Weber kettle, WSM and wood decks


 

Howard Warren

TVWBB Fan
This is going to be a crazy question, so please don't laugh too much...

I normally run my Weber charcoal kettle and WSM on a concrete pad outside my house, but it's not a convenient location. I have a wood deck right outside my kitchen. Looking through the site here, I see that several people have build wooden carts to hold their Weber grills and smokers. This actually surprises me, I would have through the heat from the Webers to be too high to safely use around wood. And my (now ex-) wife was absolutely paranoid about fire near wood.

So my question: is using a Weber grill/smoker on a wood deck really safe? Or should I build some kind of box (maybe with Hardibacker walls?) to surround the grills?

Thanks!
 
Cookers and smokers emit radiant heat not flames. I'd be more concerned about it if you have a plastic railing system and such.
 
That's good to know. I was worried about the radiant heat from a long smoke causing damage to the deck.

I went out on the deck a little bit ago. I have a two-story house and the deck is off the kitchen which is on the upper floor. Being off the ground, the deck has more wind than the concrete pad downstairs does. It may be a good idea to build a wind block anyway.
 
The WSM comes with a deck guard, and if yours doesn't have it, you shouldn't run your WSM on a wood deck. There's enough heat that in the very least, you can discolor your wood deck, and even enough heat that it could actually catch your deck on fire. You're pretty safe if the deck guard is in place, it does a good job of keeping heat (and ash) off your deck. Now if you wonder if it's safe to run a Santa Maria near your fence....Well that's another story...
 
Thanks everybody! I've decided that the best way to address both the wood and the wind is just to build a partial box in the corner of the deck with some hardibacker and high-temp paint. Basically a small floor and two walls and tt will look like a dedicated grilling station. My real estate agent friend says it will improve the value of the deck in the current market!
 
I grill on my deck. It can't be the safest thing in the world. In my old apartment complex patio I once started two chimneys of lump in an old grill to pour into my offset. I came back outside a while later and found a bag of wood chunks about 5 feet away had caught on fire. I have no idea how that happened, but lump is really bad about throwing sparks. There may or may not have been some alcohol involved. It was also one of the worst droughts our area has ever had. I don't use lump on my deck grills to this day unless I'm there to watch it and even then rarely. I still use it to start my offset which is far enough from the deck.
 
I have the same set up with a walk out basement and cement patio.

I smoke under the deck. I screwed in a couple of hooks and hang a welding blanket around the smoker when it's windy.
 
+1 for the grill mats. ...and check the chimney starter for that last piece of lit charcoal before setting it on a metal disk on top of a paver. (Don't ask)
 
and check the chimney starter for that last piece of lit charcoal before setting it on a metal disk on top of a paver. (Don't ask)

This. I have been grilling and smoking on wooden decks for more than 25 years now. The only times I have really had any issues are with the chimney starter holding onto a hot piece and not being aware of it. And when that happens they will always fall out in between the grill\smoker and their "safe" place. I watch them like a hawk.

Fire extinguisher is always inside the patio door right next to the door frame. I have thought about backer board but it chips easily and needs a frame around it to protect the edges. Well at least if you shovel snow off your deck LOL. And to be effective it really needs air space under it to dissipate heat. Gas grill doesn't worry me so much but one of these days I will build such a thing for my kettle and WSM. Really should rebuild my deck but retirement isn't that far off, but far enough. If and when I do I will use IPE wood and decking it is one of the most fireproof woods. And likely will use it for platforms on the charcoal burners.
 
This is going to be a crazy question, so please don't laugh too much...

I normally run my Weber charcoal kettle and WSM on a concrete pad outside my house, but it's not a convenient location. I have a wood deck right outside my kitchen. Looking through the site here, I see that several people have build wooden carts to hold their Weber grills and smokers. This actually surprises me, I would have through the heat from the Webers to be too high to safely use around wood. And my (now ex-) wife was absolutely paranoid about fire near wood.

So my question: is using a Weber grill/smoker on a wood deck really safe? Or should I build some kind of box (maybe with Hardibacker walls?) to surround the grills?

Thanks!

I am in the insurance business. I have seen claims where people burned their house down completely by careless use of charcoal on a wooden deck. The charcoal escapes the grill and falls and burns anything flammable. In the case of


There are fire protection mats available. Another idea was to make a simple box out of plywood. Line the plywood with cheap ceramic tiles. They are a good insulator. Use outdoor rated caulk as "grout" for the tiles, and it will be weather-proof. You can get cheap tiles to match your outdoor decor.


I have personally started a fire (accidentally) because small, lit bits of lump charcoal fell through grates into the too-full ash pan, and that charcoal bounced out of the pan onto something flammable. In my case, that was a half bag of charcoal. I take the fire danger seriously.
 
If you use a matt, move it around occasionally to let your deck breathe. Backer board or tile, put an airspace underneath ( like a shim).
Anything in direct contact on a wood or composite deck traps moisture, and over time it will weaken your decking and fasteners.

Tim
 
I have 3 grills on my deck the only time it has ever been an issue is when I dropped a hot coal on it in bare feet, things moved fast for a minute or so.
 

 

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