Steel Archives - Montana Fire Pits

Plates and Pans

*A burner plate or pan is required for use of any ignition system other than match lit.

The Purpose

The main purpose of the plate or pan is to hold in the media (lava rock, glass, etc). It also acts like the hood of a car, in that it can be lifted up and out in order to access the gas line or key valve underneath. The plate/pan makes installation easier as well.

What’s it made of?

Aluminum
Aluminum does not rust

Is a plate/pan ALWAYS necessary?

No, in some cases a plate/pan is not necessary
You may decide to fill up the space with some gravel or lava rock and set the burner on that instead of a plate or pan
Using a plate/pan is the most convenient for installation and maintenance

What Type of Plate or Pan do you need?

Plate (No Sidewalls)

Appropriate for most builds
Sidewalls are not necessary when the burner is in the common position- recessed 3-5 inches below the finished top
Use stacked cinder blocks, bricks, or pavers under the plate. This makes for a simple and sturdy plate mount

Pans (2″ or 3″ Sidewalls. 2″ is Standard.)

If the top of your fire table overlaps, or encroaches into your opening, and its thickness is less than 3 inches, you may want a pan instead of a plate (since the pan has to be smaller than the smallest part of the inside diameter)
The sidewalls help contain the fire media/lava rock

Drop-In Pans (2″ or 3″ Sidewalls + 1″-2″ Lip)

Sometimes necessary if you plan on building a portable fire feature and aren’t able to stack up blocks under the plate
Bar-height or uncommon builds might benefit from a drop-in pan
You will see a brushed aluminum metal band on the top of your fire feature when you use a drop in pan
Drop-in pans are available as a custom order – CLICK HERE
We recommend 3″ sidewalls with a 1.5″ lip in most cases

Attaching the Burner

Does the plate attach to the burner?

In most cases, yes
- When you order a package from us, most of the time it will come with a threaded piece welded on to the plate/pan
- The burner screws onto it
- It’s very simple to remove or attach the burner (righty-tighty, lefty-loosy… make sure to re-apply pipe dope/tape!)
It’s not required that the burner attaches to the plate/pan. You can set the burner directly on the plate/pan. This will reduce the height of the burner by 3/4″. This might be beneficial if you want to cover your fire feature with a flat cover

Installation Tips

There are many methods to mount a plate/pan inside your fire feature. We’re just going to tell you our favorite way to do things because… well, it has worked well so far! With that being said, these methods may not work in all situations, so put your problem-solving hat on and get creative.

*Complete & RTF Systems: you won’t need to worry about plate/pan mounting; they’re designed for simplicity

Mounting the Plate/Pan

Consider stacking up cinder blocks, bricks, or pavers inside the fire feature cavity
Place the plate/pan directly on the blocks
Adjust the block height by either adding some fill, or by digging underneath
Most commonly, plates/pans are mounted 4″-5″ below the finished top of the fire feature

Plate/Pan Depth

4-5″ below the finished top is recommended
Recessing it deeper may make the fire seem smaller, and you won’t see the media as well
Recessing it to be more shallow can give it a “proud” look; where all the parts stick up high and make a statement. Though you may have to ‘mound’ the fire media up higher in order to cover the jets. It’s not a bad look, but you won’t be able to use a flat metal cover if that’s your desire.
The depth at which the plate sits is really up to you. Keep in mind, the burner sits 3″ high from plate to the tip of the jet

My Plate is Too Big/Small

If your fire feature is already built and you can’t use a standard sized plate, you have a few options:

Cut your plate to size on-site

- Use a jig-saw with metal blade, or a grinder wheel with cutoff
- It’s 3/16″ aluminum and your cut doesn’t need to look pretty

Make your plate bigger

- Use concrete board to extend the size of the plate
- Watch THIS VIDEO to get an idea

Order a Custom Size

- Round & Square Custom Plates/Pans – CLICK HERE
- Rectangular Custom Plates/Pans – CLICK HERE
- Drop-in Pans – CLICK HERE

*TIP: Give yourself about 1/2″ of space around the plate so that it’s easy to insert into the fire feature opening