Chimeneas - a real fire with all the atmosphere!
A 17th Century Mexican design, the chimenea is an outdoor clay wood burning stove, that will bring warmth and ambience to your garden or patio. Originally used as a bread oven, the chimenea can also be used for outdoor cooking. Today Chimeneas are also available in cast iron and copper.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION...

GENERAL: Site your chimenea away from combustible materials such as fences, hedges etc. Never leave a burning chimenea unattended.

WARNING - THE SURFACE OF A CHIMENEA WILL GET VERY HOT AND COULD CAUSE SERIOUS BURNS (TERRACOTTA WILL NOT GET AS HOT AS METAL ONES). KEEP CHILDREN AND PETS AWAY FROM LIT CHIMENEAS.

TERRACOTTA CHIMENEAS: Before using your terracotta chimenea it must first be cured; place the chimenea on stable ground safely away from combustible materials - remember the whole chimenea will heat up. Fill the base of the chimenea with sand to within 5cm of the bottom of the opening.
Start a small fire in the chiminea with kindling and a couple of small logs. Allow the fire to go out and let the chiminea cool completely.
After curing with 4 small fires as described above, the chimenea will be ready for normal use.
Terracotta is fragile and it will crack or shatter if dropped, banged or if lifted by holding the chimenea by the "mouth" or fire hole. Keep a lid on your chimenea when not in use in order to keep rain water out.
Dry logs are the best fuel for a terracotta chimenea - do not use coal.

CAST IRON CHIMENEAS: You may leave your chimenea outdoors all year round in any weather, but remember it is made of cast iron and IT WILL RUST.
Rust can be minimised by applying a high temperature resistant paint.
Cast iron is also fragile and it will crack or shatter if dropped or banged, especially in cold weather. Keep a lid on your chimenea when not in use in order to keep rain water out. You can use any fuel in a cast iron chimenea - logs, charcoal, coal etc. and it does not require any special "curing" before use.