In addition to the hominess and warmth that a fire pit adds to any outdoor living space, installing a structure above your fire feature will further enhance the coziness and the aesthetics of your backyard, taking it to a whole new level.

Whether you install an HPC fire pit with match-lit, push-button flame sensing, or new state-of-the-art remote electronic ignition, the installation instructions that come with your fire feature include diagrams and specific information on clearances for combustible materials. We always recommend you hire a licensed professional to do the work for such applications.

So, can you put a pergola above your fire pit? It depends. BTU output is a necessary consideration when identifying safe practices.

If you plan to add any kind of structure above your fire pit – pergola, overhang, roof, shade screen — be sure that your contractor understands the clearances required for gas fire features. One such contractor is Two Brothers Brick Paving. Two Brothers have experience in integrating overhead structures with fire pits, and understand the many variables that go into determining clearances (BTU output, LP versus natural gas, etc.), and will offer great advice.

But maybe you’re a DIYer and you’re ready to start construction. If you’ve mustered the gusto to build your own pergola, you won’t be going through a contractor, and you’ll need to know how high above your fire pit your pergola needs to be. For a 200k BTU or less standard burner, HPC requires 36 inches horizontally from the edge of the burner pan to anything combustible, and 84 inches from the top of the fire pit enclosure to the ceiling. You must also have two open walls for a safe amount of ventilation. If your fire pit produces more than 200k BTU and less than 400k, you can have a pergola above your fire feature, as long as the space above the burner pan is 50% open and made of a non-combustible material. Anything that produces more than 400k BTUs should not have anything above it– not a pergola, nor anything else.

Prolonged exposure to heat will affect the structural integrity of most any material. Pergolas, being made of wood, are particularly susceptible to drying out and becoming dangerous. Even pergolas that include spaced lumber are not sufficient for safe use with a high-heat fire feature. You must use a non-combustible material.

As always, it is important to consider the safest practices when dealing with gas fire products. It is easy to forget just how dangerous fire can be! If you have any questions at all, feel free to call us at (937) 436-9800 and talk to our Tech department. They would rather answer a call about safe procedures than a call about how to remedy damage caused by misuse!