Fire Features
Bobé, The Outdoor Plus, Grand Effects, HPC, Warming Trends. Which fire stays lit.
A fire feature is a permitted gas appliance — not a yard ornament. The difference between a 30-year burner and a three-year liability is the brand, the ignition system, and whether the installer ran the gas line to code. Here's what we actually spec, what we tear out, and why we won't install a few of the kits homeowners arrive with.
Bobé Water & Fire
We install- Best at
- Cast aluminum and copper bowls, scuppers, and column flames. The cleanest aesthetic for pool-adjacent fire features. Pairs with HPC or AWEIS ignition systems for code-compliant installs.
- Weak at
- Bowls are a component, not a kit — you need a competent installer to size and run the gas, build the surround, and integrate ignition. Don't try to DIY this.
- Warranty
- Lifetime structural on copper and cast aluminum bowls under standard residential use. Burner pan and ignition warranties depend on the ignition partner spec'd in.
- AE notes
- Default spec for pool-side fire bowls in our builds. Made in the U.S.
The Outdoor Plus (TOP)
We install- Best at
- Huge catalog of fire tables, bowls, and pit liners in copper, stainless, GFRC, and Hammered Copper. Best in-stock availability for fire tables in 2026.
- Weak at
- Quality is genuinely premium on the bowls and stainless burners; the GFRC tables can chip on the corners if mishandled during install. The cheaper electronic ignition is fine but match-lit lasts longer.
- Warranty
- Lifetime on stainless burners and copper bowls, three years on GFRC, one year on electronic ignition components. Registration required.
- AE notes
- Default spec when a client wants a finished fire table delivered to site instead of a custom-built CMU pit.
Grand Effects
We install- Best at
- True custom — they'll fabricate burners, lids, and liners to your exact dimensions, with AWEIS-grade ignition built in. Best fit-and-finish on integrated pool/fire combos.
- Weak at
- Lead time. Pricing is at the top of the market because everything is built to spec.
- Warranty
- Lifetime on stainless burner pans, two years on ignition. Honored cleanly.
- AE notes
- We spec Grand Effects on premium custom pool builds where the fire bowls and the pool finish were designed together.
HPC (Hearth Products Controls)
We install- Best at
- The burner-and-ignition brand the rest of the industry is built on. Penta and H-burner stainless pans, MLFPK match-lit kits, EI electronic ignition with safety shutoff, AWEIS with full code-compliant flame proving.
- Weak at
- HPC is a burner system, not a finished bowl. You're building the surround.
- Warranty
- Lifetime on stainless burner pans, one year on electronic ignition modules.
- AE notes
- The ignition we spec inside Bobé bowls and custom CMU pits. If your fire feature has an HPC AWEIS panel and a code-compliant gas line, it's built right.
Warming Trends
We install- Best at
- The CROSSFIRE™ brass burner — taller, brighter flame on less gas than a comparable stainless ring. Best aesthetic on glass-media fire tables and pits.
- Weak at
- Brass burner needs the right air mix and the right media — a sloppy install will produce soot. Match the burner BTU to the gas line capacity or the flame will starve.
- Warranty
- Lifetime on the brass burner, limited on ignition components.
- AE notes
- We spec Warming Trends when the client wants the tallest, most photogenic flame for the BTU input — especially on visible patio centerpieces.
Big-box and import 'fire pit kits'
We don't install- Best at
- Cheap up-front cost and immediate availability.
- Weak at
- Most are sold as decorative — they ship with a residential-grade burner pan, no ANSI Z21.97 listing, and no flame-proving ignition. They're not legal to hard-pipe to natural gas in most AZ jurisdictions without an engineer's letter. We see soot, yellow flames, and ignition failures within 18 months.
- Warranty
- One year on the pan, often voided by 'commercial' or 'permanent' installation.
- AE notes
- We won't install these on a permitted gas line. We'll happily replace the burner system with a Warming Trends or HPC kit and the same surround.
Spec Compare
Head-to-head, by the numbers.
| Capability | Bobé | TOP | Grand Effects | HPC | Warming Trends | Big-box kit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANSI Z21.97 listed components | ||||||
| Stainless or brass burner pan | ||||||
| Flame-proving ignition available (AWEIS / EI) | ||||||
| Made in the U.S. | ||||||
| Permit-friendly with AZ inspectors | ||||||
| Finished bowl / table (vs burner-only) | Bowls only | Tables + bowls | Custom | Burners only | Burners only | Kit |
| Typical installed cost | $2.8k–$6k ea | $3.5k–$9k | $6k–$20k+ | n/a (burner) | n/a (burner) | $600–$1.5k |
The Honest Pros & Cons
The Outdoor Plus
Pros
- Massive catalog, easy to spec in a design package
- Best-in-class finish on copper bowls
- Real flame-proving ignition options
Cons
- GFRC corners can chip in transit
- Electronic ignition modules are the weakest part
- Volume sometimes pushes lead times
Warming Trends CROSSFIRE
Pros
- Brightest, tallest flame for the BTU input
- Brass burner is essentially permanent
- Glass-media aesthetic is unmatched
Cons
- Sensitive to gas-line sizing — undersized lines starve the flame
- Sloppy installers produce soot on the wrong media
- Premium pricing on the kit
The Bottom Line
For a forever install we spec Bobé bowls or TOP tables with HPC AWEIS ignition, or a custom CMU pit with a Warming Trends CROSSFIRE burner. Everything is hard-piped, leak-tested, and permitted. We won't tie a permitted gas line to an unlisted box-store kit — and neither should anyone else in your zip code.
Brand is only half the equation
The best brand spec installed by an unlicensed crew is still a bad job.
In Arizona, any work over $1,000 in combined labor + materials requires a licensed contractor — that's lifetime per residence, not per visit. If a worker is hurt on your property and isn't covered by workers' comp, you can be personally responsible for the medical bills. Verify any contractor — including ours — before you sign.
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