24/7 Emergency Service
Backyard Grill Safety | SERVPRO of Dublin/Vidalia/Claxton
8/10/2023 (Permalink)
Have you had a barbeque gone wrong? Call SERVPRO of Dublin/Vidalia/Claxton to get your space back in shape.
Is there anything better than summer? Even if you are not a fan of the heat and humidity that comes with Georgia weather, being able to spend time outdoors and the bright sunshine simply cannot be beat. Summer is also grilling season, which means you can take the chore of cooking for the family outside.
Using a grill incorrectly can become a complete disaster quickly, and is actually one of the leading causes of house fires in the summer. SERVPRO® of Dublin/Vidalia/Claxton wants to help you enjoy every moment of summer, free of worry and full of safety.
If you haven’t already done so, choose a location for your grill that will ensure an extra layer of safety for your home. Grills should be placed in an open location, free from anything above or directly beside them. That means that even on the rainy days we often see in Dublin, rolling the grill into the garage to cook is a no-go.
Choose a location that is away from any structures in your yard as well. Try to create a zone of at least 10 feet in which there is nothing combustible. Teach the kiddos, including the ones with four feet, that this is a kid-free zone.
Take a few steps to prepare your grill before you ever turn it on or light it up. Charcoal grills should be free of ashes from BBQ’s past, and inspected for build-ups of any kind. Check the grill body for holes, dents or other signs of wear and tear. Propane and any other kind of gas grills should be inspected before each use as well. Look for holes in the gas line and make sure everything is tightly connected.
After inspecting the grill, take a quick inventory of your supplies. Make sure you have some water nearby to put out flames when they get too high, and put a fire extinguisher or garden hose somewhere you can quickly access it.
Once you are done cooking, it can be tempting to show off your hard work and start chowing down, but you should stick by the grill until everything is completely turned off and it has begun to cool off. Hand off the food and switch off burners and the gas. For a charcoal grill, close vents so that oxygen can no longer access the burning coals and they can begin to cool.
As soon as you can safely do so, remove ashes and leftover charcoal altogether. These should be disposed of in a metal can or another fire-safe receptacle. It doesn’t take a lot of heat to reignite leftover ashes, so the sooner you can get them away from the grill, the safer you will be. Make sure your grill is cooled enough to touch before heading to bed for the night.
Make this summer the best one, and make it the safest one, too. Summer weather is some of the best weather in Vidalia, and you deserve to enjoy every minute of it worry=free. SERVPRO is here for you if things do get out of hand, 24⁄7.
Don’t let fire damage linger in your home. Call us at SERVPRO of Dublin/Vidalia/Claxton for a fast restoration.