Egg on Wood Deck

xfire_ATX

Need advice from those who have solved this already.

My old neighbor is moving back into her house in Jan and while she was gone she acquired and LBGE and wants to put it on a small wood deck outside her Kitchen for ease vs having to walk down and around half the back yard where she has stone work.

As I see enough people with Eggs in wood tables I dont think its a big deal, she has the nest so its elevated.  What sage thoughts does the board have if you please.

fishlessman

i have had a fire and have been really lucky. others not so lucky. my mini does sit on the deck though.

GATraveller

I'd suggest she invest in a fireproof grill mat.  I've found char marks on my wood deck from a rogue ember.  

Kent8621

i would think it is ok, i recommend it not against the house and make sure you use the spark guard on the lower vent, other than just be practical and it should be fine.

WeberWho

I'd love to walkout from my kitchen to my deck with a BGE on it. Instead I walk through the family room, down the stairs, through my garage, and out to the driveway. Not very practical. 

But....

I'd hate to think that''s all it took if by chance my house were to burn down with the BGE on the deck. My parent's neighbors house burnt down to the studs from their grill on the deck. Scary stuff

GrillSgt

It makes me nervous but I really have no choice. I have had a shower of sparks a couple of times when closing the lid with a moderately high temp, screen didn't help at all. I now close the lid very slowly and haven't had any issues since but it still makes me nervous.

Slippy

I have mine on a wood deck, as well as an offset smoker. The egg is much easier to contain that the smoker, but either way, I like to get the hose and wet the deck before I start a fire, and then keep the water on, and at the ready, just in case. A nice fire resistant grill mat would be a good idea. 

dstearn

My XL now sits in a Challenger Torch 54 cart on my deck. I always have the safety screen closed. I am thinking of investing in a grill mat as well.

YukonRon

Safest way is not on a wooden deck. If you choose to do so, extreme caution needs to be part of the plan. Prepare for the worst, use common sense, and do not add any additional risk, like not having a safe place to go to, when removing the ps.
Think before use.

stlcharcoal

Problem with those grill mats is that's they're usually like 3x3 or 4x4......and all that spark has to do is clear the mat by 1-inch. 

fourwinds

I would advise against it. We bought 5 acres to build on in a built up area. The land became available because the previous owner's lost their home and lives due to a grill on the back deck. Although inconvenient, mine will find a home on the perimeter of the basement patio. 

onedbguru

We have used the 1/4 hardi-backer cement board in the past. My son still uses it on his wooden deck (mine is now in the garage and gets pulled outside when I am ready to use it).   You can get 2 and actually screw them to the deck to keep them from moving.  Works like a charm!!

Slippy

onedbguru said:

We have used the 1/4 hardi-backer cement board in the past. My son still uses it on his wooden deck (mine is now in the garage and gets pulled outside when I am ready to use it).   You can get 2 and actually screw them to the deck to keep them from moving.  Works like a charm!!

I have been thinking about using those myself. How do they age? They don't get crumbly? 

nolaegghead

I have 4 kamados on my deck. I put a piece of metal under the front vent in case anything pops out. Not much of a worry running low and slow but when you're rolling it there's all kinds of activity in the lump pile.

DoubleEgger

Just be careful and you’ll be fine. There are tens if not hundreds of thousands of charcoal grills on decks. They all aren’t burning down. 

It’s feels like the same as not driving a car ever again because you (or someone you know) had a wreck. 

caliking

Google "fire retardant deck stain"

Maybe that's an option?

Gulfcoastguy

https://www.amazon.com/GrillTex-Under-Grill-Protective-inches/dp/B07D1SJLYS/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1544150454&sr=8-5&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=fireproof+grill+mat&dpPl=1&dpID=41nKdN2jRwL&ref=plSrch

lousubcap

DoubleEgger said:

Just be careful and you’ll be fine. There are tens if not hundreds of thousands of charcoal grills on decks. They all aren’t burning down. 

It’s feels like the same as not driving a car ever again because you (or someone you know) had a wreck. 

Perspective right there.  However, the biggest contributor that I have seen is the absence of a true air-gap between the BGE base and the support structure/table.  Reads like that has been recognized and addressed.  All that, any fire wins.  When in doubt-more fire protection.  FWIW-

DoubleEgger

I have ipe and it has a Class A flame spread rating. 

Slippy

This is the one I have been eyeballing. https://www.atbbq.com/heavy-duty-fire-resistant-grill-mat.html 

stlcharcoal

DoubleEgger said:

I have ipe and it has a Class A flame spread rating. 

Yep similar here......tiger deck.  I tried to burn the scraps.  I couldn't them to burn until I had a big azz fire of other stuff, then they burned.  I threw the rest in a kiln for fun too, but they didn't carbonize at the same rate as other wood.  For $7/ft I wasn't going to let them go to complete waste.  

Then I wasn't really happy with the end product.  That deck turned gray in no time.  Penofin, ipe oil, etc, and it only lasts about a month before it turns gray......the wood is way too dense for the oil to soak in.


I was hoping it was going to stay like this...…….

NorthPilot06

That deck color and view are killer

DoubleEgger

@stlcharcoal. We knew ours was going to gray when we bought it. We were cool with it. We have not put anything on the deck and don’t plan to. We wanted no maintenance and we aren’t Trex fans. 

stlcharcoal

DoubleEgger said:

@stlcharcoal. We knew ours was going to gray when we bought it. We were cool with it. We have not put anything on the deck and don’t plan to. We wanted no maintenance and we aren’t Trex fans. 

Yeah they didn't tell me that.....but I didn't want Trex either.  My main purpose of tearing down the old deck was to excavate underneath, put up a retaining wall, have dry storage underneath for my tractor & implements, then be able to cut in more windows into the basement for when we finished it.

Unfortunately the deck faces southwest and we don't go out on it after 11am.  So we're going to rip the railing off and put a 3 (or 4?) seasons room on top of it with a walkout area for the eggs (still covered, but outside the room.)  I overbuilt the hell out of the framing, so it should be good for whatever we put on top.

derka123

You can do it just be smart. Always use the ember vent, don't use electric lighters such as the looftlighter, don't open the lid any more than is necessary, and keep an eye on the egg/deck for a few hours after use.

onedbguru

Slippy said:

onedbguru said:

We have used the 1/4 hardi-backer cement board in the past. My son still uses it on his wooden deck (mine is now in the garage and gets pulled outside when I am ready to use it).   You can get 2 and actually screw them to the deck to keep them from moving.  Works like a charm!!

I have been thinking about using those myself. How do they age? They don't get crumbly? 

My son has had his for 3-4 years now and it is holding up just fine.

fairchase

I use mine on a wooden back porch. Is it dangerous yes. Does your wife burn candles IN the house ? 

Just be careful !

BobDanger

I have 2 eggs, a 36” BS, camp chef ranger2, a big easy and a food dehydrator all in my wood gazebo...but I’m from the dangerous family.

you just have to be smart.