How far should a propane grill be from a wood fence?

To err on the side of safety, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recommends that you keep your grill at least 10 feet away from any wooden fences, your house, or other similar objects.

Of course, everyone doesn’t have that much space available in their homes. In that case, it could be a good idea to reduce that distance so that you can still use your propane grill outdoors.

With that said, here’s what you should know about choosing a safe location within your property to cook with your gas grill. 

How Far Should a Propane Grill Be from a Wood Fence?

If you cannot follow the recommendation by the CPSC, you should at least follow the instructions provided by your grill manufacturer.

In most cases, manufacturers recommend keeping at least 3 feet of distance between the and a wooden fence or other wall-like structure of your house.

What this also means is that you should ensure that there’s 3 feet of clearance in all directions.

Anything less than that can be dangerous, as discussed below. 

Why You Should Keep Enough Distance between a Wooden Fence and a Propane Grill

Adequate clearance will ensure that your grill is properly ventilated. Your gas grill will produce carbon monoxide when you use it for cooking food.

Therefore, appropriate ventilation ensures that carbon monoxide doesn’t continue to build up in the area around your grill. 

It Could Lead to a Fire

If it does, carbon dioxide combined with smoke and gas can cause a flare-up, which could lead to a deadly fire.

This is especially true if there is painted wood beside your grill.

The wooden fences could catch fire, which could spell catastrophe for your home. If anything, it could burn you while you’re cooking.

A grill fire also means that it may burn your food, which may ruin your entire party. 

You Can Harm Your Health by Breathing in That Excessive Carbon Monoxide 

Another reason why clearance is important is that breathing in carbon monoxide is harmful to your health.

Therefore, inadequate clearance will cause carbon monoxide to gather in one place.

As a result, you’ll be breathing it in when you’re standing by the grill to cook your food.

So, you’ll be putting your own health and that of others at risk by choosing a bad location for your barbecue. 

You Can Damage Your Property

Grills create a significant amount of heat when in use. Also, they often run for long periods in a stretch.

So, you could damage your wooden fences by placing your gas grill too close to them.

The heat could leave marks on the wood and ruin its finish. Therefore, you may have to restore it to make it look good again. This is true for other walls on your property as well. 

So, to answer the question, “how far should a propane grill be from a wood fence?” it should have a clearance of no less than 3 feet from your wooden fences or any other similar structures in your home.

If you have room, then try to increase the distance to about 10 feet for better safety. 

Other Safety Tips Regarding Placement of Your Propane Grill to Keep in Mind 

While it’s crucial to keep a propane grill far enough from a wooden fence, there are a few other important safety tips you should keep in mind regarding the placement of your grill when cooking.

Here’s what you should know. 

Use the Right Type of Flooring

Keeping a propane grill a few feet away from wooden fences and other walls can be a challenge when the only available space in your backyard is a grassy area.

Well, you should note that you should not place your grill directly over the grass to cook food. This is true for all kinds of grills. 

You could damage your grass, cause a dangerous fire, or topple your grill over.

In that case, you can use temporary stone pavers, grill mats, or interlocking deck tiles to still be able to utilize this space.

These materials will make the ground fire-resistant, flat, and sturdy, allowing you to cook in peace without needing to worry about getting too close to your wooden fences or other structures.

Thus, they open up locations that you originally may not have considered before. 

Make Sure That Grill Is Visible to Everyone

To reduce the chances of anyone accidentally running into the hot grill, you should place it in a location that’s visible to everyone on your property.

This includes those sitting outdoors waiting for the food and those indoors preparing the food to cook outside.

Family barbecues often have children running around, so you can reduce the chances that kids run into it by making it easily visible.

Another advantage of placing the grill in your line of sight is that you’ll be able to immediately tell if something goes wrong—excessive smoking, for example.

Leaving a grill unattended while it’s still on is highly dangerous. 

Note the Direction of the Wind

When you plan to barbecue outdoors, make a note of the direction of the wind that day.

You should place your grill in a location in which the wind blows the smoke away from you and your guests. It can be hard to cook when the heat keeps blowing in your direction.

In addition to that, there’s a risk that some smoky residue gets into your eyes. 

Last Few Words

In addition to knowing, “How far should a propane grill be from a wood fence?” you also know why that amount of distance is important to maintain.

Be sure to educate your friends and family on these safety tips when finding the right location to place your gas grill.