I Built A Smokeless Fire Pit With Foam And Concrete That Actually Works 

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I LOVE when people don't edit out their mistakes. It gives me more confidence as a DIYer. It's great to know that can be a normal part of the process.

I worked in construction in the 80s and I recall an on-site engineer that always watched as we poured concrete. I asked him why? He made sure the concrete workers vibrated the mix properly. There's not a lot of strength in bubbles was his reasoning. I've always remembered that.

Just showed this video to the wife. She just sighed and walked away. Still, I didn't hear an explicit "no", so looks like I've a project for the summer, boys! Thanks again, Haxman

Your wife snorting at your mistake - GOLD! I oft hear that same snort from my wife. It encourages us to do better.

I like how you do not edit out your mistakes. Humanizes you to the viewer. Great job on the pit!

Imagine the real estate agent if you guys ever sold your house. "Sir, why is there 13 smokeless fire pits on the property?"

The diy smokeless fire pit got me to subscribe 3 years ago. Still watching today. 😂

The perfect amount of humor to keep me engaged, the unedited mistakes, the narration explaining the process, and the logic behind decisions made all helped me thoroughly enjoy this video and subscribe for more in the future.

I worked at a rehab facility that thought it would be awesome to take a commercial 6' concrete planter and turn it into a firepit for the residents to have bonfires around during their nightly check-ins. It was pretty awesome for the first few nights, but on the third or fourth night they used it, the damn thing exploded and sent cinders, sharp chunks of concrete, and burning wood flying everywhere. Turns out that, even with proper agitation, concrete is still a very porous substance. Air expands when heated, which could turn your fire pit into a time bomb. This becomes even more likely with repeated heating and cooling. It's why refractories tend to be built with ceramic substrates and not concrete.

"Y'all better red-neckorize." Thank you, Uncle Hax, thank you.

You sir, are the man! I have been planning to build 3 gas fire pits in my backyard (yep, that is a long story) your instruction, expertise and ahem humor will turn my dream into a reality! Thank you. I have subscribed. Yours is the first you tube thing that I have ever subscribed to, only took me 63 years. (Hope I did it right). Iam a BIG FAN. Most respectfully, mike USN ret.

The all thread not to be confused with the all spark because that makes a transformer come back to life is one of the reasons I watch this channel

Thank for not editing your mistakes. It’s so much more educating. Great Video; a project I’d like to tackle one day. (Ironically I did edit this comment 😅)

That mud mixer looks awesome! They really need to get them in every Home Depot rental location.

I did a smokeless fire pit conversion to an already existing pit at a house I bought a few years ago. Did almost the same exact thing you did, I just didn’t have to build the walls. Used a galvanized ring, drilled the holes and set it in the middle with a gap for the outer chamber. Then did the capstones using the same technique, just used melamine board for my form instead of foam board. I only made one form and used it for four pours to give me 4 capstones. Used a bit of old motor oil for my release agent, and added coloring to match the existing walls of the pit that had been already done with landscape blocks. Color matching was the toughest part of the project! It turned out great and works awesome. If I had done the whole thing from scratch, I would have just made the whole thing a bit smaller. Having a 3’ diameter inner ring means you need to make big fires (as you mentioned) and it takes a little while to heat up for the smokeless effect to occur. That’s probably why the commercial ones are fairly small as well. You earned a subscriber, as your rolling storage system has been on my list of stuff as well, just instead of strut channel and trolleys, I had planned to utilize barn door track and rollers instead. Like minds think alike, and I look forward to watching your other builds instead of filming any of my own, lol.

Awesome for hotter climates. I like a firepit for warmth when it's cool and that's always been my issue with the smokeless pits because there's very little radiant heat if you're siting beside it. Cool none the less!

I like how you didn't pretend this went super smoothly and flawlessly. Im more apt to follow and maybe try this with your honesty. Thank you!

I’ve found a better way of vibrating the bubbles out. Attach a piece of pvc pipe on an oscillating tool. Screw it on an old blade. Stick it into the cement and turn the tool on high. Works better than the reciprocating saw.

Im 28 and its happening… these are the things i like to watch and do in my free time😭😭

Sonatubes work great too man. Get a 3' and 4' sonatube and cut whatever height you want. We use them all the time on firepits. We actually take fire brick and ratchet strap them to the inside piece and the concrete locks it all in once concrete is poured.

Anyone else blown away that Edddie Vedder is so handy? Haha, that's a compliment. Great entertainment factor and great work!

i've been following you for 3 years. wow! already!

I was here for your first smokeless fire pit and here I am today for your second fire pit

Great sense of humor. Nice work, too.

