Here at the Spotix Learning Center, we're all about keeping our customers up to date on industry trends, tips, and helpful info with our informative blog posts. Some things, however, are better communicated via video, allowing us to show you products and processes in action. Our team of product specialists has put together this excellent video of expert tips on installing a gas fire pit using one of our fire pit kits. Check out the video above and subscribe to our Youtube channel to see future videos that can help you get the most out of your Spotix experience!

What's in the video?

0:09

Key Valves

One common question we get with our gas fire pit kits is how to incorporate the key valve. We want the key valves to run through the wall or through the block of the
fire pit so what we have here is a flange extension that's going to extend the valve through the wall to the flange. In this one, we have a hole drilled out through the wall, so we can simply slide this in, screw on the flange (no gas is going to run through this section so we don't need any sealant), and that piece can be lopped off in order to make it a tight fit. It kind of sucks in and holds itself to the wall. One of those extensions are going to get you through a nine-inch wall.


0:49

Paver Brackets

Another common question we get is how we get the hole through that block to be able to get the key through and the flange through. What we use is actually either a concrete core drill or a wet drill or a hammer drill with a core bit that measures 1 3/8" to core all the way through the block however another method that we can use is this bracket here that does replace a full block in the event that you don't have the necessary tools, and it actually has a cradle for the key valve and the flange to sit in.

1:25

Keys

With pretty much every key valve with these fire pit kits, they are going to come with a 3-inch key just like this one. If you're using a paver bracket or you have a very thin wall or block you're getting through that might work, but in most cases, you're going to need to upgrade to a larger key in order to get through the wall, so they come in a multitude of sizes. We have the 3-inch, this one here is a 12-inch, and we even have a very long 24" here. In most cases 8" or 12" is going to get through that wall. As you can see here we have a 12" key with a flange extension, so if you had a 9" or 10" wall it's going to stick out a little bit but that's just fine, and it's going to work out pretty well so you can get your hands all the way around it in order to turn that valve.

When it comes to the keys, valves and flanges there are a lot of options. Besides the standard kind of chrome or brass which is going to be the most common, there are also more decorative ones if you're trying to match other things in your outdoor setting. We have a copper one and the one thing to watch out for with these is the keys, if you want it to match, are only available up to 8" so if you need a 12" key or longer you may want to consider sticking with chrome or brass that way the key will match the finished color of the flange.


2:40

Venting

As we know ventilation of gases and heat is very important for most fire pit installs. What you may have noticed is that this particular fire pit doesn't have any ventilation, but it does actually because there are gaps between the blocks in this particular fire feature just because of the way it was designed. In the event that you do have a tighter structure, tight blocks, or something made of CMU board, we do have one option for more tightly arranged fire features. This is just a vent plate that goes over a hole that was created. Another option in the event that you don't have the means to cut a hole would be this bracket which actually replaces a block, and it can actually secure to the block with what's called a lintel, that supports the block sitting above it.

3:33

Flex Lines

Another important part of every kit is going to be a whistle-free stainless steel gas flex line. You do want to make sure it's whistle-free. Those yellow appliance connectors can be more prone to creating a whistling noise. The way to check that is the corrugations. You can see they're spread out then they get tighter; that's going to help break up the flow of gas through the line to help mitigate the chances of getting a noise that ultimately comes out of the burner. These are available in 1/2" or 3/4" depending on the size of the kit and the burner and the flow of gas that's needed. Another thing to consider is on the end of these you're going to have a flared connection. That way this can spin without turning the whole gas line when you're going to connect it. You want to make sure that the flare side is always going in. Pretty much everyone is going to have an adapter that takes it back to a standard pipe fitting. We'll cover in a different section how to seal and how to leak test as well.


4:25

Standard Spotix Kits

A standard Spotix matchlight fire pit kit will have the following components: first we'll have the gas key valve, the 1/4" turn valve with the flange, and the 3" key.

Next will come the flex line, which is again whistle-free, from there it'll be what's called a "street elbow" to make a 90 degree to alleviate any sharp bends in that flex line and then a nipple to connect the street elbow with the burner. To convert it from natural gas to propane there's also an air mixer kit that will be added to it.

