Fire Hazard

SemolinaPilchard · March 2017

In another post the danger of fire was mentioned. Years ago an egger rolled his egg out the garage onto his driveway a fair distance and fired it up. While the egg was unattended a spark flew out and made it back to the garage, landed on something flammable and burned down the house. I know the eggs come with the spark screen now, but I would recommend turning the egg so if a spark does pop out it won't go near the house or anything else that can catch fire.

bhedges1987 · March 2017

SemolinaPilchard said:

In another post the danger of fire was mentioned. Years ago an egger rolled his egg out the garage onto his driveway a fair distance and fired it up. While the egg was unattended a spark flew out and made it back to the garage, landed on something flammable and burned down the house. I know the eggs come with the spark screen now, but I would recommend turning the egg so if a spark does pop out it won't go near the house or anything else that can catch fire.

Man... if one spark flying out of my egg from my driveway flew into my garage and caught something on fire... It was meant to be.

SaintJohnsEgger · March 2017

I've heard this story too. Not sure if it's an urban legend or if it actually happened.

Best case, use the screen and watch where it's pointed.

Carolina Q · March 2017

SemolinaPilchard said:

... Years ago an egger rolled his egg out the garage onto his driveway...

That would be @Nature Boy, Dizzy Pig himself.

Rain doesn't necessarily help either. Ask @Spaightlabs.

One of the reasons I dislike wifi controllers. IMO, you should never leave home when your grill is in use. And if you don't leave home, why do you need wifi?

As for overnight cooks in general, the possibility of fire is one of the reasons I started turbo cooking. With an overnight cook, if something went wrong, my house would probably burn down around me before I would wake up. With turbo, I can start the cook at 9 or 10AM and finish in time for dinner. Just don't leave home.

If the grill is out in the middle of the yard, far enough from the house not to matter, that's one thing. But most are not. Many are actually sitting on a wooden deck attached to the house! Not only a fire hazard, but likely too close to windows and doors. CO will kill you too, folks.

Be SAFE out there!

WeberWho · March 2017

Neighbors house next door when growing up burned down to it studs. A piece of ash got lodged between his deck boards from his grill. It was 4-5 hours after they've gone to bed they here a window shatter. He thinks someone's breaking in. He jumps out of his bed and sees his whole back of his house on fire. Next thing I know I here banging and pounding at my parents front door and someone yelling to call 911 at 2am. They were fortunate to get everyone out safely but lost everything to the fire. Something I'll never forget.

I just cringe seeing charcoal grills on a deck. I'd love to walk out from my kitchen to the deck and egg but I can't see the risk vs reward. It's a pain walking out to the driveway and grilling but even that isn't perfect like noted above. Good post and reminder for everyone. Thanks

GrateEggspectations · March 2017

The takeaway that I read from this widely-circulated story is not to leave the Egg unattended.

Many of us perform low and slows overnight, etc., but there is always a risk.

GregW · March 2017

Carolina Q said:

SemolinaPilchard said:

... Years ago an egger rolled his egg out the garage onto his driveway...

That would be @Nature Boy, Dizzy Pig himself.

Rain doesn't necessarily help either. Ask @Spaightlabs.

One of the reasons I dislike wifi controllers. IMO, you should never leave home when your grill is in use. And if you don't leave home, why do you need wifi?

As for overnight cooks in general, the possibility of fire is one of the reasons I started turbo cooking. With an overnight cook, if something went wrong, my house would probably burn down around me before I would wake up. With turbo, I can start the cook at 9 or 10AM and finish in time for dinner. Just don't leave home.

If the grill is out in the middle of the yard, far enough from the house not to matter, that's one thing. But most are not. Many are actually sitting on a wooden deck attached to the house! Not only a fire hazard, but likely too close to windows and doors. CO will kill you too, folks.

Be SAFE out there!

I've always cooked with the egg overnight on a wood deck. I have worried about fire every time, so far I have been lucky.

Conway_Twitty · March 2017

SPARKING IS BADNESS!!! ( I read that in a chinese manual )

SemolinaPilchard · March 2017

Carolina Q said:

Many are actually sitting on a wooden deck attached to the house!

A few years ago I was eating dinner at someone's camp. I was thinking, I am eating a steak that was cooked on a charcoal pit that is sitting on a wooden deck that is connected to a camp that is made from wood had to be built because the old camp burned to the ground.

hondabbq · March 2017

I never ever leave my egg unattended when there is lit lump. Have I done an overnight? Yes. I just wanted to say I did one. Makes you sound cool right?
Now I'll just start it really early and take a nap when my wife is awake to be on guard. I never ever ever leave the house when it's lit up.

fishlessman · March 2017

fire does tricky things, a spark jumps out of an egg and lights up your garage 50 feet away, chances are your not going to see that 9 out of 10 times before you got a good fire going if your there or not. ever see a citronella candle explode and light the forest 50 feet up in the trees in a second, i have. theres a microscopic sticker on those buckets that says not to extinguish with water

who would of thought, see them poolside all the time

BikerBob · March 2017

I don't like gasoline cans in the garage or the house. Propane cylinder to grills can leak. Tiki torches can fall over and start a fire. I like my egg on concrete or at least on dirt. It's only a few more steps to walk off the deck. I would not want to put an egg even after the cook inside any building attached to my house.
Around the corner a man was burning leaves and went inside to eat. His place burned. Throw away all lighters, never burn anything, don't grill and then maybe lightning will strike and burn the house down.

SemolinaPilchard · March 2017

BikerBob said:

I don't like gasoline cans in the garage or the house. Propane cylinder to grills can leak. Tiki torches can fall over and start a fire. I like my egg on concrete or at least on dirt. It's only a few more steps to walk off the deck. I would not want to put an egg even after the cook inside any building attached to my house.
Around the corner a man was burning leaves and went inside to eat. His place burned. Throw away all lighters, never burn anything, don't grill and then maybe lightning will strike and burn the house down.

I agree with everything you said. As for the last thing you mentioned, my entire house is a Faraday cage. I am like the old guy who wears a belt and suspenders, I don't take any chances.

DaveRichardson · March 2017

http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1196010/fire-fire-fire#latest - My "little" fire from the ash bucket rotting thru. I cleaned out the ash from a cook after giving several hours to cool. Came back that night to start up again, and found a hold in my deck where is burned thru the bottom of the bucket. You've gotta be careful with ash, too.

My deck is over a concrete slab. I think that helped keep it from becoming a bad situation.

In the process of clearing space and pouring a slab for the egg and the soon-to-be table......

Dinah_Moe_Humm · March 2017

I agree with everything members have written. And I take the same precautions with fire. However, I've read here that members clean out their ash with a shop vac. Unless you leave the vac outside your just inviting a catastrophe in my opinion.

SemolinaPilchard · March 2017

Dinah_Moe_Humm said:

I agree with everything members have written. And I take the same precautions with fire. However, I've read here that members clean out their ash with a shop vac. Unless you leave the vac outside your just inviting a catastrophe in my opinion.

I agree. Years ago one of Letterman's stupid human tricks was someone who cleaned out the fireplace of her apartment. She said she thought it had been past long enough to worry about any remaining embers. She boxed up the ashes and put the box in the hall. She burned down the entire complex.

Fire Hazard

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