In the northern parts of the US and across much of Canada, winter is coming! Thankfully, at least in most of these locations, the snow has yet to fall, which means there's still time to use these tips and tricks to ensure you've properly prepped your fire pit for the winter!
Remove & Clean the Media
The first thing you can do to prep your fire pit is to remove and clean the fire media. If you have glass media, you can use a shop-vac to suck the glass gems off the burner, dump them in a bucket of soapy water and then swirl them around for a couple of minutes to ensure a good rinse. Then, take them out of the water, dry them off and put them in a bucket/container to store for the winter. Doing this makes a big difference in the look when installing fresh/clean media when the snow melts and you're ready to fire your fire pit or fire pit table once again in the springtime!
Clean the Burner
Once you've removed and cleaned your media, it's a good idea to clean your burner. You can use compressed air or other means to make sure there's no debris like twigs and leaves left in the burner. Wipe it down and be sure to dry it off thoroughly. If not dried completely, water could freeze and potentially cause future complications.
Repurpose Your Fuel Source
If you have a manual valve installed somewhere on the gas line, be sure to turn that off. This ensures you won't have constant pressure on the input side of the valve during the winter months. You can also bleed the gas line by attempting to light the burner with the gas supply turned off to ensure there's no extra gas coming out of the line.
If you're using an LP tank, consider either disconnecting it and storing it in a good spot for the winter or use it in another appliance like a grill.
Protect Electronic Components
If you have an electronic ignition system (Direct Spark Ignition aka DSI) and don't plan to use you fire table during the winter, you should disconnect the small plug-in transformer and bring it inside. This component don't take well to cold weather and could be damaged if left outside.
To remove it, unplug it from the outlet and then unplug the connections at the end of the end of the wires. Bring it inside once you're done and reconnect in the Spring when you're ready to fire things up once again.
Cover Your Table
While Outdoor GreatRoom Company fire tables are designed with high quality, outdoor rated materials, they can still suffer from general wear and tear in the winter. To help prevent this, considering purchasing a protective vinyl cover for your fire pit. Our covers are designed to fit snuggly over your fire pit and then have drawstrings to secure them near the base to help prevent them from catching wind.
Find the cover for your fire pit here: Vinyl Protective Covers
For additional advice and tips for prepping your fire pit for winter, visit your local dealer or send us a message using our chat function on outdoorrooms.com.
