MEDICINE HAT, AB. – After a long winter, Southern Alberta is finally starting to experience some summer like weather.
Many people could be firing up their barbecues for the first time this spring.
Curtis Sjodin with the Medicine Hat Fire Department is encouraging the grill enthusiasts to be on the lookout for winter build up.
“Sometimes you can have a build up of spider webs, birds nests,” he said. “Check for leaks, if you smell any sort of leaks make sure to shut it off and get it repaired.”
Sjodin explained barbecues need to be away from the sides of homes or they could be a fire risk.
“You wanna have a metre clearance all the way around your barbecue,” he said. “We see it with small decks, and then the siding will catch on fire.”
Using a bristle brush to clean a barbecue grill is a common tool for grill masters, but take caution as Health Canada reports last year 1.5 out of 100,000 emergency room visits were a result of barbecue brush injuries. The bristles had been lodged in eyes, digestive and/or respiratory tracts in patients.
Health Canada currently does not have a health standard for bristle barbecue brushes but they are looking to develop voluntary regulations for safety labels, manufacturing and safety testing.
Rob Craats with Redcliff Home Hardware has been selling barbecue’s for over 30 years. He said barbecue tools haven’t changed a lot but it’s worth paying for quality.
“A lot of it has to do with price,” he said. “I mean not trying to slam the dollar stores but you can’t expect a dollar brush to be of great quality.”
Craats said to look for a bristle brush with a wooden block to hold onto the bristles better or you can opt for a different tool to clean the grill.
“The bristle-less will go up to about $7 or $8 and the wooden paddles are between $12 or $15 dollars,” he said. “It’s not a huge investment if you think of it over the course of a summer.”
Swapping out your tools regularly is important to ensure they aren’t breaking down and leaving pieces behind on grill, Craats said.
“These things are semi disposable,” he said. “Don’t expect to get 2 or 3 years life out of it, when it’s plugged full of debris buy a new one.”
