Chimineas may give your backyard a lot of nature. The buildings are not only one-of-a-kind works of art, but the dancing flames have a captivating and hypnotic appeal when you create fires in them. Clay and cast iron chimineas are similar to outdoor fireplaces. While they appear to be quite durable, they do require some care from time to time to guarantee that they continue to give years of fun. Whether you buy a terra cotta clay chiminea or a metal chiminea, you must set it up appropriately. Operate it correctly, and take preventative steps to keep it in good working order.
Here are five keys to maintaining a steel chiminea
1. First, treat or cure your chiminea.
It would help if you cured the chiminea before using it, whether made of iron or clay. Curing a chiminea entails gradually preparing it to withstand extreme temperatures. Curing a clay chiminea strengthens it, making it less likely to crack or break down. Treating an iron chiminea will help prevent rust by fixing the paint. Treating your gadget also makes it develop higher weather resistance, allowing it to survive some of the harsher conditions.
Below are the easy procedures to treat your chiminea and ensure your gadget is in good working order for a long time.
- Fill the empty base of your chiminea with one or two balls of any paper; newspaper works nicely. Light them and keep adding paper balls until you’ve created a tiny fire. We must emphasize that the fire must be modest, but there must be visible flames. After you’ve successfully created your little fire, let it burn out and cool off your chiminea. Remove the ash and any other traces of the fire.
- Fill the base of your chiminea with clean sand. For all subsequent uses, this layer would stay inside your device.
- You’ll need to start a new tiny fire, but this time add a small piece of fuel to the paper. You’ll want to let this fire burn a bit longer than the previous. Do not add fuel when the fire starts; let the flames die out on their own, and wait for your gadget to cool thoroughly.
- Repeat the previous procedure three or four times more, each time generating a more extensive fire. You’ll train your chiminea to handle considerably higher amounts of heat for more extended periods by heating and cooling it. This is what it’ll have to deal with if you intend on using it often.
Treating is necessary for any kind of chiminea. Still, it is crucial for cast iron chimineas because it guarantees that the paint on the iron surface is well attached and prevents rusting. Treating both terracotta and ceramic chimineas strengthens their molecules. It makes the molecules bond together and reduces the likelihood of breaking or cracking.
2. Good positioning and setup
You will need to assemble your steel chiminea after purchase. When you buy a disassembled cast-iron chiminea, it generally comes with instructions. It’s critical to read these instructions thoroughly and keep them peradventure you need to relocate or repair your outdoor fireplace in the future. You must first select a suitable location for your steel fire pit.
Always read the owner’s manual before putting your chiminea together. Whether you’re new to chiminea or trying a different type, this is an important step.
Most should come with instructions, but if they don’t, try looking them up online. In the long run, reading the manual will save you a lot of time and stress.
Before you ignite your chiminea, go over the directions once more. Since you last had one, there may be new features or unusual in the chiminea. You do not want to damage your chiminea immediately after purchase because of your negligence.
3. Preventing Rust
A newly purchases steel chiminea will most likely come with a coating or a fire-resistant paint. Rust can form, however, with the insulating material if you don’t take the time to cure it.
You can remove surface rust and deeper rust with a wire brush, a pair of gloves, goggles, and a little elbow grease. After you’ve removed the rust patches, reseal them with protective paint and repeat the process every year. Don’t wait for the chiminea to rust; get the paint immediately and protect it.
To get the most years out of your chiminea, you’ll need to protect it from some of the harsher conditions. Rain, wind, ice, and prolonged sunlight can negatively affect both clay and metal chimineas. The best method to protect your chiminea from the weather is using a breathable custom-sized Chiminea cover.
If you don’t want to spend the money on a cover, keep your chiminea in a cold, dark, and dry place when it’s not in use.
4. Get a chiminea cover
If you want to safeguard your fire and maintain it in top shape, you’ll need an excellent chiminea cover. A stainless steel chiminea still requires a cover to keep it safe and ready to use. Nothing is more frustrating than deciding to build a fire only to discover that the bowl is full of water!
Safeguard your chiminea from snow, ice, rain, and other severe weather by purchasing and using a cover. There are a lot of sites and physical stores that sell cover for chimineas. You can get a bespoke cover in your desired color and thickness for around $30 to $50. Your cover is a wise investment because it will do the following:
- Defend against dampness
- Avoid Ultra Violet rays.
A plain plastic tarp will suffice if you don’t want to spend the money on a tailored cover. It won’t fit as comfortably, but it’ll do the work just well.
If you want to buy a cover, check for the following features:
Choose a robust, heavy-duty, flexible fabric: Many coverings have an outer polyester cloth attached to a strong PVC backing. This creates a weather-resistant material that is simple to put on and take off. Pick a size that will conceal your chiminea completely. Chimineas and coverings are available in a variety of forms and sizes.
