Barbecue Safety Tips and Your Homeowners Insurance

Over three billion barbecues will be enjoyed by Americans this year. Before you fire up your barbecue, consider the following safety tips to keep your family safe and prevent one of approximately 2,000 barbecue fires that will damage homes each year.

Barbecue Safety Tips

Keep barbecues outside in the open to prevent the buildup of toxic gases. Place it on a level surface to reduce the chance of it tipping or rolling over. The Insurance Information Institute (III) suggests keeping your barbecue or grill away from the house, low hanging trees and other objects that could catch on fire.

While cooking on your barbecue, protect yourself by using long-handled barbecue tools and wearing an apron and flame retardant oven mitts. Any loose clothing should be tucked in and always have a fire extinguisher nearby.

Make the area around the barbecue off-limits to children even after the food has been cooked and eaten-the grill will remain hot for quite awhile.

Safety Tips-Charcoal Barbecue

The safest way to light a charcoal barbecue is to use a limited amount of starter fluid designed for charcoal grills. Any other fluid-especially gasoline-could cause an explosion. If the fire slows, remember that adding more starter fluid once the coals are burning could cause a flash fire.

After you've finished grilling, it can take up to 48 hours for the coals to burn out and ashes to cool completely. Soaking the charcoal with water will speed up the cooling process-stand a safe distance away to avoid hot steam and splatters.

Safety Tips-Gas Grill

A big part of gas grill safety involves handling the pressurized liquid propane. You can check the fuel cylinder for leaks by placing a mix of soap and water around the valve connections. If bubbles appear, then gas is escaping and the cylinder is unsafe.

Once you're ready to ignite the grill, open the lid beforehand to prevent an accumulation of propane inside, and possible explosion. To further protect your family and home from possible leaks, store the gas cylinder outside in a cool area, away from your house with the valves turned off.

Homeowners Insurance-Get Enough Coverage

Even if you take every safety precaution, things can still go wrong. A stray coal from the barbecue can end up on your roof, wooden deck, or in dry brush next to the house. This is why it is so important to have a good homeowners insurance policy.

Have you told your homeowners insurance company about the additions to your home? The new deck? Does your homeowners insurance policy include replacement cost coverage which will replace damaged property with new, similar items instead of market value items? Talk to your insurance agent about coverage options, or check out InsWeb's online homeowners insurance quote form to compare insurance quotes from top providers.

So fire up the grill, throw another shrimp on the barbie, and enjoy a summer barbecue knowing that your home and loved ones are protected with a solid homeowners insurance policy.