5:00

Pans

Another very important component is going to be the burner pan. With our Spotix Kits they are optional, but we can modify them by making different sizes. They're made out of 304-grade stainless steel to prevent rust and corrosion.

We're going to recommend the minimum size to use based on the size of the burner selected. It needs to be at least 6" larger. This here is going to be a flat pan. It does need to be held up from below so there's a support system that we'll talk about in another video for how you go about that.

The other option is a drop-in pan. This one of course is a rectangle. They're offered in a variety of shapes and sizes. It does need to be a pretty perfect fit based on your fire pit opening. They can be more convenient because they just drop in, and they're supported by the ledge here. The flat pans however can look nice at the end of the day because you're covering the whole thing with media, so you don't see any of the metal at all.


5:52

Collars

Flat pans do need to be supported from below, about 4" from the top cap (the very top of the fire feature) and there are a few ways to do that. One very common way is to use this kind of collar which is actually flexible to either a square or a round fire feature. These are nice because they sandwich between rows of blocks and you don't have to worry about mortaring or securing them in any way; the blocks actually hold them in place. The other nice thing about these is they do allow for some play, so in the event that your block kit is a little bit larger than your pan you can actually make up some of that gap. Another method is what's commonly referred to as an "installation collar." This actually gets installed on the inside of like a poured concrete or maybe a mortared fire feature. It is also flexible and gets secured with screws on the inside of it.

6:45

Burners

One of the most important decisions when it comes to your gas fire pit is deciding which burner to use. On display here we have some options from some of our top brands. These are all high-performance burners that can kick out potentially a lot of BTUs, whether it's 304-grade stainless steel or made out of solid brass, there are many shapes and sizes to fit just about any fire pit, but they can also be customized. Many of the standard sizes are going to range from 6" all the way up to 4' but we've certainly gone bigger as well in the past. Depending on your fire pit opening and your gas supply we're happy to help determine which one's the best for your fire pit.


7:23

Burner Ports

One of the main differences between a lot of these burners is whether or not they have drilled holes or if they have jets or nozzles. They both serve their own purpose; the drilled holes for example tend to look more melded together; it tends to blend the flame and the gases a little bit better for more of a natural campfire look, whereas the jets have the technology that helps speed the gas up and shoot it up higher achieving taller flame, so depending on what you want, kind of dictates how you want your flames to look.

7:56

Fuel Types

Both natural gas or propane can be used with almost every fire pit that we offer. If you do have natural gas available we recommend running a gas line to it. In the long run, it will be more cost-effective, and it's much more convenient. Natural gas also is lighter than air, so it's going to rise up, so you're not going to have any accumulating gas at the fire pit like you could the propane.

Propane can also be used for our larger fire pits. You do need to run it from a bulk tank. We'll cover the portable tank separately but propane is heavier than air, so it can sink and pool up so you have to use a pan to provide air space down below and your vents need to be toward the bottom of the fire pit, so if any gas gets in there it can escape, and it's not accumulating inside.

You also must use a propane air mixer. It has small holes drilled in it to pull oxygen, and if you select propane with your fire pit where you're building out the Spotix Kit, for example, that piece will be included.

8:49

Gas Supply

One really important topic to discuss is your gas supply. Often times we run into scenarios where the gas supply is actually not enough for their fire feature, and sometimes we get we can get calls or concerns about their flame being not very high, so it is very important to consult with your gas plumber or a contractor on determining whether or not your gas supply is adequate or planning ahead of time for the burner that you're purchasing. The gas supply requirements can be a little different between propane and natural gas as typically they operate off of different pressures, and what I'm actually holding in my hand is what's called a manometer that's something that professionals use to measure gas pressure which is a little bit different from volume but again talk to your local gas plumber for more information.

9:35

Portable Propane Tanks

In many cases, a portable propane tank can be used with your gas fire pit, but there are some additional things to consider. This here is a 20lb or 5-gallon tank, that also comes in 30lb and 40lb tanks that are going to give you a little bit longer run time. You won't be able to power a burner quite as large as this however. Eighteen inches typically is going to be a common size, and will pair up with a portable tank. These can put out about 90,000 BTUs per hour, so if you're running it at full blast you can expect maybe 4 to 5 hours of run time. It's good to usually have a backup on hand. They do need to be 4 to 5 feet away from the fire pit typically. Check the manual and/or local codes for that, and the line can be run through like vents or a hole, and we will need to use an adapter on the valve in order for it to pair up.

