Wood Deck Debate

WeberWho? · June 2011

In the next month or so I will be moving into my first house. I currently have my egg sitting on a cement patio. The house what I am moving into doesn't have a cement patio but a wood deck. So I'm a little concerned about the egg on a wood deck. I would have the egg in a nest until I build a table. The egg also has the safety mesh screen.

I have never thought twice about anything other than making a table for the egg and rolling in and out of the garage. I remember waking up in the middle of the night 10 years ago by someone knocking loud on my parents front door. A few seconds later it sounded like someone was trying to kick our front door down. Was one of my Dad's friends drinking? That was my first inital thought when waking up. I then realized a split second later that my Dad's friends would never kick our front door down drinking. My Dad opens the door maybe 20 seconds later and all I hear is, "call 911 our house is on fire". A good 30 minutes after the call was made their house was gone. The firefighters were able to recover a box full of family pictures within the first few minutes when they arrived on the scene. That's was pretty much the only thing they recovered afterwords. The only conclusion the fire department came up with was that my neighbors Weber grill must have dropped a hot coal and missed the ash collector and lodged between the boards of the deck. A few hours later when everyone went to bed it must have slowly heated up the boards on the deck and started a fire. My neighbor thought someone was breaking into their house when he heard glass breaking. That's when he saw his deck and upper half of his house on fire.

So I'm wondering how many people have their egg on their deck? The egg seems to be alot more safe when it comes to their design and the whole mesh screen idea compared to a Weber. Has anyone come up with any additional safety features?

It would be really nice walking from the kitchen to the deck a few feet away when grilling. Or do I play it safe and move it in and out of the garage? Just think it would see so much more use if it's a few feet away. But don't know if I can get my head wrapped around knowing I have a grill on a wood deck....

PhilsGrill · June 2011

There are fireproof pads you can put down and the egg on that. Someone will pipe in with exactly what they have..

Rascal · June 2011

My mini was to sit on a wood deck and a trip to a local sheet metal shop solved the problem. I had them fabricate a piece of stainless steel with finished edges, about 40" square. Perhaps it cost a little more than a fire-proof mat but it will last forever and is easy to clean.

The Naked Whiz · June 2011

All my Eggs are on a wood deck and have been for 10 years. If see a coal drop onto the deck, I pick it up. If I think one did and am not sure, I get the hose and wet the deck down. But it has always been when I was doing something. I've never known a coal to drop onto the deck while I wasn't doing something with the Egg like stirring coals. My large Egg is in a table sitting on a sheet of slate, so there's about 6 inches of slate between the opening and the front edge. The eggs in the nests don't get used as much and not when I'm not around, no long longs cooks.

Griffin · June 2011

I would put it on the deck with one of those fire proof pads that you can get at HD, Lowes and most BBQ stores.

CBBQ · June 2011

Almost my entire back yard is deck. As in there is some rock on the sides but no grass back there. Before the screens came along I used a simple carpeted floor matt that we soaked. When we have a party and are using all 3 eggs that we're in and out of I have used a 8' carpet runner in front of them that we wet down. I don't think we need to do it but when you have more square footage of deck than you do in your 4 bedroom house why even take the chance.

Mickey · June 2011

Will my Trex burn?

Little Steven · June 2011

WeberWho?,

We had a house fire that was caused by burning lump on a wooden deck. Not from the egg but same scenario. We are still not back to normal after four years. Take all precautions you can.

Steve

Photo Egg · June 2011

Mickey,
They are making Trex now with fire-resistant material blended in. Not sure what the original is rated but it seems like it would be better than wood for the little sparks or stray small piece of lump. Just a little melting on the surface. Saw a little damage at Athens.

fishlessman · June 2011

my neighbor lost part of the house and the use of his hands because of a gas grill on the deck, was lucky someone showed up to get his wife out, she wasnt mobile. some towns its against the law to have a grill on a deck so you might want to check on that, could be problematic with collecting on fire insurance

Billy Grill Eggster · June 2011

Go to one of the "Big Box Store" Orange or Blue. Get a LARGE fire proof mat ( made out of concrete I believe ). Put it front of and under BGE. I had to put out a smoldering fire between my deck boards a few years ago, landed on joist and sat there. :woohoo:

I now cook on a concrete patio.

Gulfcoastguy · June 2011

I have a deck and a concrete patio, it's on the concrete patio.

RRP · June 2011

My eggs have been on a wooden deck for 11 years now and knock on wood never a problem let alone even a burn anywhere. I use my screens though and that helps. Another factor is for the unattended overnight cooks I always purposefully use my Guru. Not only does it baby sit, the blower also prevents any embers from escaping.

Dimple's Mom · June 2011

It's always nice when you can put your outdoor cooking stuff in an area that's convenient and fun for you to use it. It seems like it would not be too difficult or expensive to get a fireproof mat or two or even to build some kind of stone slab for the egg to sit on. It is obviously not worth the risk to put it right on the wooden deck.

GirlyEgg · June 2011

My medium and large are on a wooden deck with a fire mat under.... catches grease too!!

TNT54 · June 2011

I've been thinking about this same issue over the past month or so since I got my egg. I would never leave any previous grill unattended, particularly overnight, but the egg seems extremely safe. (We're talking about when the lid is closed. I wouldn't leave it unattended with the lid open.) The lump rests on the round thingy with the holes in it, and only very small pieces can fall through that. For the pieces that do fall through (and I know there are some), they're falling in the center of the bottom of the egg onto a bed of ash so they don't bounce or roll. There's no open pathway to the outside where they fall; the pathway to the outside is at least 6 inches away on the side of the egg, and its protected by the metal screen which is always closed when the egg is in use. I've never seen a piece of burning charcoal that was small enough to pass through the holes of the charcoal grid, mobile enough to roll over to the metal screen, and clever enough to open the metal screen if it gets there. The only risk seems to be if the entire egg cracks open and spills burning charcoal onto the deck, and that seems like a risk comparable to being hit by a tornado. I certainly don't want to have a fire, so maybe I'll get a fire mat just to be sure, but I've looked and looked at this thing, and I don't see any way that burning charcoal can get out.

T.

TNT54 · June 2011

RU Eggsperienced · June 2011

I roll mine on to ceramic tiles and I also put some galvanized buckets below the screen to catch anything that may come out. They work great to put ash into when you're done...

Here's the best picture I could find:

20110424_Butts_Teacher%20Appreciation_2-3.jpg

20110424_Butts_Teacher%20Appreciation_2-3.jpg

Jeffersonian · June 2011

I have mine on a wood deck, but I make sure it's clear of anything resembling kindling (leaves, twigs, paper) before I light it and, when doing a cook where the bottom vent is largely open, I keep a sharp eye on it.

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