Let’s Get (Safe) Grilling!
Follow our top safety tips below to keep your house, family and friends safe whilst barbecuing this year!
Position your grill with care
The first thing to be mindful of when firing your grill up is where it’s positioned. If your property is made out of wood cladding, or any combustible material, for safety reasons we recommend you place your barbecue at least 1metre away from the structure. If your property is built of stone or brick, we recommend you keep your barbecue at least 12 inches away from the structure. Although it may be tempting to position your BBQ as close to the house as possible as guests congregate inside to escape the typical British weather, this poses a serious fire hazard. So, as the evenings get chillier, ask yourself would you rather put on an extra layer and stand a few feet away from your home or be calling the emergency services on a BBQ gone wrong?
Staying on the topic of safe positioning, it’s recommended that you do not place your grill close to any walls, fences or any other garden dividers. No matter how aesthetic your grill looks aligned neatly against a wall or fence, we promise keeping your grill at a distance looks better than the aftermath you could be cleaning up after a fire.
The same rule applies for other garden features. It’s highly recommended that you keep your lit barbecue away from any other combustible materials. This includes gazebos, umbrellas, trees and anything else that could go up in flames with a few rogue sparks.
If there’s a wind, which is seemingly always here in the UK, it’s important to position your BBQ out of the direct wind so nothing alight drifts off and sets fire to something flammable. Even a slight wind can cause flames to transfer on to something not so barbecue friendly so make sure to always be mindful of the wind. Here at Whistler Grills we can’t take responsibility for any damages caused by weather. So, for the sake of you and your barbecue, it’s a good idea to take into consideration whether you really want to be grilling in strong winds!
Safe surfaces
Not only is being mindful of your surrounding areas when grilling important, but the surface you place your grill on can be the difference between success or smoke-fest. If you’re placing your grill on decking, we recommend that you use a fire resistant safety mat to separate the heat of the BBQ and bare decking. It’s also important to make sure you’re not placing the grill on uneven or unsteady ground, to avoid the grill losing balance and toppling over - causing not only mess but a potential fire hazard!
Now we’re (safely) cooking with gas
Although gas grills are typically safer than charcoal barbecues, they don’t come fire hazard free without following some basic barbecue safety tips.
First of all, ensure the gas hose is connected properly to the barbecue. A loose or faulty hose can become very dangerous very quickly. Faulty or damaged gas hoses are the number one cause of barbecue related fires. The barbecue gas system is likely to deteriorate with age. Replacing the gas regulator and hose assembly every 5 years, or as soon as it becomes damaged, is a crucial part of safe barbecue practice.
Always check the gas bottle and hose are on correctly before turning anything on. Leaking gas will not only give you an ineffective grill, but can also become a dangerous fire hazard as it is vulnerable to accidental ignition. Whilst on the topic of accidental ignition, it’s very important to note that you should not leave your gas bottle out in the open where it could be open to involuntarily setting alight. Within our Cirencester range, we’ve designed a built in storage cabinet where you can safely store and hide those eye sore gas bottles. We’ve got you (and your gas bottles) covered!
Making sure you have the correct gas bottle is also an important part of safe barbecue practice. All of our current full-size propane models are designed for use with standard 20lb propane tanks, however this size does not fit within the unit itself. Always make sure to check your user manual to see which gas bottles are appropriate for your barbecue.
Although these are our top level tips for ensuring safe barbecuing, they are only a few of the basic guidelines you should be following to ensure you’re practising safe barbecuing. Head over to our site to check out our full terms and conditions to ensure you and your guests safety!
