What Is Fire Glass?
It is a colorful filler for fire bowls and fire pits to disperse the gas and flames.
Fake logs take away from the illusion of a natural flame because they won’t respond to the fire the way real logs would–cracking, glowing with embers, etc. And leaving the gas line exposed eliminates any authentic look for the flames. Fire glass allows you to hide the line while adding to the ambiance.
Fire glass is made out of tempered glass, making it resistant to scorching or cracking at high temperatures. Tempered glass is often used for enclosed showers, device screens, windows, microwave plates, and other appliances.
Fire glass is engineered to withstand high temperatures, so you can depend on fire glass to be durable and safe. It is also long-lasting and durable. Unless you decide to change the color, you may never need to replace your fire glass. It is also low maintenance and unlikely to require cleaning unless something falls in your fire pit or fire bowl.
What is the difference between fire glass and regular glass?
Fire glass is made from tempered glass that has been treated to handle high temperatures. Regular glass is not safe to use around a flame or heat source. It will break and potentially shatter into sharp pieces that can cause injury.
On the other hand, fire glass is specifically designed to handle high temperatures and fire without so much as cracking. Unlike broken shards of regular glass, fire glass granules have been shaped with safety in mind, so they can be handled without the risk of being cut on sharp edges.
They’re not completely indestructible–you could still break them with a hammer if you tried! But there is nothing a flame can throw at a fire glass crystal that it hasn’t seen before.
What do you put under fire glass?
You don’t have to fill the entire bowl or pit with fire glass. If you’d rather save by using the fire glass as a top layer, you’ll want to be mindful about what kind of material you fill the rest of the gap with. You can put a bed of sand, decomposed granite, or a kiln-dried glass filler.
You don’t ever want to put lava rocks, stones, or any kind of porous material underneath the fire stones. Porous stones are more likely to crack and break in the heat when placed underneath the glass.
How do you make fire glass?
Our fire glass comes from Finishing Touch, the number one maker of fire glass in the world. It is tempered glass and will not melt, discolor, degrade, or produce toxic fumes, and is guaranteed life.
Finishing Touch Fire Glass is bright, brilliant, and clean. It is NEVER tumbled. The tumbling of the glass scratches the glass and leaves the glass dull. This fire glass can be purchased in a Classic or Metallic Finish and is sold by the pound.
You can use the dimensions in our fire bowls’ descriptions to determine how many pounds you’ll need.
If using propane, use darker colors since propane can soot lighter colors of glass. Each order is packaged and shipped from Finishing Touch.
If you need help deciding how much fire glass to order, contact us for help to make the right choice.
Can you use any glass in a fire pit?
No. Not all glass is safe to use in a fire pit.
Regular glass can crack and burst when overheated and can even send shrapnel flying around when it does. It also creates terrible noises when it snaps and pops, and it can emit noxious fumes. If too many fumes are inhaled from melting or burning glass, a person can suffer from Metal Fume Fever. The symptoms are mostly flu-like with shortness of breath, metallic tastes in the mouth, and gastric pain. An extended exposure can have lasting consequences on one’s health.
Fire glass is made from tempered glass. It is specifically engineered to withstand high temperatures without melting, cracking, or breaking. It is completely safe to use in fire pits and will never emit harmful fumes.
Using any kind of glass that wasn’t intentionally made to last against flames is a recipe for injury, illness, and disaster, to say nothing of the risk of getting cut on regular glass shards.
What is the best fire glass for fire pits?
Every application is different. The best fire glass for your needs may not be the best for someone else’s.
You should consider which characteristics are most important to you and how each option meets (or fails to meet) those criteria. You may have a specific color scheme on your patio that you want to keep with or a particular cut or shape to match your theme. Weighing all of the pros and cons will help determine your perfect choice!
What does fire pit glass do?
When fire glass is added to a fireplace, fire pit, or fire bowl it adds a modern elegance to the centerpiece of your gathering space.
Fire glass radiates four times as much heat as wood, so it will also keep you and your guests warmer.
They can be found in an assortment of colors, shapes, and styles to accommodate any home.
Lava rocks and stones can also be used for more rustic looks.
Most importantly, fire glass is a safe and dependable filler for your fire bowl or fire pit. The tempered glass will never crack or shatter, and it will never put off dangerous fumes. It lasts a lifetime, so you won’t have to worry about replacing it either.
Are there different types of fire glass?
Yes! There are fire glass crystals, diamonds, pebbles, beads, ice cubes, mixed and recycled fire glass.
They can come in various colors to meet any yard, pool, deck, or patio’s theme.
There is also reflective and non-reflective fire glass. Reflective fire glass is polished on one side to have a mirror ball effect. The light from the fire will scatter through the reflections and result in sparkling, dancing colors. Non-reflective fire glass will have a softer effect. The light will still shimmer off the pieces but in a gentler way.
Are there different sizes of fire glass?
Yes! Fire glass can be found in many shapes and sizes. We offer 1/4 inch tempered fire glass for fire bowls (click here to see).
You can blend these two sizes for a more assorted, glittery look. It’s important to keep in mind that the bigger size will weigh a bit more when deciding how many pounds to buy.
What are the most popular fire glass colors?
Black, clear, copper, blue, and white are the most popular colors. Black and clear crystals offer a muted, subtle sleekness to your fire bowl, while white and blue go great with most pools. Copper gives your fire a rustic, homey feel. Darker colors like black, copper and chestnut bronze are more popular with propane fires because the propane can lightly soot the stones, and the light wear will not stand out in darker colors.
Fire glass is low maintenance. It doesn’t require any cleaning unless dirt or debris falls into your fire pit, in which case a gentle hosing would remedy the problem in seconds. Fire glass is safe, dependable, durable, and will last a lifetime. It even quadruples the heat your fire puts out. And best of all, it achieves all this while also providing that gorgeous finishing touch to your gathering space.
Why do some of the colors have metallic versions?
The mirror finish on one side will make your glass sparkle even if it’s not in use because of how much light reflects off them, making anything else around seem dull by comparison! We recommend using these for outdoor fire pits.
Fore more information about fire glass, fire bowls, or water features for swimming pools, contact us at (951) 817-4082 or use our contact form here.
