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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Fire pit?

31 replies

Sweetladyjane · 29/04/2023 18:22

Would I be unreasonable to get a small fire pit for my garden? I love the idea of them but not sure if it would upset the neighbours. I live in a terraced house but the gardens are quite big and I’d put it at the end of the garden away from the houses. We’d probably only use it a couple of times a month but not sure if they are antisocial?

OP posts:
Floralnomad · 29/04/2023 18:25

My neighbours have one , they use it regularly , I keep my house well sealed as it affects my lung disease - they are selfish knobs who only care about themselves . Does that answer the question .

LouBaloo · 29/04/2023 18:25

We have a gas fire pit table and a smaller gas fire pit in our other seating area. I hate the smell of smoke and they’re perfect for chilly evenings.

takealettermsjones · 29/04/2023 18:26

You may well get a variety of replies here from "it's your property, do whatever you want" to "doing literally anything in your garden besides silent pottering is abhorrent." 😆

I have one, and I use it fairly frequently. I use the treated logs so that the smoke is as inoffensive as possible.

catgirl1976 · 29/04/2023 18:33

We got one last summer and it’s awful. All it does is blow smoke everywhere and gives off no heat.

it’s a really basic thing so maybe some of the nicer ones are better but the I got is now rusting at the bottom of the garden

Bintymcbintface · 29/04/2023 18:34

Floralnomad · 29/04/2023 18:25

My neighbours have one , they use it regularly , I keep my house well sealed as it affects my lung disease - they are selfish knobs who only care about themselves . Does that answer the question .

Having a fire pit in your own garden doesn't make you a selfish knob. Should people go round and survey their neighbours before having a bbq in case the smoke is troublesome to ailments too?

yumscrumfatbum · 29/04/2023 18:38

We have one, use it a few times a year. If you use dry seasoned wood you get minimal smoke.

flumposie · 29/04/2023 18:38

I've had a fire pit for years ( on to my 2nd one now) , we use it regularly. We let the neighbour attached to us know if we are planning on using it. Never had any issues.

Floralnomad · 29/04/2023 18:39

Bintymcbintface · 29/04/2023 18:34

Having a fire pit in your own garden doesn't make you a selfish knob. Should people go round and survey their neighbours before having a bbq in case the smoke is troublesome to ailments too?

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It does when you are burning garden rubbish in it when you can access a council service to take it away .

SliceOfCakeCupOfTea · 29/04/2023 18:49

I've got one and I love it. It's a social place in the evening and we only light it when the neighbours don't have their washing out.
I'm excited to dig it back out when the nights get warmer

MrsWojadobakowsky · 29/04/2023 18:55

I have to close my windows when people set fire to stuff, fire pits, wood burners, all bad for me, and not great for air quality either.

darjeelingrose · 29/04/2023 19:05

YABU, they are horrible for neighbours. Also very 2019.

TheFlis12345 · 29/04/2023 19:28

They are only horrible for neighbours if you use the wrong wood. Both our neighbours have them and they don’t bother us at all.

MinnieGirl · 29/04/2023 19:33

Floralnomad · 29/04/2023 18:25

My neighbours have one , they use it regularly , I keep my house well sealed as it affects my lung disease - they are selfish knobs who only care about themselves . Does that answer the question .

I could have written that…
Total nightmare

Vitriolinsanity · 29/04/2023 19:37

My friend has one. She lives on farm.

I don't have one. I live on a terrace.

My experience is of a scalded front half and frozen back half.

missmollygreen · 29/04/2023 19:38

You cant beat a real fire! go for it

Throwncrumbs · 29/04/2023 19:43

Floralnomad · 29/04/2023 18:25

My neighbours have one , they use it regularly , I keep my house well sealed as it affects my lung disease - they are selfish knobs who only care about themselves . Does that answer the question .

Same here, twats have log burning stove putting out smoke all winter on first floor extension and bloody fire pit all summer stinking the neighbourhood out. Assholes!

TonTonMacoute · 29/04/2023 19:48

I love ours but we live right out in the countryside and burn seasoned logs from a huge pile left over when we had a whole lot of work done on our garden.

I wouldn't have one if I lived in a built up area and it would piss me off if my neighbours did TBH.

WishingMyLifeAway · 29/04/2023 19:55

Don't burn anything anywhere if you can avoid it. It's awful for people with lung conditions and air quality.

In the recent heat waves we've had it's been unbearable to have the windows closed even at night. Fire pits are basically forcing people with lung conditions to either breathe in air that will make them very unwell or to try to live in a sweltering box with all the windows closed.

And BBQs aren't as problematic. They generally only smoke for a very short period whereas fire pits are often smoking all evening and late into the night.

BewareTheBeardedDragon · 29/04/2023 20:01

The people who say it's unreasonable to consider others health issues when doing something that WILL directly affect their health are wrong imo. It's fairly basic consideration not to do something that will make the air inside your neighbours house potentially harmful.

Desperatelyseekingcommonsense · 29/04/2023 20:02

I love a fire pit. I often just use a bag of bbq charcoal on mines. It only smokes for a little bit great for toasting marshmallows over.

Sleepydaffodil · 29/04/2023 20:02

Floralnomad · 29/04/2023 18:39

It does when you are burning garden rubbish in it when you can access a council service to take it away .

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The OP didn’t ask if it was reasonable to burn her garden rubbish in a fire pit though did she? 🙄

drpet49 · 29/04/2023 20:05

darjeelingrose · 29/04/2023 19:05

YABU, they are horrible for neighbours. Also very 2019.

This. I just think they are pointless

strawberryfluff · 29/04/2023 20:08

drpet49 · 29/04/2023 20:05

This. I just think they are pointless

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I agree. They are so unfashionable now. No one burns shit anymore

Bintymcbintface · 29/04/2023 20:09

Floralnomad · 29/04/2023 18:39

It does when you are burning garden rubbish in it when you can access a council service to take it away .

Show quote history

Garden rubbish, like wood and grass? How's it better to have stuff lying around your garden making a mess until its picked up rather than just burning it, safely, outside, it's not like they're burning garbage and tyres. Again, you're not selfish to enjoy your own garden with a fire pit

SliceOfCakeCupOfTea · 29/04/2023 20:13

drpet49 · 29/04/2023 20:05

This. I just think they are pointless

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Hardly pointless. They provide a heat source so you can continue to use your outdoor space once it's evening.