We’ve all experienced the game of “musical chairs” around a fire where the smoke seems to follow you wherever you move. Among the many unique features found in Solo Stove products, the ability to produce a “secondary burn” that nearly eliminates smoke truly sets our fire pits and camping stoves apart.

The secondary burn takes place near the top of the Solo Stove’s burn chamber, where the interior vent holes blast the fire with preheated oxygen, further fueling the flames, creating a hotter and more beautiful fire while burning off smoke.

This will happen to an extent in all Solo Stove products, no matter the size of your fire. Even though this technology is sophisticated (and patented), you don’t need to worry about doing anything more than following a few simple steps to help you create that perfect low-smoke flame every time you use your Solo Stove fire pit or camping stove.

First things first…

How does Solo Stove’s patented, secondary burn technology work?

1. As soon as a fire is lit, rising hot air and the absence of oxygen created by the combustion process creates a vacuum at the bottom of the Solo Stove’s burn chamber. This vacuum draws oxygen in through the Solo Stove’s bottom exterior vent holes, immediately fueling the fire at its base.
2. At the same time, the Solo Stove’s double-wall construction allows additional oxygen to travel from the exterior vent holes up to the top of the burn chamber, while the flames within the burn chamber heat the air as it rises. This preheated air is then injected into the top of the fire through the interior vent holes, providing an extra boost of already-hot oxygen to further fuel the flame, resulting in secondary combustion, a more picturesque flame, and a hotter fire that burns off the smoke.

As mentioned above, this happens to an extent regardless of the size of the fire in your Solo Stove. But if you want your fire action to resemble the picturesque, Instagram-worthy flames you see online, you should follow these tips…

Tips for producing a secondary burn in your Solo Stove:

1. Keep enough fuel on your fire that the burning wood lies slightly below the interior vent holes, just below the flame ring. This allows the preheated oxygen to blast directly into the flames at its hottest temperature, injecting warm air and further heating the fire to burn off smoke before it leaves the burn chamber.
2. Be sure to turn your flame ring upward in order to create a vacuum that prevents smoke from escaping the burn chamber. If your flame ring is upside-down, not only are the interior vent holes partially blocked—preventing the injection of hot air—but smoke is able to escape from the burn chamber more easily before the fire has a chance to burn it off. (If you’re unsure which way is the “right way up” for your flame ring, reference the above pictures; the flame ring should rise above the top of your Solo Stove, as opposed to sitting below the rim and obstructing the interior vent holes.)

By following these simple tips, you’ll be sure that your Solo Stove fire pit and stoves burn hot, smoke-free, and beautiful.

Now, get out there tonight and give it a try. You won’t be disappointed!