Homeowners Insurance and Grilling Season
May is in full swing and the weather is starting to turn nice. In some parts of the country, it seems as if we have completely skipped spring and gone right onto summer. Even though the weather is down right oppressive in some states, in most it is just about right to take our cooking outside. Few things can match the chargrilled taste of something that has been hit with the right heat and smoke on an outside grill. While grills are the perfect way to cook a dinner in the warm air, each year there are numerous homeowners who get more than a flame kissed plate. Each year house fires from grills and fire claims from grills plague homeowners and their homeowners insurance. The team at Streamline Insruance is here to help you grill safely without filing a fire claim on your homeowners insurance.
Grilling Tips to Prevent Fire Insurance Claims
Grills are great for cooking and a good grillmaster should always be commended. However, grills and other open-flame cooking pose inherent fire risks that could cause fire calims against your homeowners insurance. Each year there are about 10,600 reported home fires that were caused by a grill. Annually, grill fires cause about $150 million in damage that go against homeowners insurance or business insurance, depending on what’s damaged. Even worse, about 10 people are killed each year in these grill fires. The facts are clear that fire damage from grills need to be taken seriously to avoid fire claims against your homeowners insurance. Even more importantly, these types of home fires must be taken seriously for the safety of you and those you love. To help you grill safely and prevent fire claims against your homeowenrs insurance, here are some tips from the team at Streamline Insurance:
Clean your Grill Regularly and Thoroughly
To reduce your risk of a house fire from grilling, clean your grill regularly. If you use your grill with even moderate frequency, you should be giving your grill a thorough clean several times a year. Many fires that start on the grill are grease fires, which makes them particularly difficult. Some believe they can use water to put out a grease fire, or at the very least using water is their first instinct, either way … they are wrong. Preventing grease fires before they start is the best approach to preventing fire claims on your home insurance. To do this, check your grease pan regularly. Also, make sure you are routinely scraping your grates. Any place where grease might drip is a place where grease can ignite, which then means you have a grease fire to deal with. Some regular maintenance will pay off greatly during grill season.
Place your Grill Perfectly
Perfect grill placement will reduce the risk of fires, fire claims, and calling your insurance broker with homeowners insurance questions about fire damage. Where you place your grill plays a large role in how much of a fire risk your grilling session poses. Place your grill at least 10 feet from your house and other structures, like detached garages, sheds, or fences. As an aside, rember that detached structures are not covered under most standard homeowners policies with most insurers. Check with your insurance agent or insurance broker if you have additional strucgtures on your home to make sure they’re included in your coverage. In addition to making sure your grill is away from structures, make sure it’s on a flat, hard surface. Patios, rock pits, or even dirt patches are perfect. You do not want it on something that can ignite.
Have Functioning Safety Equipment Close to the Grill Site
Nobody thinks tragedy will happen to them. However, the reason you have homeowners insurance or car insurance is because accidents do happen. Some of them are entirely out of your control. No matter how careful you are, when you are cooking with an open flame, fires can happen. That is why it is important to have functioning safety equipment near your cooking site to handle those eventualities. Again, water does not put out a grease fire. Have a functioning fire extinguisher nearby and make sure someone trained to use it is nearby. Mere seconds can make the difference between dealing with a simple house fire and a total loss claim. If you have your fire extinguisher ready and you’re capable of using it, then even a fire from the grill does not have to result in a fire claim against your homeowners insurance.
Final Thoughts
One of the best parts of being a homeowner is getting to grill when the weather is amazing. By all means, we encourage you to take advantage of spring and summer by grilling until your heart's content and your belly is full. However, please take some safety precautions to make sure your smokey delight turns into an ashy nightmare. Remember, homeowners insurance is there to protect you if an accident happens. But, life is much simpler if you take precautions to prevent accidents from happening.
If you are ready for grilling season but do not know if your homeowners insurance is ready for a potential fire, then contact us. The team at Streamline Insurance offers professional insurance reviews to anyone who is interested. We can review your coverages and limits to see if they are adequate for your needs and budget. From there, you can get a quote for a new policy if you feel that your current policy is inadequate. After an insurance review with Streamline Insurance you’ll be ready to get the coverage you need from your insurance agent or insurance broker. Contact us now to make sure your homeowners insurance is ready for the hottest and most delicious of grilling seasons.
