Does a Fire Pit Need a Liner or Ring?

What the Ring Actually Does

A fire pit ring is a steel band that sits inside the block wall, between the fire and the concrete. Unilock describes the insert in its kits as doing three jobs: keeping the shape and structural integrity of the walls, directing heat toward the center of the pit, and protecting the wall material from drying out under prolonged heat.

It also holds the fire in one place. Logs and coals stay inside the ring instead of resting against the block, and the ash stays in the middle where it is easy to shovel out.

Retaining Wall Block Is Not Made for the Fire's Face

Wall block is made to hold back soil, not to face flame. Unilock warns that excessive heat may cause concrete units to break down over time when a pit is not designed for high temperatures, and recommends a metal liner or fire-rated brick for any above-ground pit. Belgard advises a metal fire ring or insert to prevent discoloration and other damage to the hardscape.

Porous stone fails faster. Belgard tells homeowners to avoid river rock and sandstone near the fire, because they can crack or even explode under high heat.

Pavers Under and Around the Pit

Building a block pit on top of an existing paver patio is possible, Belgard says, but direct heat from a wood fire can crack or discolor the pavers. Its preferred method is to cut the pavers out and set the pit on the same base the pavers sit on, which keeps ash from washing out across the patio and takes pressure off the surrounding pavers.

Ring, Liner or Fire Brick

The three ways to line a pit suit different builds.

• A steel ring dropped inside a dry-stacked block kit is the simplest, and the one the block makers supply.
• A fire brick course on the inside of the wall suits a mortared pit built to last, with refractory mortar in the joints.
• A one-piece steel bowl or a gas burner pan is its own liner and needs no ring.
• A gas conversion pan can drop into many rings later; EPA notes conversion kits are sold at hearth and patio stores.

Fitting a Ring to an Existing Pit

Measure the inside diameter of the block ring at the top course and at the bottom, since an old pit may have leaned. Choose a ring that fits the inside closely and sits level on the base, so the fire cannot reach the block behind it. Kits come in fixed sizes, and rings are made to match them.

For a gas conversion, the burner pan sizes are fixed too: one gas fire pit maker builds round pans at 19, 25, 29 and 33 inches. The gas line, ventilation and drainage then have to suit the enclosure, which is not a drop-in job.

Belgard notes that one of its block pits can be converted to gas with an insert sold separately, and that natural gas connections belong with a professional. The ring and the block stay; what changes is everything under the burner.

Rusted Rings and Who Replaces Them

Steel rings rust, especially in a pit that holds rainwater, and a chiminea supplier notes that painted steel rusts as soon as heat burns the paint off. A ring with holes eaten through it no longer protects the block. Our guide to keeping a fire pit from rusting covers the care; replacing a ring or relining a built-in pit is outdoor fireplace work.

We measure before anything is ordered. Ours is a local family company with experienced installers, the inspection is free and the estimate is written, and the work is Proudly American from the first measurement to the last bolt. That is what a Proudly American patio job looks like to us.