Keep Your Home Safe With These Outdoor Grilling Tips

Whether you grill over charcoal, wood, or use a propane grill, summertime is the season for grilling! Along with warm temperatures and delicious food, this season brings with it fire risks for homeowners. Use the following outdoor grilling tips to make sure you grill safely this season!

Only Grill Outdoors

Propane and charcoal grills belong outside, don’t use them inside your garage, shed, or other building. Using these grills inside means a high risk of fire damage, smoke damage, and carbon monoxide poisoning.

Move The Grill Away From Your House

Grills are often placed just outside a back door on a deck or patio. Before you use your grill this season, move it at least 10 feet from your house and other structures on your property. 

If your grill is too close to your home or other wooden structures, it can heat them up and quickly start a fire. Excessive heat from a grill can also cause vinyl siding to sag!

Check For Leaks

If you use a propane grill, check it thoroughly for any corrosion, holes, or leaks in the gas lines. A leak in the lines can make propane or natural gas build up inside the grill while the lid is closed. Always open the lid of your grill before lighting it to avoid a dangerous potential fire!

Keep Your Grill Level

Make sure your grill is firmly situated on a level surface so you don’t risk having it tip over. If you’re grilling out on your patio or deck, use a grill pad or mat underneath it to protect the surface.

Start Your Fire Carefully

If you’re using a charcoal grill, make sure you only use starter fluid designed for charcoal or consider using a chimney starter to get your fire going instead of a flammable liquid like lighter fluid.

Keep It Clean

Grease and fat can build up fast on your grill and the tray below it. Make sure your grill is completely cool, then clean it thoroughly to avoid grease fires and flareups.

Be Prepared For A Fire

It’s always a good idea to have a fire extinguisher on hand when you’re grilling in case the fire gets out of hand. Accidents happen and having necessary safety equipment close by can save your property and help keep you safe.

Stay Alert

It’s easy to relax and get distracted while you’re grilling, but that’s when accidents happen. Make sure you stay alert while you’re cooking outdoors and don’t allow pets or children to come within three feet of a lit, hot grill.

Call Lake City Restoration For Help

We have the expertise and advanced equipment to restore your home safely when it has been damaged by fire or smoke. In the event of a fire or other emergency, 911 should be your first call, then call in our restoration experts to help!

Our services include water damage cleanup, fire damage restoration, storm damage repair, and other necessary restoration services. 

If you have questions about how the restoration process works or what might work best for your home, give us a call today. Our restoration specialists are available 24/7!

Originally published in 2022, this blog post has been updated to include the latest outdoor grilling tips and relevant safety information.