Light your Fire Pit for Safety

Fall is our favorite time of year – we love sweater weather around here! We also don’t mind it getting dark earlier because when you have great lighting in your outdoor living space, the 5pm sunset time just gives us even more time to enjoy time outside!  With cooler temperatures expected this weekend, we are set up to have the perfect weather to light the fire! Outdoor fireplaces and fire pits will delight family and friends with their mesmerizing flickering flames. A fire pit creates a magical glow and an intimate setting for cozy fireside chats. Just don’t forget the fixings and smores!

While you don’t need a lot of outdoor lighting around your fire pit, it is imperative to have some lighting for safety reasons. Tripping from a missed step has serious side effects when there is a roaring fire to fall into! An estimated 6,200 injuries related to fire pits or outdoor heaters sent people to emergency rooms in 2021, the Consumer Product Safety Commission says. Kids are notably at risk; a 2019 study published in the Journal of Burn Care & Research found that those 19 years and younger suffered 10,951 burns related to fire pits between 2006 and 2017.

So while the firepit should be the focal point and the main source of light, it is crucial to have outdoor lighting to get you safely to and from the fire and enough light to maneuver safely around the fire. The key places for outdoor lighting around your firepit:
1. Stairs or Steps – These are easy to light with some down lighting from neighboring trees or with side marker lights. Both of these light sources will provide the perfect amount of light to safely traverse the steps without disrupting the beauty of the flames.
2. Seat Lighting – There is often a built-in seating area around a fire pit and this is a great place to put linear lights under the rim of the bench or seat to create a soft glow so people can see where they are going and where to sit.
3. Woodpile – Whether you keep your wood pile near or far from the fireplace, be sure that you have enough light to get more wood to keep the home fires burning long into the evening.
4. Enjoy the View by making your yard bigger. You can expand the visual space of your patio by selectively illuminating nearby features such as trees, landscaping, and walls. This allows you to see past the edges of the patio or deck, making the space feel larger.

Are you interested in outdoor lighting around your firepit or fireplace this fall but not sure where to start? Please give us a call for a free consultation and quote at 210-710-7737.