Outdoor Fireplaces and Chimeneas

Overview: Make your patio a comfortable place to watch the stars with and outdoor fireplace. And outdoor fireplaces or chimeneas at a charming warmth to your backyard.

Having a wood burning outdoor fireplace has become very popular in backyards. Before outdoor fireplaces became popular, outdoor fire pits were common. They became a place where family and friends gather around to roast marshmallows and hotdogs on cool summer evenings. Outdoor fireplaces eventually evolved into elaborate outdoor kitchens that accentually transfer the chore of cooking from the house to the backyard. Somehow the charm and aesthetics of backyard fire pits and fireplaces was lost in the evolutionary cycle. For the more discerning backyard enthusiast that still wished to have a backyard fire pit or fireplace, the chimenea has become their item of choice. Often the chimenea is referred to as a chimney.    

Originally outdoor chimeneas were a clay open garden heater developed in Mexico and imported to the U.S. They date back hundreds of years ago by Mexican tribesmen who developed the chimenea as a means of providing heat for their family as well as a vessel for cooking and baking. The original chimenea was designed to keep the rain off the cooking fire and the family warm using merely a couple of sticks of wood to fuel it. Most chimeneas today are made from cast iron or aluminum. They are usually of the traditional shape or can be of several different designs. Most are about five feet tall and are about two feet across the firebox and have a grated door to close off the fireplace opening and a spark arrestor on top the stack. Metal chimeneas are much more durable than their clay cousins but are more expensive.

Fires start very quickly in a chiminea after ignition with papers and small pieces of wood. When in full burn after about 15 minutes, they give off tremendous heat due to their design which allows much more air to be drawn into them. The door is large enough to roast marshmallows and hotdogs. Overall, the chiminea is safer to operate than fire pits and outdoor fireplaces. The fire is fully contained in the structure and is protected from the wind and rain. Gathering around a chiminea on a cool fall evening having your favorite beverage is a great way to enjoy company and the outdoors at the same time. Chimaeras come in many different shapes and designs and can be purchased from $150 to $300.