Outdoor Fire Bowls and Fire-and-Water Bowls: Sizes, Materials and Plumbing

An outdoor fire bowl is a gas burner set in a round or square bowl, and the makers I checked publish them from 24 to 70 inches across, most rated at 45,000 to 65,000 Btu/h. A fire-and-water bowl adds a scupper that spills water over one edge. That puts a gas line, a water line and low-voltage wiring in one column, and it takes a licensed gas fitter, a plumber and an electrician. Near a pool, read the clearances and the electrical rules before you pick the spot.

This compares published specs and documents, not tested products, and it leaves out anything a maker does not print.

Outdoor Fire Bowl Sizes and BTU

Each row lists the maker's published values in the same order across the cells. Diameters and heights are in inches, input in Btu/h.

Sources: The Outdoor Plus Cazo, Maya and Sedona, Prism Moderno and Classic Series, American Fyre Designs catalog, Firegear Sanctuary 2 and Sanctuary 3, Real Flame Eldora. HPC offers round bowl inserts in 13 to 43 inches for people building their own.

Most bowls sit at 65,000 or less. The outliers are The Outdoor Plus's 48 inch Cazo at 160,000 on an 18 inch double ring, Prism's 70 inch Moderno at 125,000 and Firegear's Sanctuary 2, up to 145,000. Input matters because clearance steps up with it. The Outdoor Plus asks 36 inches to structures, combustibles and non-combustibles up to 65,000, and 48 inches from 66,000 to 200,000, with 96 inches overhead. So its 48 inch Cazo needs 48 inches and its 24 to 36 inch bowls need 36. Prism's Moderno, Embarcadero and fire-and-water guides each ask 4 feet to the sides and 6 feet overhead. The clearance checker lists more makers.

The fire glass calculator sizes the media for a pan, but check the maker's media rules first. The Outdoor Plus's quick reference guide says it does not recommend fire glass or sand in any propane fire or fire-and-water feature, because propane is heavier than air and the glass lets it pool in the enclosure and burn area.

Fuel varies by line. The Outdoor Plus, Prism and American Fyre Designs list concrete bowls on natural gas or propane. Real Flame sells its Eldora as separate propane and natural gas models, and its page says the propane one cannot be converted to another gas once purchased. The natural gas vs propane guide covers the choice.

What Are Outdoor Fire Bowls Made Of?

Glass-fiber reinforced concrete, GFRC, is the common material at The Outdoor Plus, Prism, American Fyre Designs, Firegear and Real Flame. The Outdoor Plus also offers Cazo, Maya and Sedona in powder-coated metal and hammered patina copper, and Prism's Copper Collection makes Moderno bowls from hammered copper. Prism lists its Moderno 3 at 78 pounds and its Moderno 70 at 650, so a pedestal or pillar has to carry real weight.

Covers come up in the manuals. The Outdoor Plus makes a cover a warranty requirement when a bowl isn't in use, and says to use a breathable cover on its Maya, not plastic. The materials guide covers weathering and warranties.

How Do Fire-and-Water Bowls Work?

A burner sits in a pan inside the bowl, and a scupper on the rim spills water over one edge. On a pillar mount, gas, water and wiring come up through the center. These are the published fire-and-water bowls.

Sources: The Outdoor Plus Cazo, Maya and Sedona, Prism Pool Collection, American Fyre Designs catalog.

American Fyre Designs offers three Marseille sizes with a spout and says the plumbing must be locally supplied. Prism's manual says the bowl must be level or the water will not spill evenly, and that wet media should never be lit.

What the makers say about the pump. Neither bowl manual I read names a pump. The Outdoor Plus's 2020 edition asks for a 3/4 inch supply line capable of 12 to 15 gallons per minute, and says reducing to 1/2 inch may cut performance. Its 2026 edition shows a 3/4 inch scupper fitting and a flow control valve and states no flow rate. Prism lists 15 GPM and a 3/4 inch NPT connection. Where the flow comes from, a pool's circulation or a dedicated pump, is a plumbing question for your pool builder or plumber. The Outdoor Plus's self-contained units include a pump, and the maker says to set it on a level surface below the water level, with shut-off valves on both sides, drainage and room to service it, and that a new installation needs a plumbing inspection.

Which Trades Does a Fire-and-Water Bowl Need?

Three, and the manuals name two.

