fire pit itself ready for use. Just pour some sand in it and light up a fire. Also, take this opportunity to clean out the ashes from the previous fires before putting any new wood or green logs in there to burn. Enjoy your new wind guard and be sure to keep it maintained so that it will last for a long time!

That’s all there is to building the fire pit wind guard. If you follow these steps, you should have no problem putting one of these together in about an hour or less depending on how fast you work. So relax, head down to the home improvement store and spend some time outside this weekend building your fire pit wind guard!

NOTE: If you are looking for a larger size which will cover up more of the fire pit, I recommend following these steps with an 8′ pipe instead. You can also follow the same steps to build a wind guard for a grill or other outdoor appliance.

Conclusion:

I hope you found my Fire pit wind guard article helpful and that it encourages you to take on this fun do-it-yourself project. You will find that there is nothing more rewarding than knowing how to build something yourself. So happy building, be safe, and enjoy your newly improved patio!