How to Put a Gas Grill Against Pressure-Treated Lumber

Keeping fire safety at the top of your priority list during a weekend cookout ensures a safe celebration. Factoring in the risks of pressure-treated wood also aids in keeping both you and your family, and any guests in your home, safe. Before 2009, pressure-treated lumber was treated with toxic chemicals, such as arsenic, to extend its life. In a feature on CBS's "The Early Show," one expert recommended sealing older pressure-treated wood every couple of years and keeping food and drink away from those surfaces, including uncooked food that is bound for your grill.

Vinyl tablecloths
Fire extinguisher
Garden hose

Instructions

- 1
  Place your gas grill so that it is at least 10 to 15 feet away from any surface, wall or railing, including those that contain pressure-treated lumber.
- 2
  Cover any tables or railings made with pressure-treated lumber manufactured before 2009 with disposable vinyl cloths. This is necessary only if you intend to use the surfaces for eating or as counters for preparing food.
- 3
  Check that the pressure-treated lumber does not enclose or overhang your grill. In enclosed areas, the carbon monoxide gas that is released by grills can build up and be hazardous and even life-threatening to anyone in the enclosed space with the grill.
- 4
  Keep a fire extinguisher handy near the grill and know how to use it. Being prepared for any contingency can avert disaster.
- 5
  Move the grill close to any pressure-treated lumber surface only after it has completely cooled, with no signs of warmth.

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