Grace & Favor – A Life Worth Living

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

You'll Shoot Your Eye Out...You'll Burn The House Down

When I think back on the chances I've taken over the years with candles burning in the house, gas grills, and charcoal grills the words that come to mind are not Ralphie's (a Christmas Story) You'll Shoot Your Eye Out but rather You'll Burn The House Down.  I could regale you with horror stories of close calls but today's lesson in what not to do with a charcoal grill, especially a Weber Grill and its a simple one.

I love my Weber Grill as you can see by this old post of how to make a Grilled Turkey, it has been a faithful appliance for more than 20 years but one that also could have cost our family our home.  If you are familiar with Weber Grills you know there is a shallow pan underneath that catches the ash and small bits of charcoal, this is sufficient most of the time but when you are grilling a turkey and adding charcoal for several hours the pan can fill quickly.  One weekend when we grilled a turkey, ate it down to the bone and went to bed with happy grilled turkey thoughts a couple of small pieces of charcoal got between the grates inside the grill and fell into the ash pan, the pan was full so the charcoal rolled onto the porch and overnight burned two large holes in the wood decking.  I'm not talking sissy holes I'm talking close to starting the house on fire holes.

This is the solution I came up with, not a gorgeous decoration for the porch but kinda cute and much safer.

 I had a big box of these blue tiles that were used for house numbers and street names a few years back.  All I had were odds and ends that hadn't sold in the store so don't spend hours trying to figure this out like you would one of those word puzzle books.  I used a piece of cement backer board and mastic to secure the tiles and then just grouted them as you would any tile project.


Under the base I placed spacers so that the tiled board actually sets up off the porch decking about a 1/4 inch.


This is the bucket I now use for ashes and coals, overkill maybe but I'm never again taking any chances.

And so sits my ever faithful Weber Grill safely on top of a fire resistant tiled slab.  Oh and I don't leave it sitting this close to the house (dumb as I am but not stupid) when I actually use the grill but since we only use the Weber a few times a year its tucked neatly and safely away the rest of the time.  I love the grill cover, its one I ordered from Martha Stewart many many years ago.  I've washed it a ton of times and it still looks great.

So my friends go out there and fire up the Weber (or any other charcoal grill) and be safe.

13 comments:

Cathy said...

What a smart idea! I love the blue and white tiles.

Linda (More Fun Less Laundry) said...

Hi Miss Char, I have heard of people burning down their houses with leftover cinders in the grills! We have a fire ordinance in our town as to how close grills can be to the house, but I'm not sure how many people know about it. Your tile pad is ingenious--maybe you should market it! Wasn't the old Martha stuff wonderful? I used to order so many things from her catalog when she had it. I know she has online shops now but I like the old Martha By Mail! Have a nice day and watch those cinders!! :) Linda

Marlis said...

What a great idea. We have a smoker that we use occasionally and it too would pop out some hot coals.. I like the randomness of the center tiles.. wonderful idea! Happy memorial Day.

Unknown said...

What a beautiful solution to your...uh...fire issues.

...and by the way, you KNOW you had me at "You'll Shoot Your Eye Out". LOL.

Sue said...

Wow- this is such an amazing idea! I used to have one of those Weber charcoal grills, and you are right- that ash collector DOES have the propensity for filling up and overflowing! That big bucket is sheer ingenuity and that tile pad is pretty, as well as practical. :-)
~ Sue

Honey at 2805 said...

Good idea and so pretty too! I just became a friend and follower & hope you will consider same.

Designs on 47th Street said...

Char I think this is a brillian idea and it's CUTE too!! Actually I love it! You are one of the smartest people I know! ;)

Donna

Donnie said...

That's a great idea and good even for the grease that drops down off of those healthy hamburgers we cook...lol...I had problems commenting for awhile after closing my blog but I think it's okay now. Take care.

Kelly J/Hunters Hill said...

Char I LOVE it ! You never run out of good ideas do you ?? !!

KimMalk said...

What a creative and useful solution, Char. It looks great!

Sherry @ No Minimalist Here said...

Hi Char, This is a beautiful and practical solution! Our house burned to the ground when I was a child so I am very cautious when it comes to candles, grills or stoves. Thank you for joining my party.
xo,
Sherry

Courtney ~ French Country Cottage said...

Such a cute idea- love the blue and white and it adds charm as well as safety to your deck! Thanks for sharing at FNF :)

MulticoloredPieces said...

I've got a soft spot in my heart for anything with tiles. Great idea! Imagine a mosaic flower pot to match...
nadia