I ended up replacing our old clay chimenea with a copper chimenea this last spring. Though I had intended to replace the clay one with another just like it, a stunning copper chimenea caught my eye and ai just had to have a closer look.

I was heading out to replace my chimenea. The old and trusty thing had taken a beating in the last hurricane that blew by near where I live. I hadn’t been home so I could put all the outdoor things away safely in the garage. And the poor old clay chimenea had suffered the most of all the backyard things.

Poor old Sparky had bit the dust. My family and friends and I regularly sat around old Sparky on the evening times, summer, fall or winter, to enjoy the evening sounds and each others’ company. It was certainly sad to see the old thing go -it had lasted over fifteen years- but these things do happen.

Now Sparky was your regular old clay chimenea and I had every intention of finding another clay chimenea just like it. In fact, Sparky had been purchased at one of the many roadside vendors here in EL Paso. I frequent these vendors for wonderful finds of all types of Mexican handmade wares.

But today, the same roadside vendor from whom I’d bought Sparky years ago, had several shining and different looking chimeneas up for sale. I asked him about the new chimeneas and he was very pleased to show them to me, saying that he’d been looking for a manufacturer of these copper chimeneas for some time and had finally secured a contract with one.

He quickly and easily removed the top portions of the chimenea to reveal the unit as being more of a three in one chimenea, barbeque grill and fire pit. The fire pit is a wide and low copper dish into which one puts wood or other combustibles.

Since this type of chimenea works with or without the chimney attachment, removing the chimney makes a nice fire pit that can be enjoyed as is. Additionally, with the chimney removed, one can rest a barbeque grill on top of the circular screen piece for a decent barbeque area.

These copper chimeneas can cost as much as $300 if you buy them online or from a home store of some type, but I got mine for $170. If you have any flea markets in your area, I suggest you try these before shelling out the big bucks at the local home depot or whatever.

Anyhow, though we miss the old clay chimenea, we’ve grown to love the new copper chimenea replacement. It’s really a work of art and just shines sitting out there on the back deck. If you’ve ever wanted a chimenea, I suggest trying a copper chimenea.

Also, I recommend getting a chimenea cover to protect your new copper chimenea. I did have to purchase my chimenea cover from a retail store, and I’m glad I did. The cover keeps the copper from tarnishing as quickly.

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