Can you use the smoker on a deck?

Robpatton1 · August 26, 2018, 06:52:44 PM

Is it safe to use the smoker on a wooden deck? I have a grill mat if that is necessary. Thanks!

Orion · August 26, 2018, 07:44:10 PM

Like any electrical appliance, particularly stoves, ovens and anything with heating elements you must use care in where you locate it.

You can use the smoker on a wooden deck however there are inherent risks and dangers. What if it gets blown over by a gust of wind? What if someone trips on the cord and jars it enough to cause the butt to slide within and drip fat on wall or element? I don't mean to sound paranoid however it is essentially a portable oven and can start fires for a multitude of reasons.

My practise is to always keep the smoker elevated off structure such as decks by placing it on a steel table/tray. I never place it close to my home or anything else I don't want to see burnt up. For example I wouldn't place it on my sundeck against the house wall and under the eaves.

Although these smokers are said to be such that you can set them and walk away for hours on end I never do that. I plan my smoking so I can be busy doing other things around home and keep a close eye on the smoker at the same time.

Yes, put it on your deck. Just get it up off the floor, make sure it's secure and people are aware it's there and it's on. Check it regularly for safe and correct operation and enjoy.

TwistedSanity · August 27, 2018, 01:04:15 PM

Is now a bad time to say that I use my smoker inside my house on the kitchen floor during the winter months :-\

As Orion stated it basically a portable oven and has multiple potential to start a fire. It should be loosely monitored, by this I mean you are within a 1 min walk of it.

I often run mine on my wooden deck. The back lower section can get hot so I always make sure there is a minimum of 18 inches of space around all four walls.

I would also highly recommend running a remote temperature sensor with a high temp alarm on it. This would be a very good early detection method of an unwanted fire.

Use your common sense and don't be more than a minuets walk from it.

TMB · August 27, 2018, 01:48:07 PM

I set mine on a table so I don't have to bend over makes it much easier for me to use

Orion · August 27, 2018, 05:47:18 PM

Quote from: TMB on August 27, 2018, 01:48:07 PM
I set mine on a table so I don't have to bend over makes it much easier for me to use

This.

Robpatton1 · September 06, 2018, 12:33:55 PM

Thanks for the advice.

waynerto · August 02, 2020, 10:05:58 AM

Quote from: Orion on August 26, 2018, 07:44:10 PMMy practise is to always keep the smoker elevated off structure such as decks by placing it on a steel table/tray. I never place it close to my home or anything else I don't want to see burnt up. For example I wouldn't place it on my sundeck against the house wall and under the eaves.

I realize that I am necroposting here, but these forums don't get much traffic these days.

If you don't put your smoker under the eaves, then do you still use it when it is raining? I have the digital smoker and I didn't think you were supposed to let the control unit get soaked. I push my unit under my eaves when there is a threat of rain, and I store it under the eaves, covered with a Bradley cover. When using it I will push it out if the weather is good.

Habanero Smoker · August 02, 2020, 01:50:29 PM

You will need to protect your smoker from rain and snow at all times. I store mine on a cart, on my deck with a cover. During inclement weather I either don't use my Bradley or I set up my 6.5' x 6.5' popup to protect it from rain or snow. The popup has sidewall so I can use the wall(s) during times the rain is coming in on an angle. I try to keep the smoker itself about 2 feet from the building, just incase there is a fire.