Concrete does not hold up well to high heat. If you don't believe me. Take a torch to it and I hope you have your PPE on. With that said this might work because it doesn't let the concrete to get that hot (unlike standard fire pit). I will stay tuned for the results.

Quote " Probably one of my favourite tools I've gotten Over the past serval years" Seconds early, haxman wife was helping. Honestly thought he meant his wife. haha She is trooper for being that support hats off!

Love that you don't edit out your mistakes, definitely subscribing. Wife made the mistake of giving me the clear to do whatever I wanted to the backyard...so this is definitely in the cards haha

Awesomeness. I am a former concrete worker, and this is great idea

Not sure if it was mentioned, but rock salt is a great way to add texture. Just sprinkle a little in the form sparingly, and it dissolves later. It can also be added when finishing a sidewalk, just sprinkle some on the concrete before it sets up too hard, and trowel it into the surface. Great video.

Nice project. I love all the smoke it makes. Also it was fun to watch you as you virtually have no idea what you are doing.

I like mixing my cement a bit wet when I pour. It's a lot easier to work the voids out of the concrete when doing something like this. Great video man! Thanks.

I knew it - when you didn’t show the application of your release agent, you forgot it 😂 God bless you and your wife! What a trip. Gonna show this to my husband. We move from the burbs to 3 acres in a few months. Smokeless fire pit is gonna be ideal this holiday season! 😁

One of the easiest and stupidly brilliant pseudo concrete vibrators I'd ever seen whipped together was an oscillating cutter with a pipe strapped to it. Sink the pipe with it on, goes in like hot butter. I wish I'd come up with that one! I've also picked up an industrial vibrating head for various projects that can be had for like $35 and use metal worm clamps to put all kinds of things under Serious vibrational power. I have one mounted to a stainless thermos with 1,000 5/8ths ball bearings in it for grinding hard media into powder. Murphy's Soap in the huge jugs also works great as a release agent for molding, and you can let it dry and build up layers if you want, or just slather it on and pour. Last time I bought it I believe was 2022 and it was $6 at the hardware store. The only thing I'd address would be drainage, particularly in areas with more clay in the soil than average. You can use PEX tubing and cast them directly into the concrete and run them wherever convenient or pull it after the concrete cures and shrinks off the surface some. It helps a lot with premature rusting of the inner ring so runoff doesn't pool up in the bottom. I'm definitely going to borrow that all-thread trick next time though. So we're even. 😉

I had to chuckle. A true DIY’er! Stuff happens, but the goal doesn’t change. I’m sure there will never be those who critique the build, but I’m one to applaud the perseverance. This is a short but sweet vid and I’m going to add this to my list of what I need to do this year. My original fire pit was made from those big box pavers, and while it took a couple hours to build, it looks like…well, let’s just say it looks like a big box build. Many have them. I want different. I need to remember to keep that seed oil handy for my release agent! Very good job.

I love that you show screw ups and all… all in all quite impressive!!! Stay blessed love the end results !

I appreciate your SUCCESS/FAILURE, your SORROW/JOY, and that you are showing this along the way to the really sharp projects that you do. It has a better feel than the slick productions that have the viewers feeling unworthy! I am working on my smoosh technique - to be gentle.

"Y'all better redneckorize!" I don't watch enough of your videos, but I'm going to fix that, haha. Great video man. Very inspiring.

Concrete teaches you lessons. Great effort

Thank you for sharing!

I love it. Can't believe it's been 3 years already. I've always called those tape measures as sewing tapes', but I think they are actually called "Tailors tape" because if you google search that name a butt-ton of results come up.

I've never before seen a calculator display fractions, only decimals. Fascinating.

Translation: "whenever" = "when" for 95% of it uses. Thats for us northerners. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk. Love you HAXMAN!

If you type in your diameter in inches on the construction master calculator and hit the circle button it will give you the circumference as well. Built in short cuts. Invaluable tool that keeps me efficient on the job site. Love your work.

My son is 59 years old. You remind me of him. I love your sense of humor.😊

I like how you routinely mix your concrete too dry, despite knowing better. I too enjoy underfilling my tractor tires, waiting too long to mow the lawn, and under-buying lumber for my next project.

Mighty fine!!! God Bless!!!

I like this method. Even though it's a lot of work using concrete to make the form, the end result speaks for itself.

Great build. The end cracked me up with you trying to find a place to store those 'disposable' molds!!! The struggle is real. 😄😄😄

Ok, Ill admit it, I laughed out loud with the "then it hit me joke"

This is an awesome upgrade.

Great idea. Looks Awesome!

