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How far away from my house should my Traeger be?
When you fire up your Traeger grill, your mind is focused on making the best food possible for yourself, your family, or your friends. However, you should always keep safety in mind.
That means keeping yourself safe but also operating your grill safely as well. You do not want your smoking session to turn into a 911 phone call to your local fire department.
So you should consider where you put your Traeger grill before you fire it up.
How close can you keep your grill to structures when cooking? What is the concern about how close your grill is to your house? When is it important to move your grill?
How close can my Traeger be to my house?
According to Traeger, you can keep your grill a minimum of 20 inches away from your house.
However, the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends at least 10 feet between a grill and any flammable structure.
You can check municipal codes for your town, city, or county to see if they have more stringent rules for grill placement, but safety should always come first when you fire up your Traeger grill.
Maybe there is barbecue worth structural damage to your house, but that is unlikely. Keep your siding intact and any flammable materials far away from your grill whenever you fire up Traeger.
If you live in an apartment or a neighborhood with a homeowner’s association, they might also have requirements for grills, so make sure to double-check their rules and guidelines to keep yourself from getting in trouble.
What is the issue with having a Traeger close to the house?
The primary issue with having your Traeger grill close to your house is heat and fire damage. While your pellet grill does not have as obvious an open flame as a traditional gas or charcoal grill, there is a fire burning in the fire pot in your Traeger.
According to the Vinyl Siding Institute, normal vinyl siding can begin to show signs of damage at temperatures as low as 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
Your Traeger is not even warmed up to smoke a brisket at that temperature, so exposing vinyl siding to a 12-hour brisket session can create a lot of damage.
Other siding materials may be more heat-resistant, but the possibility is always there.
The chances of damage only increase the hotter you are cooking, so if you are searing steaks on your Traeger, the potential for damage to nearby structures goes up.
When should you consider moving a Traeger away from the house?
You should consider moving your Traeger grill away from your house before you fire it up each time.
Yes, meat prices are increasing, and producing great barbecue takes an investment of time.
However, that pales in comparison to the amount of money and time it could take to repair damage to your house or other structures you have in your yard.
You can store your Traeger grill close to the house or under coverings to protect it from weather, but you should always pull your grill away from your house or other structures before the startup process.
The need to move your Traeger grill away from your house increases as you increase your cooking temperature.
The hotter the grill, the more likely there is to be damage to surrounding flammable structures.
Final thoughts
Anytime you have high heat and fire, you need to keep safety in mind. Not only do you have to keep yourself and those around you safe, but you have to pay attention to anything flammable near your grill.
If your house or other structure has vinyl siding, a hot Traeger grill could cause serious problems with your siding.
Traeger recommends a minimum of 20 inches of separation, but the CPSC recommends 10 feet. Depending on where you live, there may be additional rules and regulations you should be aware of so you do not get entangled in other issues beyond structural damage.
As always in matters of safety, err on the side of caution and safety. A slightly longer walk is a lot better than needing the fire department or contractors for repairs to your house.
Robert is a certified Pitmaster, with over a decade of experience in smoking the best meats you’ll ever feast upon. He also has a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Texas at San Antonio. When he’s not researching technical topics, he’s most likely barbecuing in his backyard.