Choose a cover with identical proportions to your chiminea’s height and breadth: It’s simple to measure your chiminea. You can take a tape measure and measure the chiminea’s width at its widest point and height at its highest point. Keep in mind that a chiminea is generally broader in the center than at the base.
Choose a cover with elastic or strings at the bottom to fasten it over the chiminea’s base. This will keep your cover from getting blown off if there are severe gusts.
5. Clean your chiminea
To guarantee that your chiminea lasts as long as possible, clean it after each use. Although we realize this is highly improbable, you should at the absolute least remove any large chunks of material from the fire bowl. You can also give the chiminea a brief brush to remove any loose particles.
Remember to wipe the sand from the bottom of the fire bowl when cleaning your chiminea. We recommend using a cheap sieve for cleaning up your chiminea. Because the sand is reusable, you can quickly sieve out large chunks of trash and then re-use it in the chiminea bowl after giving it a short brush.
Rust is one of the cleaning issues with steel iron chimineas. Put on a pair of safety glasses, grab a wire brush, and scrape away at the rust on your copper outdoor fireplace. After you’ve removed most of the rust, clean it with a wire-wool cleaning pad, water, and soap. After you’ve cleaned it up, you should give it a good rinse with water. Finish with fine sandpaper when it has dried.
Related Questions
1. How do you treat a steel chiminea?
Clay chimineas are widely available, but they are prone to cracking after prolonged usage. They are not the ideal option. Hence, steel chimineas are better. But the elements can cause your steel chiminea to lose its luster and rust if you don’t give it the care it needs. As a result, the advice given below will guide you on how to refurbish steel models.
- Begin by cleaning out your chiminea. Remove any ash that has accumulated or any wasted burning items. Suppose you leave something in the burning chamber. In that case, it will become coated with whatever treatment you’re applying. It will be burned later, perhaps producing hazardous fumes.
- While you won’t always make your chiminea completely rust-proof, you can indeed repair some of the damage already occurred. Give your chiminea a light sanding. The sanding smooths out any projecting rust fragments, resulting in a much better surface for the paint to attach to and a lot nicer finish.
2. How do you stop a steel chiminea from rusting?
To avoid rust, keep your chiminea inside throughout the winter months, regardless of its material. Because iron is prone to rust, it’s critical to use heat-resistant paint regularly and touch up the chiminea. Because an iron chiminea may grow extremely hot and cause severe burns, it’s best to keep it out of the reach of youngsters if at all possible. Make sure it’s not near any flammable or combustible items, such as tree branches. Even though the chiminea will come with pedals, it is safer to place it on bricks or gravel instead of wood to protect against fire accidents.
- When purchasing a chiminea, it is proper to buy a suitable cover simultaneously. By covering and safeguarding your chiminea from rain and snow, you can extend its life. Remember to cover your chiminea only when it is totally cool.
- Some of the protective material may wear away due to the tremendous heat produced by the chiminea. Rusting is more likely in such situations. To avoid corrosion, smooth the surface with sandpaper, clean the chiminea of any dust, and then paint the damaged area with fire-resistant paint.
- On your chiminea, use professional paint. We selected Rust-Oleum Stove & BBQ Paint because it can endure the elements and the tremendous heat of the fire. You can paint a chiminea with a variety of primers and conventional paints. Still, if you want to make this a 10-minute task and ensure that all the fussy components have an even coat, I’d recommend using spray paint.
- Even though the coverage appears to be adequate, it’s always a good idea to apply at least two coats to achieve complete range and avoid patchiness. In the video below, I lightly sand the chiminea before applying the first coat of spray paint. It’s incredible how rapidly the rust vanishes in front of your eyes.
3. Do you need to put sand in a metal chiminea?
Putting sand in a metal chiminea is optional, although it’s helpful to do so. The process of adding sand to your chiminea is called Seasoning. Seasoning chimeneas made of steel or cast iron helps to cure the paint, protecting the metal from heat.
The seasoning procedure is straightforward, requiring only a few modest fires in the chimenea to begin with.
- Fill the bottom of the chimenea with sand, gravel, or lava stones. This will stop the heat from getting into the pit’s bottom.
- To create a grating look, place a couple more bricks on top.
- Add a little supply of kindling and firewood on top of that.
- Add a pair of somewhat bigger logs to the chimenea once it’s ignited and burning well.
- Allow these to burn out spontaneously.
- Repeat this method for the first five or six fires, then progressively increase the size.
Finally
Remember to apply common sense and safety precautions when utilizing your chiminea – after all, you are dealing with fire. Always keep in mind:
- Start with tiny fires.
- Cover your chiminea after use.
- Take excellent care of your chimineas by cleaning them properly, putting them up appropriately, using them safely, covering them up, and using common sense. You can be able to enjoy your chiminea for many years.