Fire Bowls

What is a fire bowl?

A fire bowl is a raised bowl with the flame in the center. It brings a live flame to a pool deck, patio or garden wall at a scale that works where a full fire pit would not, and it has no tabletop around the fire the way a fire pit table does.

Fire and water bowls add a water spill to the flame. Three American Fyre Designs Marseille bowls with a water spout are on this page; The Outdoor Plus fire and water bowls are in Fire & Water Bowls.

Fire bowls by brand

Materials

• GFRC concrete: glass fiber reinforced concrete, cast by hand. It has the weight and texture of concrete but is lighter and more crack resistant than solid poured concrete, and color and texture vary a little from bowl to bowl. Every brand on this page makes it. The Outdoor Plus offers 18 colors, including metallic and rustic finishes.
• Powder coat: a steel body with a baked-on finish that resists chipping, fading and moisture better than paint, in 23 colors on The Outdoor Plus bowls.
• Hammered copper: hand-hammered, so no two bowls have the same texture. Left to the weather it develops a natural patina over time. The Outdoor Plus makes the Avalon, Cazo, Maya, Linear Maya, Remi and Sedona in copper.
• Stainless steel: the Avalon in marine-grade stainless, which stands up to pool chemicals and weather with very little upkeep.
• Wood grain: cast GFRC with a wood texture, in Ebony, Ivory or Oak, on the Maya, Cazo and 27" Sedona.
• Reclaimed wood: the American Fyre Designs 36" Bordeaux with a French Barrel Oak or Silver Pine top over a Black Lava GFRC base.

Size, height and weight

• Low profile: the American Fyre Designs Marseille bowls stand 6 1/2" high at 24" across and 10 1/2" at 48", with a wide opening that takes more, and more varied, fire media.
• Standard height: the round American Fyre Designs bowls are 16" high at 32" and 36" and 22" at 48"; the Bordeaux squares are 12 1/4" to 15 1/4". The Grand Canyon bowls stand 19" and 24" high on their feet.
• Chat height: the American Fyre Designs Chat bowls are 15" high at 32", 16 1/2" at 36" and 23" at 48". The flush GFRC cover closes the burner into a solid top, so the bowl doubles as a low table when the fire is off.
• Long and narrow: the Linear Maya from The Outdoor Plus is 20" deep (30" is also offered in hammered copper), and the American Fyre Designs Bordeaux Rectangle is 50" x 30".

American Fyre Designs bowls weigh from 45 lbs (24" Marseille) to 400 lbs (48" Chat), and the Blaze 38" is 277 lbs, so plan how the bowl will reach its spot and what it will sit on.

Ignition

• Match lit (The Outdoor Plus, and Grand Canyon as shipped): open the key valve and light the burner by hand, with no electrical connection.
• Low voltage electronic (The Outdoor Plus): push-button or switch-controlled ignition, and the usual choice for pool automation systems.
• Flame-sensing valve (American Fyre Designs): a battery spark igniter, and if the thermocouple does not sense a flame, the gas shuts off. The optional FyreStarter Bluetooth control adds on/off and high/low from your phone or at the bowl, plus USB-A and USB-C charging ports, and needs a 120V outlet near the bowl. It isn't offered on the 24" and 32" Marseille, the 30" Bordeaux Petite or the water spout bowls.
• Weather Beater Electronic Control System (Grand Canyon): hot-surface electronic ignition that needs 120V power at the bowl.
• Cove manual or electronic (The Outdoor GreatRoom Company): manual models have a thermocouple safety valve and push-button sparker; electronic models have a low-voltage three-position switch.
• Push button on the Blaze 38" and the Modeno York.

Natural gas or propane

Every bowl here runs on either fuel, so the choice comes down to what you have at the spot.

