Are big-box store propane fire tables any good compared to showroom or dealer-quality fire pits?
In Waynesville, the answer leans harder toward a dealer-quality pit than it does down in the valleys — at nearly 2,650 feet you run 10 to 15 degrees colder and your heating season is about three weeks longer than Asheville's. A small big-box burner that feels pleasant in a mild climate just won't push warmth on a cold Hazelwood evening.
At this elevation, BTUs are the whole game
A budget fire table is built around a small, low-output burner — usually plain steel rather than stainless — because the shell is built to hit a price. On a genuinely cold Waynesville night, that flame looks nice and does little. A dealer pit with a heavier burner and real BTU output is what actually keeps a group warm when it counts, which is most of the season up here.
Mountain weather versus thin steel
Fuel around Waynesville is mixed — natural gas in parts of town, propane out toward the ridges — and either way we run a permanent, permitted line rather than leaving you a cylinder to swap. That's the licensed-gas side no patio store can do. Meanwhile the thin painted pan on a bargain table doesn't survive our freeze-thaw winters: coatings flake and the seams rust through faster at altitude than most people expect.
Worth the trip for a keeper
We're about 35 minutes west, and we pull the Haywood County permit and meet the inspector on the gas work. If the pit is a one-a-summer novelty, a big-box table is fine. If it's the reason you'll sit outside in October, buy the pit that's built for it. Displayed at our Asheville showroom, professionally installed, never sold online — call (828) 545-0525 or request a free assessment.
Fireplace help in Waynesville
We install and service fireplaces throughout Waynesville and the rest of Haywood County — just 35 minutes west from our Asheville-area showroom.
Related questions
- What fire pit materials hold up best outdoors — aluminum, steel, concrete, or stone?
- Should I get a built-in fire pit or a portable one?
- Do gas fire pits put out enough heat to actually keep you warm?
- Will my steel fire pit rust and how do I prevent it?
- Should my fire pit burner be stainless steel or brass?