• Gas. The Outdoor Plus suggests installers locally licensed in gas piping, with the pipe run underground to each bowl and reduced to 1/2 inch NPT at the bowl. Prism says a natural gas connection must be made by a licensed contractor or the gas utility, and gas connections secured by a licensed plumber or contractor. The installer sizes the line for the bowl's full rated input, per The Outdoor Plus. The gas line sizing calculator shows the load.
• Electrical. Prism's manual calls for 12 volt AC wire run underground from a control panel to each bowl, with the 120 volt source taken from any 120 volt supply, including an auxiliary relay from the pool controller. The Outdoor Plus's low-voltage manual says the transformer goes in per the National Electrical Code by a qualified electrician, subject to approval by the local inspection authority. Its self-contained manual says a licensed electrician must do the wiring.
• Water. The manuals give a fitting and a flow, and no trade. I'd hire a licensed plumber or your pool builder for it.

Mounting is part of the job. Prism anchors each bowl to the pilaster with 3/8 inch bolts, and says an off-center stub-out can mean cutting the bowl bottom. The Outdoor Plus says bowls must use its mounting bracket and not be caulked to the column, and to bundle utilities through a 3 inch hole.

Outdoor Fire Bowl Clearances at a Pool

Manuals set distances from structures and combustibles, not from the pool.

I found no fuel gas or fire code section that sets a distance between a gas fire bowl and a pool. The electrical code sets distances for the wiring. The 2017 National Electrical Code, Section 680.22(B)(7), allows listed low-voltage gas-fired fire pits, with low-voltage ignitors that need no grounding and a listed power supply that stays within the low-voltage contact limit, to sit less than 5 feet from a pool's inside walls, with bonding of metal parts and gas piping. Switching devices have their own distance in that edition, Section 680.22(C): 5 feet from the pool unless a permanent barrier separates them or the switch is listed for closer use. That text comes from a transcription posted by a New York electrical inspection agency, and your area adopts its own edition, so ask your electrical inspector.

The Outdoor Plus's quick guide splits its ignition by distance. Its low-voltage DC system is the one it lists for within 5 feet of water, and its plug-and-play version is for at least 5 feet away and, per the guide, may be connected on a relay for pool controllers. Prism's manual says never to use a fire feature in windy conditions or to light it when the media is wet. The Outdoor Plus says to let a bowl burn with wet lava rock before anyone comes within 15 feet, though its text prints 45 with no unit, and not to use a bowl if any part has been under water. Both say to keep media no more than 1 inch over the burner.

The fire code library covers the states we have, and the house distance guide covers walls and eaves.

Does Wind Affect an Outdoor Fire Bowl?

Makers say yes. The Outdoor Plus's troubleshooting tables say to install a wind guard or adjust the flame height to withstand local breezes, and its self-contained manual says to avoid high-wind sites. Prism says never to use its fire features in windy conditions. HPC says to place a fire feature to avoid crosswind, that tempered glass guards help stabilize the flame, that a tight corner can swirl air and that a slightly recessed burner can reduce flame lift. Firegear suggests a wind guard or overhead shelter.

The listing standard includes wind tests, which Intertek confirms. As Outdoor GreatRoom summarizes it, a burner must light and run safely at 10 mph and either shut down or run safely in a 31 mph gust. That is a safety test, and no maker gives a wind speed for a steady flame.

Are Outdoor Fire Bowls Legal?

That is a local question. The 2024 International Fuel Gas Code, Section 635.1, requires a permanently fixed-in-place outdoor decorative appliance to be listed to ANSI Z21.97 and installed per the maker's instructions, wording our Colorado page quotes. Each state adopts its own edition, and cities add permit rules. Intertek says certification to the standard is typically needed for gas decorative fire features designed for an outdoor setting. The Outdoor Plus prints its ANSI Z21.97-2017 and CSA 2.41-2017 line under the 12 volt electronic ignition heading on its bowl sheets, so ask for the label that matches the ignition you choose.

Before You Buy an Outdoor Fire Bowl

• Pick the size, then read the clearance tier for its input.
• Confirm the fuel and have a licensed gas fitter size the line for the full Btu/h.
• For a fire-and-water bowl, get the flow and fitting size in writing and hire a plumber or pool builder for the water line.
• Have an electrician place the ignition wiring and any switch, and ask your inspector which edition of the electrical code applies at the pool.
• Check the pillar's weight and the anchors, and keep the bowl level.
• Plan for wind with a guard, a shelter or a protected spot.
• Check local code and the installation manual for the exact unit.

We don't sell any of the brands named here yet. Every figure above comes from the maker's own document or from the codes cited, linked where it appears.