• The Outdoor Plus: most bowls are listed twice, once for natural gas and once for liquid propane; on the copper and stainless listings you pick the fuel when you order.
• American Fyre Designs: made to order for either fuel. Only the 48" Chat has a drawer for a horizontal propane tank (tank not included). For most of the others, American Fyre Designs puts the tank in a Contempo tank/end table (8510) beside the bowl, connected with a 10 ft LP extension hose (5110-26).
• Grand Canyon: the bowl ships with the orifice for the fuel you choose and a key valve and flex line kit.
• The Outdoor GreatRoom Company: manual Cove models ship for propane with a natural gas conversion kit; electronic models are ordered for one fuel or the other.

Have a licensed professional make the gas connection, following the installation manual and local codes.

Fire media

• American Fyre Designs: lava granules come with every bowl. For glass instead, American Fyre Designs calls for about 10 lbs (24" Marseille) up to about 110 lbs (48" Marseille) of Fyre Glass, Reflective Fyre Glass, Fyre Gems or Diamond Nuggets.
• Grand Canyon: media is required and sold separately: 50 lbs of lava rock or 90 lbs of 1/2" reflective fire glass for the 39" bowl, 70 lbs of lava rock or a 140 lb pack of glass for the 48", topped up with 10 lb containers if the burner isn't covered. Either burner can also take an optional 16-piece fire pit log set, and the tee-pee burner's raised arms lean the logs together in a campfire stack.
• Modeno York: lava rock comes with it. Let wet lava rock dry completely before you light the bowl.

Placement and covers

Every fire bowl here is for outdoor use only. Grand Canyon sets 16" to combustible side walls and 68" overhead, on a solid, level surface and never on grass, dirt or other soft ground, which blocks ventilation. The Outdoor GreatRoom Cove needs 72" above the burner to anything combustible overhead and 24" from the burner trim to combustible side walls. For The Outdoor Plus and American Fyre Designs, check the clearances in the installation manual linked on each product page before you choose a spot.

Keep the bowl covered when it is not in use. American Fyre Designs and The Outdoor GreatRoom Company list fitted covers on their product pages, and more are in Fire Pit Covers.

Fire Bowl FAQs

What's the difference between a fire bowl and a fire pit?

A fire pit is a low, open fire feature, usually with a wide ledge around the burner. A fire bowl is a raised bowl with the flame in the center, sized to sit on a pool deck, patio or garden wall.

Can a fire bowl go by a pool?

Yes. The Outdoor Plus builds its bowls for pool decks, its stainless steel stands up to pool chemicals, and its low voltage electronic ignition is the usual choice for pool automation systems. Keep the clearances in the installation manual for your model.

Can I use a fire bowl under a covered patio?

These are outdoor appliances, and Grand Canyon says never indoors or in any enclosed structure. Grand Canyon and The Outdoor GreatRoom Company also set a minimum distance to anything combustible overhead: 68" for Grand Canyon and 72" above the burner for the Cove. Check the manual for your model before you set one under a roof.

Can I burn wood in a gas fire bowl?

No. Every bowl here is a gas appliance, and the American Fyre Designs warranty excludes damage from burning wood or any fuel other than natural gas or propane.

Does a fire bowl come with fire glass or lava rock?

American Fyre Designs bowls come with lava granules and the Modeno York with lava rock. Grand Canyon bowls need lava rock or fire glass ordered separately. The What to Order With It section on each American Fyre Designs and Grand Canyon page lists the media and amounts.

Can I turn a fire bowl on from my phone?

Yes, on most American Fyre Designs bowls with the optional FyreStarter Bluetooth control, which also sets high or low. It needs a 120V outlet near the bowl.

How long does a made-to-order fire bowl take?

The Outdoor Plus builds each bowl to order in the USA; allow 4 to 6 weeks of production before it ships. Grand Canyon's made-to-order Rust and Bone colors have a 4 to 6 week lead time.

Which fire bowls have a water feature?

On this page, the American Fyre Designs 32", 40" and 48" Marseille bowls with a water spout; the plumbing is supplied locally. The Outdoor Plus fire and water bowls are in Fire & Water Bowls.

Still deciding?

Compare open fire features in Fire Pits, or a fire with a tabletop around it in Fire Pit Tables. If you'd like help choosing, contact us with where the bowl will sit, the fuel you have there and whether it's by a pool, and we'll suggest a model.