A chimenea on a patio in Surrey, Great Britain. Claire Takacs/Getty Images
Heat Up the Patio With a Portable Fireplace
Chimeneas are those charming, hand-decorated terracotta outdoor fireplaces you see for sale at patio stores, marketplaces, and tourist sites in Mexico and western states like California and Arizona. While some people use chimeneas as garden art on patios for an authentic rustic or Southwestern look, chimeneas can be functional fire features in outdoor rooms. They’ve been around for hundreds of years and are not just decorative accent pieces.
Chiminea History
The chiminea’s origins go back at least to the 16th or 17th century, when chefs in small Mexican villages used them as elevated cooking vessels and families gathered near them for warmth. Traditionally, a chimenea is made of clay and designed in a wide-bottom vase form, with a narrow, vertical chimney through which to direct smoke and a wide mouth on its side for the fire pit. The chimenea’s design allows it to be used in the rain without the water extinguishing its flame.
Basically, a chimenea is the same concept as an old-fashioned potbelly stove, which is a cast-iron wood-burning stove. In Eastern European countries, a similar type of stove, called a kotao, is fed with wood and used for cooking many popular dishes. Large, round cooking pans are placed on the kotao.
Unlike a wider, more open fire pit, a chimenea is contained. Aromatic woods like cedar, hickory, mesquite or pinon wood are popular choices, which will blow smoke up and out. After igniting, chimeneas can reach full burn in 15 minutes, giving off a great deal of heat. The fire can be controlled like any wood-burning outdoor fire pit or fireplace.
What to Look For Before You Buy
Don’t get carried away by those lively painted flowers and Spanish motifs decorating that chimenea you’ve been eyeing online. Before investing in a chimenea, do some research and know where it will be located on your property. Also, consider the following:
- Overall shape and design. Is it crooked or misshapen? Is the funnel/chimney too thick or thin?
- Materials: While clay and terracotta are traditional, but chimeneas can also be made of copper, cast iron, steel (like the vintage-inspired ModFire collection), or cast aluminium.
- Is there plenty of space in the fire pit to fit standard-size pieces of wood? If not, you’ll have to chop or special order chips, chunks or smaller pieces of wood.
- Do you live in a zone that bans wood-burning fireplaces, both indoors and outdoors? If so, and you really want a chimenea, then look for a model that runs on gas or liquid propane.
Where to Put a Chimenea
For safety reasons, it’s smart to place the chimenea in a location where the flames are visible from inside your house. With this in mind, obvious spaces would include a patio, deck, courtyard, etc. A chimenea works more effectively if its back faces a breeze or wind—which isn’t always predictable, of course. For its funnel-like chimney to work properly, the chimenea needs to be set up straight and vertical. This positioning ensures sooting occurs inside the fire chamber.
Consider the surface upon which your chimenea will be placed. Concrete, brick, or stone patios are fire-safe paving choices. If your outdoor space is a wood deck or terrace, place pavers , flagstone or brick in a small area—about 3 x 4 feet—to serve as a platform or patio hearth. Place the chimenea on the hearth, and make sure there aren’t eaves, a patio roof or some type of overhead cover that could catch on fire.
Ideally, the wood should burn down to ashes in your chimenea. If necessary, the flames can be doused with buckets of water or low embers can be doused by using a shovel (not a garden trowel) and turning the sand/gravel mixture at the bottom of the pit.
John Keeble / Getty Images
Caring for Your Chimenea
Chimeneas are heavy and prone to cracking because most are made of clay, often with a low-fire glaze or simply painted. Before using your new chimenea, apply an acrylic finish or sealer, and reapply every 6 to 8 weeks during seasons of use. An acrylic finish will protect your outdoor fireplace from water and moisture, which will soften the clay. For that reason, it’s a good idea to buy a chimenea cover to keep it from cracking and eventually falling apart. In rainy weather (or worse), it’s smart to store the chimenea in a shed, basement, or garage, along with other patio furniture.
Put sand, lava rock, fire glass, or pea gravel at the bottom of the chimenea fire pit to help clean out ashes. The sand-ash mixture can be put into a bucket, hosed off, set out to dry, and returned to the pit. You can also rake out the ashes and turn over the sand or gravel for a clean chimenea.
Concerned About Burning Wood?
In an effort to positively impact air quality, the see https://www.gov.uk/smoke-control-area-rules to Find out if the regulations and if there is an incentive programme near you.
Using common sense and safe behaviour can make a chimenea a warm and cosy addition to your outdoor room.
Pronunciation and Spelling
Chimenea or chimenea, pronounced che-meh-NEH-yah. Spanish for chimney. The spellings are used interchangeably.
By Lisa Hallett Taylor