Charcoal Grill Indoors

I know, it's considered a sure Fire way to get killed. But why?

I'm lusting after a Kamado style grill and for many reasons, I want it in my kitchen. Assuming I have adequate heat shielding and vent hood, why is this any different than my wood burning fireplace?

Don't gas stoves and ovens also produce carbon monoxide? Why does everyone freak at the idea of a grill in the house?

Anyway, if you have some insight that I'm not considering or if you have done this yourself, I'd like to hear.

Rhumbline said:

I know, it's considered a sure Fire way to get killed. But why?

I'm lusting after a Kamado style grill and for many reasons, I want it in my kitchen. Assuming I have adequate heat shielding and vent hood, why is this any different than my wood burning fireplace?

Don't gas stoves and ovens also produce carbon monoxide? Why does everyone freak at the idea of a grill in the house?

Anyway, if you have some insight that I'm not considering or if you have done this yourself, I'd like to hear.

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Go for it. Where do you live so I can Google the news story after you try it.

You are talking commercial hood type design..plus make up air. Other than the hood and fire suppression (i am sure your insurance co would require that) I see no problems. Many commercial kitchen have grills that burn wood or charcoal. Have you notice I mention commercial grade equipment several times? That is due to the type of material you plan to burn is no were as clean as natural gas.

Make sure your insurance agent knows about it so that you can be adequately covered if something happens.

TxBigHops said:

Go for it. Where do you live so I can Google the news story after you try it.

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Daytona beach, Florida

I just don't see how a big bunch of wood burning in the fireplace in my living room is operating under different laws of physics from a smaller pile of wood burning in a well ventilated grill alcove.

What am I missing?

Some fuels produce a lot less carbon monoxide that others. From what I understand carbon monoxide is heavier than oxygen so it will be difficult to exhaust with a range hood. Gas stoves and ranges are engineered to burn clean and to remove the carbon monoxide.. Your wood burning stove is also somewhat a closed system, air in, though the system and exhausted out the flue. Almost all the air transfer is OUT through the flue.

If you get enough CFM turnover it might be OK. If you try it have a good CO detector.

Obviously, if it's well ventilated, it't not a problem. Seems like a troll thread.

kh54s10 said:

Some fuels produce a lot less carbon monoxide that others.

If you get enough CFM turnover it might be OK. If you try it have a good CO detector.

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A CO detector is a wise idea, my fireplace is just the standard style, no exterior air supply and just open to the room.

Heck, I've even cooked on the fireplace when we lost electricity during hurricanes.

passedpawn said:

Obviously, if it's well ventilated, it't not a problem. Seems like a troll thread.

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I wouldn't do that to you guys. It was a genuine question. I've never seen anyone advocate a wood burning grill indoors, but I can't understand what would make it different than any other open flame of equal size.

I'm going to plan for it in my kitchen remodel, I do have some MEP engineers that I can talk to about it.

I apologize if it seemed like a troll.

I don't understand any of it either but I can tell you it's deadly. I'm a 911 dispatcher and we had a family try and use a charcoal grill as a heater one winter, they were all passed out inside and my officer actually passed out too when he had just barely entered the house. Luckily the fire department got them out before any of them actually did die but I can only imagine the family was close.

Did commercial kitchen equipment get brought up for this? It did?

Good... then there's your answer. A restaurant with a wood-fired grill is designed to handle it. It has proper air-flow, both out & in, plus has a rather large & expensive fire-suppression system in the kitchen.

My advice: if you are not going to re-build your house to commercial kitchen specs, then just don't do it.

Take it outside. Please.

The grill would operate differently than your fire place. A fireplace pulls a large volume of hot air up the chimney carrying the noxious gases produced out of the house. A grill does not produce the heat to effectively do the same.

flars said:

The grill would operate differently than your fire place. A fireplace pulls a large volume of hot air up the chimney carrying the noxious gases produced out of the house. A grill does not produce the heat to effectively do the same.

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Thanks, this seems like a reasonable explanation for why it's a bad idea. Even if i were to install a big ass ventilation fan, I wouldn't want to hear it running for 18 hours.

I have a covered porch out back, maybe that's the place for it.

flars said:

The grill would operate differently than your fire place. A fireplace pulls a large volume of hot air up the chimney carrying the noxious gases produced out of the house. A grill does not produce the heat to effectively do the same.

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Even more so that the grill not producing enough heat, it's the design of the chimney and flue that create what they call "draft" in a fireplace. There are certain ratios of the area of the fireplace opening, the flue, and the chimney that can work together to create the proper draw.

Like everyone has said, it's the same reason you don't idle your car in a closed garage. Charcoal has a much higher density of fuel than wood; as such it gives off a much higher amount of carbon monoxide. To counter that you would have to have a much stronger ventilation system pulling it much more make-up air.

Really, though, there is a reason those warning labels are on the bag of charcoal, on the instruction manual for the grill, and even in the recipe books for grilling. It's not something you should just shun willy-nilly and think, "Oh, it doesn't apply to me."

rhumbline said:

i have a covered porch out back, maybe that's the place for it.

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+1000