A linear fire pit burner is a straight T-shaped burner in a long, narrow pan, made for trough-style and long rectangular fire pits. Pick the pan length from your enclosure opening, the pan width from how much media border you want, then choose ignition and confirm your gas line can feed the rating. In the HPC Fire linear kits we carry, pans run from 24 to 121 inches long; trough pans are about 5 inches wide and Interlink pans 8 inches.
This guide covers the choices specific to long pits. For BTU charts across every burner shape, see our fire pit burner size guide, and for gas vs wood and budgets, the fire pit buying guide.
Linear fire pit burner options at a glance
Each HPC family below comes in natural gas or propane. Prices are the smallest natural gas size at the time of writing.
| HPC series | Pan lengths | Pan width | Ignition | Listed from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linear Trough Torpedo kit | 24, 36, 48, 72, 96 in | Not stated | Burner and pan only | About $341 |
| Linear Interlink Torpedo kit | 25 to 121 in (7 sizes) | 8 in | Burner and pan only | About $410 |
| Interlink match lit kit | 25, 37, 49 in | 8 in | Key valve and lighter | About $634 |
| Trough push button kit | 24 to 72 in | Not stated | Battery spark | About $1,771 |
| Trough drop-in On/Off electronic | 24 to 96 in | 5.4 in | Hot surface | About $4,014 |
| Trough drop-in Hi/Lo electronic | 24 to 96 in | 5.4 in | Hot surface, remote, app | About $4,710 |
| Trough 120VAC insert | 48, 60, 72 in | 5.3 in inside | Hot surface | About $4,621 |
| Interlink 120VAC insert | 97, 121 in | 8 in | Hot surface | About $6,649 |
Choose length from the opening, not the wall
Measure the inside of the opening you will cut or build, then choose the longest pan that drops into it. The trough kits have a lipped edge that rests on the opening, so the pan sets the hole size. A 10 foot feature with thick end caps might only fit a 96 inch pan.
The burner nearly fills the pan on our listings: the drop-in electronic kits pair a 48 inch pan with a 47.5 inch burner, and the Interlink kits pair a 73 inch pan with a 72 inch burner. Pan length is effectively flame length. For example, the 48 inch Linear Trough Torpedo kit, natural gas is listed at about $586, and the 73 x 8 inch Interlink Torpedo kit, natural gas at about $1,099.
Trough burner pan widths: 5 inch vs 8 inch
The narrow trough pans (5.4 inches on the drop-in electronic kits, 5.3 inches inside the V-shaped pan on the 120VAC inserts) give the slimmest slot in a tabletop or ledge, for openings that should look like a cut line.
The 8 inch Interlink pan has a flat floor and 1.5 inch sides for media retention. The extra width shows a bed of fire glass or lava rock beside the flame and gives more room to bury the burner. Match the pan to your opening width.
Wind and flame height in a long rectangular fire pit
A long, thin flame has a lot of side exposure, and a crosswind can push it flat along its whole length. Three things help:
- Recess the pan below the top of the enclosure, as our burner size guide explains.
- Add a wind guard on exposed decks and rooftops; see our fire pit wind guard guide.
- Choose ignition that handles a lost flame. Our listings say the On/Off electronic kits monitor the flame and reignite if it goes out. Push button kits shut off the gas if no flame is sensed but do not relight. Match lit kits rely on you.
To turn the flame down on breezy nights, the Hi/Lo kits, such as the 48 inch Hi/Lo kit (about $5,800), include a remote and work with HPC’s Bluetooth app; the listing says flame height adjusts by 45 percent.
Media depth over a trough burner
Our listings say to pour fire glass or lava rock in the pan to hide the burner. In a 5 inch trough you only need enough to cover the burner tube, not a mound. HPC warns that heavy media on propane can cause back pressure (details in our burner size guide), so follow your kit manual’s depth and test with the media in place.
Interlink pans for very long features
For runs over 6 feet, look at Interlink: kits reach 97 and 121 inches, the longest linear pans we list. The 121 x 8 inch Interlink kit, natural gas is about $2,170 as a burner and pan. For a ready-made electronic unit, the 121 inch Interlink 120VAC insert is about $7,930 and listed at 250,000 BTU (the 97 inch is listed at 200,000). Both are made to order with a 3 to 4 week lead time, weigh 140 and 225 pounds, and the remote is sold separately. For anything longer than 121 inches, call us before you build.
Ignition choice for long runs
Match lit is simplest: the 49 inch Interlink match lit kit is about $906. You open the key valve and light with a long-stem lighter. Push button, like the 48 inch push button trough kit (about $2,063), is battery operated, so no electrical line is needed. Electronic kits such as the 48 inch On/Off drop-in (about $5,083) use a hot surface igniter and need 120VAC power at the pit. A licensed electrician and local code decide how power reaches the pit. See our match lit vs electronic ignition guide for more.
Gas supply for long burners
BTU climbs with length. HPC’s Linear Burners drawing recommends 100K for a 24 inch Torpedo burner up to 300K for a 120 inch one, all with a 1/2 inch hub, at 3.5 to 7.0 inches water column on natural gas and 8 to 11 on propane.
Be careful with listed BTU: several of our HPC kit listings show one series-wide range (such as “100,000 up to 250,000 BTUs”) on every size, which does not tell you what a given length uses. Go by the drawing or a specific insert rating. A long burner on a long pipe run may need a larger line than you expect; a licensed gas pro and local code have the final word on sizing, connection and leak testing. On propane, the Interlink listing says to add an air mixing orifice to reduce sooting.
Vents and drainage in a trough enclosure
HPC’s drawing requires at least two 18 square inch vents on opposing sides up to 200K BTU, and four above that. Long pits cross that line quickly: a 96 inch Torpedo burner is recommended at 250K. The pans have weep holes and the burners a raised hub to keep water out of the gas line, so place vents low and build on a base that drains. Between uses, a stainless trough cover such as the 52 x 9.5 inch cover (about $537) keeps rain and debris off; ask us which size fits your pan.
Frequently asked questions
What size linear fire pit burner do I need?
Choose the longest pan that fits inside your opening, since the burner nearly fills it, then confirm your gas supply can feed the recommended BTU for that length.
Trough burner or Interlink: which is better?
Neither overall. Trough pans are about 5 inches wide for a slim slot; Interlink pans are 8 inches wide with more media border and lengths to 121 inches.
Can a long rectangular fire pit run on a small propane tank?
Some HPC kits come with the hose and small tank regulator assembled, in trough lengths to 60 inches and Interlink to 61 inches on our listings. HPC’s drawing says its bare linear burners are for fixed piping only.
Do linear burners need special venting?
Same HPC rules as other burners, but long pits often exceed 200K BTU, which means four vents instead of two.
Not sure which length or ignition fits? Browse our HPC Fire burners and kits or call 866-777-2590, Mon-Fri 9AM-6PM PST, with your opening size and gas type. Shipping is free on orders of $999 or more, with a $200 flat rate below that. Review our return and refund policy before ordering, especially made-to-order inserts.
