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Thread: Is adobe ok for campfire pit?

  1. #1

    Default Is adobe ok for campfire pit?

    I want to make a campfire pit from adobe. It will be about 36in x 18in and 8in high. Just a simple, rectangular enclosure. Will adobe stand up to rain, snow, heat and cold? Would I be better off making it from concrete? Would concrete crack or pop from the heat? What do you recommend?


  2. #2
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    It should work OK but be sure it drains well after a rain if possible. Also see if you can cover it with some corrugated roofing material when not using and large stones to prevent blowing off. I have used an Adobe/mud (no straw) oven with thatch roof over it for extended periods of time (months). A totally different idea is the Stainless Steel drum from an old washing machine (discarded), these are ugly but work great for a campfire pit. Google or look up on YouTube, they work great. Not easy to find however. I have not used concrete aggregate for fire only other structural projects, but it may work OK but takes a while to cure, ask people at building supply store. My concern is that it may hold more water and crack when heated, but I don't know, have not tried, depends on river rock in aggregate is my guess. Always a good idea to cover, keeps out leaves if nothing else, spiders etc. are a minor problem.

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    Senior Member hunter63's Avatar
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    Had a fire place, small but with a grill and chimney, didn't take long to kind crack the blocks, but did last a while.
    DD/SIL have built several "fire rings by stacking bags of sack Crete...everything except water....just stack the bags a soak down.

    I'm sure adobe would work as well, but may crumble if wet.....so if covered as TXyakr pointed out will help keep it from melting down.
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    Senior Member kyratshooter's Avatar
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    People have been making ovens from adobe for thousands of years. I can see no reason that you could not just build an oven base and leave the top part off.

    http://www.backdoorsurvival.com/how-...ld-a-mud-oven/

    If you have to replace an adobe fire-pit every couple of years it would be no big deal. Just break the old one up and build a new one.
    If you didn't bring jerky what did I just eat?

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    Have you looked into refractory cement?

  6. #6
    Senior Member hunter63's Avatar
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    I dig a fire pit every Rondy if allowed....cut and remove the sod. pile around the out side upside down so just the dirt is showing.

    When done put out fire, and put sod back in the hole....

    I guess it depends on how fancy you what to make it?
    Geezer Squad....Charter Member #1
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  7. #7

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    What is your mix? If you are using an organic mix heavy in straw and ;right in clay or sand it will crack and be crumbly but it should be fine. If you use a mix of three parts sand and one part clay it will take temperatures in excess of two thousand degrees. One option, especially if you have clay rich soils like we do here in Maine, is to use the subsoil as is. It takes high temperatures and remains stable. Our rocket stoves are made of a clay rich soil and regularly reach temperatures in excess of 2,300 degrees f. Thats with a laser thermometer. Rapid cooling and heating doesn't seem to bother a clay rich soil mix. The only issue I can see with any mix you use is the rain. Moisture can wreak havoc on earthen structures unless they are covered with a clay slip and maintained. I hope this helps.

  8. #8

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    If you would read up on the old south you would find that a lot of fire places were made out of mud,sticks,animal hair and other things. I'm 73 and when I was raised up there was a old couple that lived down the road from us that had a mud fire place,they had to replace every two or three years. They had 17acres that supported them with just about everything they needed. They didn't even have a radio but I remember the old couple setting on the porch as we went by. She cooked the best tea cakes I have ever eaten and she cooked on a wood stove.

  9. #9

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    Use pure clay soil. Build up a dome of firewood where you want the pit and use the clay soil to build a dam around it. Burn the fire as hot as you can get it to bake the clay and harden it. You can even make clay ovens this way by putting the clay on top of the fuel with and opening for the door and one for the smoke to escape. Once the clay is fire hardened, it will last for years !
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  10. #10

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    Your mix is important. We are using a clay and sand mix for areas that need to be resilient to cracking and can absorb and radiate heat. Some folks put straw in their mix. It seems to bind well. We use the clay/sand for our rocket stove sap evaporator and the outdoor kitchen areas and it holds up for years. The mixes with organic material are great for mortar but perform poorly in heat situations (crumbling and cracking). Our inflation mix is perlite/sand/clay with no organic material. This is coming from a New England environment. Your area, soil type, etc., may produce different results. Make small match box sized "bricks" and bake them on high in a campfire or grill and test the results. Check for small fractures, crumbling factor, etc. Good Luck!

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