Top Fires by The Outdoor Plus

Top Fires Gas Fire Features, Built in the USA by The Outdoor Plus

Top Fires is what The Outdoor Plus calls its fire feature line, and the two names refer to the same California company and the same factory. The products are built to order rather than stocked, which is why the range is unusually deep: the same bowl shape is offered across a run of sizes, a long list of concrete finishes, both fuels, and three ignition systems.

GFRC Concrete, Copper, Stainless and Corten Steel

Most of the range is glass fiber reinforced concrete. The glass fiber lets the wall be cast thinner and lighter than poured concrete while staying non-combustible, and the color is dyed through the mix rather than sprayed on after molding, so a scuffed corner does not show a different color underneath. Finishes run from solid tones through metallic and rustic effects, and the Black and White Collection pulls out the monochrome finishes if that is the direction you are going.

The metal side is where the look changes completely. Hammered copper and stainless steel bowls read as jewelry for a pool deck. Corten steel is the one that needs explaining before you buy it, because it is meant to rust. The Outdoor Plus documents the whole arc: it starts bright yellow-orange and darkens toward mocha over years, it carries a layer of rust residue that they advise you not to touch or sit on, and it may stain the ground underneath, which power-washes off. If you want the color without the residue, they say a clear protective coat stops the process. Put an uncoated one on gravel or dark stone rather than pale travertine.

Match Lit, Electronic and Flame Sense Ignition

Ignition is the first decision, not the last, because Top Fires sells most models as a separate listing per ignition rather than as a menu on one page. Match lit is the simplest and cheapest to install, with no power run to the fire pit and nothing electronic to fail. Electronic ignition lights from a switch or remote and needs power at the unit. Flame sense adds a sensor that cuts the gas if the flame goes out, which is the version that usually satisfies a permit inspection on a permanent install. Decide that first, then size and finish.

Fire and Water Bowls Need a Water Source

The Avalon fire and water bowls and the rest of the fire and water range are spill features, not fountains. They ship with a copper scupper and a 3/4 inch male fitting, and the manual tells the installer to run a water line to it. The water is expected to come from a pool, spa or water feature that already circulates. Only one model in the line, the Olympian 60-inch 4-way bowl, includes its own basin and a 24 hour circulation pump. If you do not already have water on the deck, price the pump, basin and plumbing before you commit to the bowl. Compare the full fire and water bowls range across brands if you want the self-contained option.

Torches, Burners and the Rest of the Line

The stainless steel gas torches are the simplest way to get flame at height. They are all the same stainless head size and the same output, sold as a long list of cut patterns with a choice of base, so the decision is aesthetic rather than technical. The bullet burners are the component most installers come here for: brass or stainless, patented, hand-drilled, and sized by the inch for a surround you are building yourself. Fire towers put the flame at eye level in a freestanding column. The line also includes the Williams outdoor gas fireplace and the Mojave fire pit grill, the one wood and charcoal unit in the range, with a one inch cured cast-iron griddle and a center grate for searing.

Fire Glass and Lava Rock: Read This Before You Fill the Pan

Media is not decoration on these units. The manufacturer's manual states plainly that using anything other than approved media can cause it to pop or explode from the heat, and it lists what is acceptable: fire-rated lava rock or other igneous rock, fire glass approved for use in fire features, and man-made stone rated for fire features. That rules out landscape pebbles, river rock and, importantly, the acrylic decorative media sold for electric fireplaces, which is plastic. Our fire glass range includes both burner-rated glass and electric-only decorative media, so check the individual listing says it is rated for a gas burner. Most Top Fires units include a bag of lava rock and list a suggested fire glass weight on the product page.

Clearances, Installation and Lead Time

The Outdoor Plus publishes one clearance diagram covering every fire pit and fire feature it makes: 96 inches minimum overhead from the top of the unit, 48 inches minimum all around, and 18 inches minimum from the burner to the floor. The flooring has to be non-combustible, and on a wood deck that means non-combustible floor paneling installed underneath. The manufacturer asks that the gas work be done by an installer licensed by your local authority, and that the unit be serviced annually by an NFI certified gas specialist. Everything is outdoor use only. Because these are made to order, expect a 4 to 6 week manufacturing lead time and confirm it with us before you book trades around a delivery date.

Explore Related Collections

Narrow down within the brand with Top Fires gas fire pits, or widen out to fire pit tables, Made in USA fire pits and the full gas fire pits range.