The Test
We relied on it for heat, protection from predators, and help in making tools and weapons. You might call our fascination with fire primal. Today, however, we all can't just pile up wood in the yard, light it, and get in touch with the primitive comfort of fire. Many towns have ordinances about open fires. Aside from that, neighbors may view the smoke from one as a nuisance. And the romance of a cozy fire can go right out the window when a small breeze blows a faceful of eye-watering smoke your way.
Enter the modern smokeless fire pit. These appliances directly address some of the biggest issues with a backyard fire. Aside from having metal bodies to safely contain the fire, they employ a method of secondary combustion to burn hotter and more completely, and drastically reduce the amount of smoke created. We tested some popular models to see how they performed and how well they live up to the promise of "smokeless fire."
A BRIEF HISTORY OF SMOKELESS FIRE
While smokeless fire pits for your backyard are a relatively recent development, smokeless fires have been burning for years-centuries, even.
1600s
Dakota fire hole / As far back as the 1600s, Indigenous Peoples of the Americas employed the Dakota fire hole to create fires that would burn in windy conditions and not spread or endanger their environment. It consists of two holes in the ground connected by a tunnel. Building a fire in one hole causes the rising heat to draw cool air through the tunnel. This constant flow of oxygen creates a hot fire that burns close to 100 percent of the fuel (which was wood).
1780s
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der July - August 2022-Ausgabe von Popular Mechanics US.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der July - August 2022-Ausgabe von Popular Mechanics US.
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HOW TO DIY OFF-GRID SOLAR
SPEND THE TIME UP FRONT AND PLAN IT CAREFULLY TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT
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Fresh Fingerprints on an Ancient Statue
A CLAY FIGURINE HAS SPENT MILLENNIA incomplete, waiting at the bottom of a lake for its long-dead craftsman to finish the Iron Age-era statuette.
Quantum Entanglement in Our Brains
IT HAS LONG BEEN ARGUED THAT THE human brain is similar to a computer. But in reality, that's selling the brain pretty short.
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The Electroweak Force of the Early Universe
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This Ancient Fossil With a Brain and Guts
WE KNOW WHAT FOSSILS LOOK like. For example, typical dinosaur fossils are bones turned to stone and preserved from the passage of time, located, if we're particularly lucky, in large collections that can be reassembled to represent the beast they used to prop up in their entirety.