7:45 - I call those schneider’s tape (Schneider is Yiddish for tailor, so tailor’s tape if you prefer English)

Yet again haxmeister , fantastic video my wife and I love watching and I think the baby liked it too 😀. Looks like you need a storage shed 😉 new vid!! ❤

A thing of Beauty !!

GREAT video! Thanks for taking the time to provide so much detail.

The legend returns. That video put you on the map bro. Once I get this dern garden running itself I can focus on these projects I know my 5 little girls would love this. Looks simple enough and my wife will think I am the superman. Nice work man.

After watching this video I will spend $200 and pick up a smokeless fire pit on Amazon. Take it out of the box and done.

amazing work!!!!

Thanks Love it, my mental handicap brother loves fire pits, with supervision of course, and I love smokeless wood gasification stuff

Live, learn, and then get duct tape.

PLEASE wear a respirator when you play with concrete!!! Concrete dust is silica...which is glass...which means you're breathing tiny shards of glass. Silicosis is a very real thing!! It's a great project, and you've inspired me to build something similar...but please be safe when dealing with concrete. It will kill you, slowly and painfully!

Cool video, thanks for posting

Dope project

You're using the word "whenever" incorrectly sir. Whenever refers to at least a plural, you keep using it in the singular with specific instances.

Great video! Thanks!

Great job, looks fantastic!

Creativity gets me up in the morning, once you get in your unique creative flow ... sweet

Thanks, I learned so much.

Thanks. Some real good ideas.

You can use masonite sheets also. And tap the sides of the forms all around to help prevent honeycombs. Great build

This came up on my feed. Randomly seemingly. Good job HAXMAN, very satisfying and I may want to give this a try!

No gloves, masks, or glasses. I love it 🤘

HAXMAN, this is AWESOME!!! I'm retiring at the end of the month, and this seems like the logical first project I should get done before fall, thanks!!! Yup, I'm taking 2 months off and I AIN'T DOING NUTHIN!!!

A nice use of a technique used for constructing insulated foundations.

love this type of video

Kids purchased their first homes this year and this would be perfect for our short but sweet Alaskan summers! Now to track down a workable solution for the inner ring, without having to fully fabricate it. Enjoyed the vid HAXMAN! :)

that's admirable

That is sweet! Well done!

There's not a better feeling that you make this and enjoy it! I love that feeling of accomplishment!

I can always count on your amuzing informative genius, to entertain and teach at the same time. Thank you for that!

Educational, entertaining video, thanks for the tips and tricks

"Probably one of my favorite tools I've got in the last couple of years" I was waiting for "The mixer was great too" 😂😂😅

Awesome project! Thanks brother!

This is sooooo awesome!!!!

Great job.

Three years ago!? Time flies as a haxmaniac!

Great job brother!

Machinist tip. Use WD-40 on your drill bits to make it easier to drill and extend the life of your bits. Especially the step bits. Thanks for the 2 videos. I wanted to build your last pit ,but I like this one better.

Awesome. I’m not great at a lot of things but I may be able to get this done. Can’t wait.

Thats awsome... im amazing at showing what not to do... actually its one of my strongest points...

Dude, that was impressive.

One fantastic project. I have seen a video where the man cut a 2 foot 1/2 inch pvc pipe and duct taped to the reciprocated saw and stocked into the concrete form for smother finish. Well done

love your stuff, thank you!

It’s nice to see that even if you have seemingly no clue what you’re doing, you can still put up a nice fire pit.

HAXMAN you're a natural!

You got my like and sub as soon as you said you're "showing" us what not to do. Thanks

Okay a couple of comments. I built one just like the video three years ago. It worked exactly as you indicated it would in your video. So very good! Now, the cap plates on ours broke the first time we fired up the pit. This was three days after they were poured. The water still trapped in the hardened, but uncured concrete, caused them to forcefully pop and break. So let that concrete fully cure before applying the heat. Secondly, As I said, it worked exactly as you said it would. What you didn't mention was that it consumes copious amount of fuel. In my estimation 3 to 4 times as much fuel. I had to take it out simply because I could not afford to feed it. It is a proven method for getting a hot fire that consumes its own smoke. The problem is I am not using this fire to forge metal. I'm not even using it for heat. A little fire and some friends; that's all that's needed. So you might mention the fuel consumption issues when you promote these smokeless fire pits.

Dude is definitely keeping it real. Subscribed.

I saw you were doing it backwards..... glad you caught it before it dried. This is pretty cool. I will probably make one myself. Also, as a math teacher, glad you are using all that math my kids whine they will NEVER use! lol