How To Prevent Grill Fires

6/18/2019 (Permalink)

Proper grill maintenance is key to preventing future fires during cooking

According to the National Fire Protection Association, 9,600 home fires are started from grills each year. The leading cause of those grill fires was that the grills had not been properly cleaned. It doesn't matter if your grill is gas, charcoal or a smoker, all grills need cleaned just as you already clean your stove-top to prevent a grease fire. Take this fire safety precaution and learn the art of grill cleaning. Here is how:

Turn off gas. Close the valve and move the propane tank away from the area. Begin grill cleaning when the grill has cooled to just warm.

Wipe the outside. Just use soapy water and a cotton cloth.

Clean cooking grates. When cool enough to touch, start brushing the bars with a wire brush, then remove them and place in soapy water.

Empty the catch pan. For gas grills, empty the drip pan. For charcoal grills, you simply lift the charcoal grate and rotate the bottom mechanism to dump ash into the catch pan. Empty the ash catch pan. If ash is still hot, store in a metal covered pail.

Clean the cook box of the grill. Grill cleaning the interior of a gas grill includes burner tubes and heat deflectors. For either grill, you can scrape carbon and grease build-up from the interior of the grill with a wire brush and scrub with soapy water.

Reassemble your grill and enjoy safe use. Keep the grill a safe distance from the house when in operation and never leave the grill unattended while food is cooking.

Another important fire safety precaution is to keep children away from grills. Declare a three-foot area around the grill to be a no-kid zone and stay in the area. Proper grill maintenance is the key to preventing structure fires from your grill. If you do have fire damage, at least you can trust SERVPRO® of Rio Rancho/Sandoval County restoration specialists to help assess and restore your property to its pre-fire conditions.

Having a company that can coordinate the whole process from start to finish to make your life easier and gets you back in your home or business faster. “Like it never even happened.”®

If you would like more information on hiring a team experienced in Smoke and Fire Damage Restoration Call SERVPRO® of Rio Rancho/Sandoval County Today at (505) 891-2345