The Outdoor Plus · Installation
The Outdoor Plus Fire Pit Enclosure Ventilation Requirements
If you're building an LP fire pit into a stone or stucco enclosure, ventilation is not optional and not visual trim. Propane is heavier than air — it pools at the bottom of a sealed enclosure, and one leak becomes a fireball. TOP's manual is explicit: fresh air must be able to pass through installed vents, and the vents must never be obstructed.
By Ash · Updated November 8, 2026
What you need
- Vent screens (hardware-cloth or purpose-made vent panels)
- Masonry drill if retrofitting a sealed enclosure
- Tape measure
Step by step
Design two vents minimum — one low, one opposite side
Cross-ventilation is the goal: low-side-in on one face, low-side-out on the opposite face. Air exchanges by convection even when the pit is off. Both vents at pan-floor level, not up near the top where air sits idle.
Cover vents with hardware cloth, not solid grates
Hardware cloth keeps rodents out without blocking airflow. Solid decorative grates restrict air and defeat the point. If the enclosure is visible, decorative vent panels (louvered or perforated with ≥40% open area) are acceptable.
Verify under the pan is unobstructed
Insulation batts, loose stone debris, and construction trash accumulate under the pan during install. Clean out before firing. The manual: 'Place the fire pit on a solid platform such as concrete to allow air flow through vents in the bottom.'
Confirm no overhead penetrations toward the house
Combustion gases need room to rise. 96 inches to overhead combustibles is the hard clearance; a vent from the enclosure that rises INTO an eave or soffit is a CO risk indoors.
Common mistakes
- Sealing the enclosure 'for aesthetics'. Classic landscape-architect mistake. The pit looks cleaner but it's an explosion risk. Hold the line on bottom venting.
Hands-on tips
- If your enclosure design is on paper, add the vent callout BEFORE the stone mason starts cutting — retrofitting is miserable.
Questions people ask
What if I'm on natural gas instead of propane?
NG is lighter than air, so it dissipates upward rather than pooling. Ventilation is still required (the manual doesn't distinguish), but the risk profile is lower. Don't skip venting on NG either.
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