- Good call thinking about drainage early on—it's definitely easier to tackle now than later.
- I've seen a few fire pits with pooling issues after heavy rains, usually because the gravel layer wasn't deep enough or the soil underneath was too compacted.
- If your pit is slightly elevated or on a slope, you might be fine even with less gravel. But if it's in a flat area, water can sit and cause problems down the road.
- One quick fix I've used before is drilling a few drainage holes through the base if it's a metal liner, or adding some extra gravel around the perimeter to help water move away.
- Did you use landscape fabric under your gravel? Sometimes that can help keep things draining smoothly, but I've also heard mixed opinions on it...
- Curious if anyone else has tried different drainage solutions that worked well for their fire pits.
"Did you use landscape fabric under your gravel? Sometimes that can help keep things draining smoothly, but I've also heard mixed opinions on it..."
I skipped the landscape fabric on mine, thinking it wasn't necessary, but ended up regretting it later. After a few heavy rains, the gravel started mixing into the soil below, making drainage worse over time. Eventually, I had to redo the whole base with fabric underneath. Lesson learned the hard way, I guess... Your idea about drilling drainage holes sounds pretty smart though—wish I'd thought of that earlier.
I went back and forth on the fabric thing myself, ended up using it, but honestly I'm still not totally convinced it made a huge difference. Drainage seems okay, but weeds still pop through occasionally, and I've heard some people say fabric can clog up over time anyway. Curious if anyone's tried using crushed stone or sand layers instead of fabric—would that help drainage without the clogging issue?
I skipped the fabric altogether and went with a thick layer of crushed stone topped with sand. Drainage has been solid so far, and weeds are minimal...but honestly, nothing's foolproof. Still beats dealing with clogged fabric down the road though, right?
I get the logic behind skipping fabric—clogging can be a real pain down the line. But I'm wondering, did you do anything special to keep the crushed stone and sand layers stable over time? I've seen setups where the sand gradually shifts or washes away after heavy rain, leaving uneven spots. Curious if you've noticed any settling or shifting yet...or maybe it's too soon to tell?
