Grease fire inside gas grill...


 
C

Chad_M

TVWBB Member
I had a first experience last weekend. My 10 year old weber silver insides caught on fire. It could have been bad, flames were shooting out of the vents pretty good and could have touched surrounding structures or people.

It had been a couple months since a good cleaning, so it was mostly user error. I was surprised how good it burned though.

I put part of the blame for the grease on the heavier use the grill gets since I have been reading this forum and some of the more messy and fatty recipes I make now versus steaks and hotdogs before.

Anyone else ever had this happen?


chad
 
I just cleaned mine a week ago. I waited to long a few times and get the dreaded fire. Nothing much you can do but let it burn out. I have same one as you and it is over 10 years old and going strong.
 
I acquired raw sliced gyro meat from Restaurant Depot and cook slices on my Genesis. The slices emit a lot of grease. I went about a month without burning the excess like usual. I noticed the grease buildup so I turned up the burners on high to clean off. It took about 6 mins before the flames and heavy smoke started spewing out; the grease pan was completely on fire. Normally, I would just let it burn on high until it finishes but I moved my grill to my covered porch to prep for Hurricane Sandy. The vinyl trim was getting hit real bad with smoke so I reached under and turned off the gas and walked away. I was a bit worried about setting my house on fire.

Lesson learned reminder for me.... After every grilling, the burners go on high for 8 mins regardless. This and cleaning the grease pan every 6 months works for me.

Btw, grilled gyro meat on a grilled 8" pita topped with diced onions, 2 tomato slices and dollop of tzatziki sauce is the BOMB!!! Or just go with the grilled meat, toasted pita, crumbled feta cheese and small spoonful of tzatziki. ;)
 
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It happens, usually when I get distracted while preheating. Like Brian said, wait for it to burn out and then clean the ashes out of the pan the next day.
 
RichPB (richlife) said:
Hmm. The message I get is that reasonably regular cleaning is a lot safer and cheaper than burn-offs. :-)

Rich
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regular cleaning or doing burn-offs will give you the same end result. however, imho, doing burn-offs after EACH cook is the smart move so that you can avoid letting the residual grease get built up to a point where a burn-off turns into a raging fire. i don't understand why people let their grills get so dirty and let them go for sooo long. :confused:
even taking a grill brush and just running over the grates a few times after your finished cooking the meal, and the coals or grill, is still hot is better than letting it cool down completely without doing anything to it.
 
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David B. said:
regular cleaning or doing burn-offs will give you the same end result. however, imho, doing burn-offs after EACH cook is the smart move so that you can avoid letting the residual grease get built up to a point where a burn-off turns into a raging fire. i don't understand why people let their grills get so dirty and let them go for sooo long. :confused:
even taking a grill brush and just running over the grates a few times after your finished cooking the meal, and the coals or grill, is still hot is better than letting it cool down completely without doing anything to it.
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In my gasser, it tends to be the stuff that gets cleaned off the grates that burns. I'm sure grease fuels the fire, but the stuff that's burning is the brushed off bits.
 
When I contracted for our local gas distributor I ended up going to at least 2 calls every summer where someone's bbq was up against the back of the house and they torched the back wall. The Fire Department called us everytime there was a fire involving a gas appliance. I think in 15 years only one fire actually involved the gas side of the grill, the rest were grease fires. People should pay attention to the instructions that come with their grill and keep it away from combustible materials.
 
Fortunately I can say in my 21 years on the fire department I have only been to a handful of fires started by grills and most of them were leaks around the fittings on gas grills. It doesnt really hurt to burn it off as long as you are doing it on purpose and its not near anything flammable, or meltable. I myself use my grill on a screened in back porch and one time I left it unattended for too long and it decided to "self clean". It didnt burn anything but it did smoke up the whole back porch.... I could have only imagined the headlines and the ribbing I would have taken if I had set my porch on fire. :o

Now turkey friers, that is another thing!!

Anyway, be safe everyone and have a great holiday
 
Only had once where the drip tray caught on fire. My own dumb-*** fault, but I just let er' burn out. Needless to say, the drip tray got a new aluminum catch pan before the next cook. lol
 
After reading about a grease fire, I cleaned mine several months ago, even though I let it burn on high after every cook. I was amazed at how much "junk" was coated on the sides of the grill, It took well over an hour to clean it well enough to declare it almost clean as new, which of course would have taken 10 hours. As I also cook on a screened in back porch and pool area, I don't need any fires back there, however, there is a door out to the yard right by the grill............................d
 
I've never had a grease fire. I do a burn off everytime. I burn off the grease from the previous cook. I find that when I pre-heat it smokes anyway. I also don't want the smoke flavor in my food.
 
I keep a old steel putty knife in my storage cabinet and I scrape down the flavor bars and then the diverter pan once or twice a summer, more if I do a lot of fat cooks. then do a good burnoff right after.
Better safe than sorry, had the fire once and that is enough for me.
 
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