Grill Without Damage: A Guide for Grilling Near Vinyl Siding and Outdoor Awnings

6/2/2021 (Permalink)

To avoid fire damage, make sure your grill is more than 3 feet away from your home!

Knowing the appropriate grilling distances from vinyl siding will ensure a great summer!

Grilling is a great way to enjoy the outdoors, but it can also be hazardous. You should consider many things before grilling near your home or outdoor furniture, including how far away a grill should be from your vinyl siding and other outdoor structures. In this post, we will discuss safe grilling practices to ensure you avoid home fire damage!

Far too common during the summer months, the professionals at SERVPRO receive calls when a property undergoes fire damage when a grill is too close to a house.

One of the most recent fire damage restoration jobs resulted from an outdoor grill being left unattended. By the time the homeowner noticed the fire had quickly spread up the vinyl siding and caught the roof on fire. Fortunately, the Atlanta fire department put the fire out before it entered the home.

With summer in full swing, homeowners should know how close they can place their grills before risking home damage. This blog post will be going over grilling safety protocols and the appropriate distance to grill from a house.

How far should a grill be from a house?

It is not wise to place a grill too close to the house as it will cause damage. The material surrounding your home, including vinyl siding and outdoor awnings, are at risk of catching on fire when they come in contact with open flames. To ensure your family and home's safety, we recommend keeping any grill 3 feet away from your home walls and vinyl siding.

There are many types of materials that can catch on fire when placed too close to open flames. To ensure you are not on the tail end of a fire disaster this summer, we recommend following these safety protocols:

• Never leave a grill unattended
• Have a fire extinguisher nearby
• No materials should be within 3 feet of proximity

Gas Grills 

A homeowner should monitor a gas grill for any gas leaks that can lead to an explosion or other dangerous conditions. If your gas grill does not start right away with the ignitor, you can use a multi-purpose lighter to ignite the gas grill, but only after waiting 5 minutes for the propane to dissipate.

Charcoal Grills 

If you're using charcoal for cooking this summer, be sure not to use lighter fluid near the house. If you decide to use lighter fluid, we recommend using it at least 10 feet away from any outdoor furniture or your home vinyl siding. 

Grilling under an awning 

It is also safe to grill under an awning, but only if the awning is at a proper height (9+feet) and the grill is in well-working condition. If you do plan on grilling under your awning, we suggest you use a gas grill, but keep in mind, even with a gas grill, grilling under an awning is still more dangerous than grilling under nothing at all.

Final thoughts

We hope you learned the importance of maintaining proper distance when grilling near a house with or without an awning. No matter what, when you are grilling, it is best to follow grilling safety protocols and keep a fire extinguisher nearby to ensure the safety of your home and all the individuals near the property.

The professionals at SERVPRO know that fire damage from a grill can come without warning; that is why we offer 24-hour support 365 days a week. Our IICRC certified professionals have gone through extensive training and have years of experience mitigating fire damage. Contact us today to receive the best fire restoration service in Atlanta, Georgia!