10:20

Sealings and Fittings

One common question is how we seal the fittings. All fittings that join together do need to be sealed, however in different ways. For flare fittings you simply need to crank your pipe wrenches tight between the joints, and it's self-sealing; the metal is soft enough to where it kind of molds to it. On the other hand you have pipe threads which is intended to connect a solid pipe. In this case you have straight threads all the way down to the end. That's kind of your indicator, and you'll want to put either thread compound or thread tape, typically the yellow tape, around these threads and once you squeeze them tight with the pipe wrenches you'll want to do a leak test with gas pressure running through the line. A couple of ways to do that they have a gas leak detector spray that you just kind of spray around the fitting as pressure is being applied and you should see little bubbles. The other type is kind of an applied gel. They both work the same; both can be used.

11:23

Heat

Another thing that comes up a lot with these burners is, "do they provide any amount of heat for people sitting around it?" and the answer is yes and no. It can take the chill out of the air, but what happens is a lot of this is just heating up the air that goes straight up, and there's not a lot of radiant heat kind of like you'd find with a wood fire pit. There's a little but not a lot. When I answer that I say it takes the chill out of the air. All these burners do have what's called a BTU rating, that's a measure of heat, the more the better, on average a small fire feature like this might be around a 100,000 BTU, but a larger unit might have up to 300,000 BTU. Obviously the 300,000 BTU is a lot more and can provide some heat but generally speaking it's just going to take the chill off the air.

12:07

Media

Now that the fire pit's been fully assembled and leak tested it's finally time to add the fire glass or lava rock, and we refer to these as media in more of a general sense a lot of times. Be sure you're using an approved media type, which typically is going to be lava rock or fire glass. We also have rolled or tumbled lava stones here, and depending on the type of burner you may want to cover it completely or only up to a certain level. With this one we do want the burner completely covered so whether it's glass or rock we basically want it to where no metal is visible, and another thing to note is with fire glass if you're using propane be sure to use at least 1/2" glass or larger, it gives more air so that propane can rise up through it being that it's a bit denser. With natural gas you can use a 1/4", 1/2" or in either case you can use larger. Depending on the size you want to use a calculator to make sure you get the right amount and feel free to reach out; we're happy to help with that as well.

12:59

Logs

If using lava rock as a base layer, a really common setup we see is kind of sprucing it up, making it a bit more natural, if you're going for that type of effect by adding logs to it. We offer logs that are either metal, clay refractory, or ceramic. A benefit to adding logs like that is they can help radiate more heat while also giving you a more natural look. They typically come in separate pieces, as you can see with these. There are other ones like sometimes the steel logs that will come welded together, so be sure to be wary of that, and depending on the size you get you can either stack them teepee wise or on top of each other, but there's a lot of flexibility there, and they do give off some soot. As you can see on these, they have been used, so where you touch the flame you will build up a little bit of that carbon from the flame impingement, but it's to be expected and can help provide a more natural look.

13:49

Water

Even though these are made out of really high-quality material, they still aren't impervious to the elements, and what I mean by that is they do have holes that both throw out the gas but it also invites water in, potentially into the gas line or into electronics, potentially ruining it. Something that manufacturers do is they either raise up the central hub to kind of keep the water from climbing in, or if they'll make a water trap to keep water from getting it as well. Something else that you can do is cover it. Commonly you'd either see a vinyl cover covering the whole fire feature, but if you want to see the beautiful stone work you can also do a stainless steel or aluminum lid that overlaps the caps tone by about 1" all the way around.

Do You Need Help Building Your Next Backyard Oasis?

We hope you’ve found this video helpful. As always, if you’d like more details about anything you’ve read, contact us for more information.

We specialize in customized fire pits but can work with our vendors to create a fully custom design as well. For more info on the difference, check our Custom vs. Customized Guide.