RTA Outdoor Living, a leader in made-to-order and ready-to-assemble outdoor kitchens, has published a blog on outdoor kitchen ventilation to help homeowners and contractors plan, design and build outdoor kitchens safely. The blog post can be seen at: rtaoutdoorliving.com/outdoor-kitchen-vent-ventilation/
In addition, RTA will offers three free resources:
- Outdoor Kitchen Safety 101 YouTube Training – com/watch?v=rLgNTVwkelQ
- Outdoor Kitchen Safety Checklist – google.com/file/d/1P6XqabWipcqfX9Nh_Tr4UbEqRLMAstmz/view
- Outdoor Kitchen Safety Guide (Releasing soon)
All these resources are available at rtaoutdoorliving.com/safety
With outdoor kitchen ownership on the rise, more homeowners turn to local contractors, prefab manufacturers and DIY solutions to make their backyard dreams a reality. As the popularity increases, so has the number of house fires, gas explosions and injuries due to unsafe and improper installations and either poor or no venting.
Unfortunately, outdoor educational resources are lacking, and, as a result, many homeowners and contractors do not understand best practices in safe outdoor kitchen construction.
“There are an alarming number of outdoor kitchens being built with combustible materials, no insulated grill jackets and improper — or in some cases — no ventilation,” said Daniel Cdebaca, RTA Designer and former outdoor living contractor. “The information available from RTA Outdoor Living can help homeowners and builders learn important steps to increase the safety of their outdoor kitchen.”
RTA Outdoor Living believes a safe outdoor kitchen should not be a “nice-to-have” option but is a necessity. What is meant to bring friends and families together can be a safety risk if simple measures are not taken.
For example:
- Unlike indoor ovens, gas grills do not have temperature regulation and can exceed temps of over 1,000 degrees F if left unattended. Wood’s ignition temperature is approximately 500 degrees F, which means a wood-framed outdoor kitchen can be a fire safety risk, particularly in the absence of an insulated jacket for the grill.
- Propane and or natural gas leaks can happen. If not properly vented, outdoor kitchen islands can trap gas and, if sparked, can lead to an explosion. Recent news accounts have reported several instances of this happening around the country.
“Our hope is to demystify how to safely plan, design and build your outdoor kitchen by providing easy-to-understand resources. Regardless of how a kitchen is created in your backyard, we want to help make sure it is safe for you and your family,” said Phil Aldrich, RTA Customer Experience Manager.
“RTA is adamant that safety information should be free and readily accessible to all homeowners,” said Jayme Muller, Brand Manager for RTA. “If you want an outdoor kitchen, you should feel confident that you are making an informed decision … one that will give you peace of mind, knowing you are safe, every time you grill.”
