Fire features make up some of the most popular additions to today’s pools and backyards. It’s hard to resist the ability of flame to transform the space at night by casting its warm light on the landscape, its reflection on the pool, and added sparkle on falling water.
Ensuring the proper operation and safety of these products has become easier than ever with the introduction of pre-manufactured fire features and components dedicated to introducing this flame to the backyard. However, it still requires multiple disciplines to design and install these spectacles in any backyard — both to ensure optimal beauty, proper operation over the long haul, and safety.
Here, we offer five key guidelines for ensuring the success of backyard fire features.
Begin with proper planning
Always consult with the manufacturer’s instructions before designing the features into the backyard. This way, you can factor in guidelines about such issues as ventilation and placement of backup valves.
In the planning phase, also make sure to check and doublecheck the combined BTU demand for all gas- or propane-fueled elements, including fire features. This assists when it comes time to size the gas lines. If this step is done incorrectly, the fire feature may not perform correctly. You’ll also want to find out early if total demand rises above what the existing natural gas meter or propane tank can accommodate, so you can upgrade the service.
Provide proper ventilation, drainage and a back-up valve
Fire needs air to breathe. So even though the unit is gas-driven, it still needs fresh air ventilation, for a couple of reasons.
First, it helps achieve that nice, yellow, robust flame that we all want. Proper ventilation also prevents overheating of the burner. Most importantly, it adds a crucial measure of safety by providing a way for the subtance to disperse. If a leak occurs, you wouldn’t want gas to accumulate in a cavity or enclosed space, lest it cause carbon monoxide poisoning or other potential safety hazards.
Most jurisdictions adopt the CSA/ANSI standards, which stipulate that space be left free 4 feet around the gas appliance’s perimeter and 6 feet above it.
Additionally, ensure that anything flammable is positioned well beyond the ventilation zone, to guard against the possibility of unintentionally igniting it.
All fire features also should include drainage measures so any water that accumulates from rain and other issues can escape. Follow the installation manual to the letter here.
Many premanufactured features are designed with drainage and ventilation in them. This may come in the form of small openings, or feet on the bottom that lift the bowl slightly to make space for air flow. When installing premanufactured fire elements, keep these drainage openings or spaces intact. We have seen installers fill the openings with grout or file the feet down so the bowl will sit flush on the deck or pedestal. In the case of a fire bowl, doing this essentially guarantees that the unit will become submerged in water when it rains, and it could compromise ventilation. In some cases, units have had to be torn out and replaced. At the very least, this will void the warranty.
If installing a burner into a fire pit that you have designed, be sure to follow manufacturer instructions for providing adequate ventilation and drainage, and build that into your system. Also factor in burner tray expansion with regard to the heat of the flame. Assuming that a typical burner tray is composed of stainless steel, there needs to be play or room for metal expansion in the space between the pit structure and the burner tray. Without adequate room for expansion, the burner tray may put pressure on the pit structure, causing it to crack or break.
Finally, install a manual gas valve within arm’s reach of each feature. This allows the user to turn the feature off should something go wrong.
Some say to place the valve within 4 feet of the feature, but we prefer them closer for the quickest access — arm’s reach is optimal.
Choose media carefully
Your choice of media will affect not only the appearance of your fire features, but their safety as well.
Be sure to choose materials labeled safe for fire. Ideally it should be clean from bag to placement, and should provide plenty of ventilation above and below. Avoid the pumice-style lava found in many big-box stores, which often contains too many small fines. Once the fines get wet, they almost take on the characteristics of concrete and will clog burners and pilots.
We also advise against using glass with propane. In fact, we don’t offer our propane burners with glass. It burns much hotter and retains the heat much longer. Also, because propane is heavier than air, it can potentially settle in the glass, building up in the nooks and crannies, posing a hazard if it should ignite. This also applies to dual media — a combination of lava with glass.
Think twice before installing your own fire features
The vast majority of pool builders rely on subcontractors for the installation of fire features.
However, some builders are equipped to take this work on. Make sure you have a solid understanding of electrical and wiring, in order to install the automation and electronics that accompany many of these products. You should be able to easily wire a transformer properly, and then wire that to a pool control panel. You’d need the same level of competence with gas lines.
Crews also should have a general mechanical aptitude to follow a schematic. Some automated burners can get a little more complicated, with multiple gas lines going to and from different locations.
Do a final check of each feature before handing it over to the customer — whether or not you installed it
It’s true that most pool and spa builders turn much of the fire-feature installation over to specialized subcontractors to handle the gas or propane lines, plumbing, electrical and maybe even the construction of the fire feature itself.
However, any builder who sells them should perform a couple simple tests after they have been installed to prevent problems down the line.
It’s easy to walk away and say, “Yep, I sized the gas line, and I see a flame. We’re good.” But will a little wind cause the whole thing to blow out because the gas pressure was just on the cusp of correct, but on the low side? Testing enables the builder to know for sure, instead of just guessing and crossing your fingers.
Start by investing in a manometer, which measures the pressure of the gas or propane. With this instrument, take readings on the static pressure, or pressure of the gas going to the component before it’s fired. Then check the dynamic pressure, or pressure while the unit is running.
Take these readings for each fire feature. Pressure will vary from unit to unit, depending on factors such as how far away it is from the source.
The pressure should fall within the range specified by the manufacturer in the instruction manual. If the pressure is too low — or even on the cusp of too low — you likely will have performance problems. The burner may light up fine and last a few minutes, but an hour down the road, it could lose enough pressure that it starts to cycle on and off. Even if it does continue to function, soot could accumulate on the media or, worse, in the burner orifices, where it can cause clogging.
Low pressure also could indicate undersized gas lines.
If the pressure is too high, you may know even before you gauge it. This often manifests itself with a high-pitch, whistling, squealing noise, or an obnoxious buzz that would make it impossible to sit there for more than a few minutes.
Automated systems will sense when the pressure is too low or high. If it’s the latter, it may blow the pilot assembly out.
Also perform a leak test on the gas line. This is a very simple process: Take a water bottle and add a little bit of soap to the water. Pour the soapy water over the gas line components. If there’s a leak, that soapy water will cause a little bubble, and you can see there’s an issue.
