Owner's guide
Two minutes
before your
first light.
Everything on this page comes from what owners tell us afterwards. Read it once and the first evening goes the way it is supposed to. If your flame is small and there is no heat, skip to the thirty-second fix — that is almost always what it is.
The one thing worth knowing before you light it
Outdoor use only · Warming and ambience fire · Never cook over the flame · Never use water to put it out
Before you light it
Where is it
going to stand?
One decision to make before the match, and it is easier to make now than in the dark.
On a wooden deck, a table or grass it needs a heat-safe surface underneath — the Protection Base if you have one, or a stone paver or tile if you do not. Straight onto boards or a lawn will leave a mark. Concrete, stone and patio slabs are fine as they are.
Outdoors only, in the open air, with nothing overhanging.
Stable and level, out of the way of where people walk.
Keep refills dry. A refill that has got wet can spit flame and must not be lit.
Treat it like a real fire around children and pets.
First light
Five things,
in order.
The whole sequence, start to finish. Nothing here needs kindling, firelighters or blowing.
Stand it somewhere heat-safe
Protection Base, paver or tile on decking, grass or a table. Stone and concrete are fine as they are. Outdoors only, nothing overhanging.
Drop the refill in and light the wick
A normal lighter on the visible centre wick. A long-nose or electric lighter is easier than a match. If the refill arrived in pieces, put them back in the drum like a puzzle — it burns exactly the same.
Be patient
You get decent heat in seconds, but a full flame takes five to thirty minutes depending on cold and wind. This is the step people give up on too early.
To put it out, slide the lid on
From the side, and that is it. Never water — it will crack the ceramic and can spit hot wax. Leave it an hour to cool before you move it.
Light the same refill again next time
The wax re-solidifies once it cools. Relight and extinguish as many times as you like. Most people get four or five evenings from one refill.
Because it goes out in one move, one refill is not one night. It is four or five evenings.
The one-in-a-hundred fix
Flame stays small?
No heat coming off?
This is the most common thing that goes wrong, and the fix takes thirty seconds with something already in your kitchen.
That is a flooded wick — about one refill in a hundred. It is not a fault in the pit and it is not a dud.
Ball up a piece of paper towel roughly the size of a golf ball. Tuck it between the drum and the wick while it is lit. It draws the excess wax out and the flame comes right up, usually within a minute.
Thirty seconds. Worth watching before you conclude anything is broken.
The half nobody shows you
Out in
one move.
The flame stops, the wax re-solidifies, and the same refill lights again next time. Nothing to wait out and nothing to sweep.
Use only the metal lid supplied, and slide it on from the side so the flame cannot spread.
Never water, or any other liquid. It cracks the ceramic and can spit hot wax.
Allow a full hour to cool before you move or handle it.
Wait for the wax to solidify before you relight.
Looks wrong, is not
Three things
that surprise people.
All three of these get reported to us as damage. None of them is.
Refills sometimes crack in transit. The wax is a solid block and it travels a long way. If yours arrives in pieces, put them back in the drum like a puzzle. It burns exactly the same.
Hairline cracks in the ceramic after the first few burns are normal. It is thermal cycling, the same as a pizza oven or a chimenea. Surface only, and it does not spread.
A light soot trace, mostly on the lid. There is no wood smoke, because there is no wood — that is the part that gets in your hair and clothes. Burning wax does leave a little soot over time. It wipes off once the pit is completely cool.
And one thing that is not normal: if anything arrives genuinely damaged — a cracked lid, a broken drum, a chipped rim — tell us the day it lands and we will replace it. Two business days, no photographs required.
The rest of it
Questions owners
ask us most.
How long does a refill last? Can I relight it?
Up to 8 hours of burn time. You can relight and extinguish it as many times as you like — just wait for the wax to cool and solidify before relighting. That is why one refill is usually four or five evenings rather than one night.
Can I roast marshmallows or cook over the flame?
No. Because of the strength of the flame we do not recommend cooking over it. It is a warming and ambience fire, not a cooking surface.
Can I use it indoors?
No. Burning indoors or in an enclosed space is not safe because of fire risk and combustion fumes. Outdoors, in a well-ventilated area, only.
What if my refill gets wet?
Do not use it. A refill that has been exposed to water or any other liquid must not be lit — wet wax can spit flame. Keep refills dry and out of the weather.
Is it all right around pets and children?
Treat it exactly as you would a real fire. Supervise children and pets, stand it somewhere stable and heat-safe out of the way, and let it cool fully before anyone touches it.
Can I burn the refills without the drum, or in another fire pit?
We do not recommend it — they can tip over. Inside our burner they sit secure. Our refills are made to be used with our own fire pits.
Do I need something underneath it?
On decking, wood or grass, yes — a heat-resistant tile or the El Fuego Base. Concrete, stone and patio slabs are fine as they are. Only move it once it is fully cool and the wax has solidified.
How do I register my warranty?
Fill in the form on the Warranty Registration page. Complete every field and accept the terms, and your one-year warranty is active.
Before the cupboard is empty
Running out is
what ends the habit.
It is never a decision. The last refill burns down, you mean to order more, the weather turns, and by the time you think about it again it is May. Take more than one and the fuel gets cheaper — the pit never gets discounted, the fuel does.
Free UK delivery on orders over £100
Still stuck? Email customercare@ecofuego.com and a person will read it. Outdoor use only. Warming and ambience fire — do not cook over the flame. Never extinguish with water.
