Charcoal grills produce carbon monoxide, a poison gas the CDC warns about. This checklist covers three situations to check on any home grill: a leaking gas connection, a grill used in an enclosed space, and a fire that sits too close to something it can ignite. Where a point comes from a primary source, the source is named; advice that no source gives is marked “practical advice”.
1. Check a propane or gas grill for leaks before you cook
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recommends a soapy-water test at the connection point. Fully open the gas supply valve, brush a soapy solution onto the connection point, and watch for bubbles. The CPSC says bubbles mean there is a leak.
- If you see bubbles, first try tightening the tank connection, as the CPSC advises. Practical advice: then test again.
- If the leak does not stop, close the gas valve and have the grill repaired by a qualified professional, as the CPSC advises.
Practical advice: run this test before the first cook of the season and again after you replace a tank. If you smell gas while cooking, turn off the gas, move away from the grill, and call your gas supplier or the fire department from a safe distance. Do not try to find the leak with a flame.
Practical advice: a grill that will not reach temperature can also point to a fuel or airflow problem; see Why Your Grill Won’t Get Hot Enough.
2. Keep every grill out of enclosed spaces
The CPSC says never to use a grill indoors or in a garage, breezeway, carport, or porch, and to use grills outside only in a well-ventilated area. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says charcoal grills produce carbon monoxide and advises never burning charcoal indoors. Its guidance also says never to use a portable gas camp stove indoors, and never to run a generator inside a home or garage, even with the doors and windows open.
The CDC describes carbon monoxide as an odorless, colorless gas that kills without warning. Practical advice: do not rely on your sense of smell to detect it. Let coals burn out completely in an open area before you move the grill or the ash.
Practical advice: if you light charcoal without lighter fluid, see How to Light a Charcoal Grill Without Lighter Fluid, or How to Use a Chimney Starter for the chimney method.
3. Keep the fire away from the house and from grease
Practical advice: check your owner’s manual for the clearance it requires from walls, railings and overhanging branches, and keep the grill at least that far from them on every side.
The CPSC says never to leave a grill unattended. It also says that regularly cleaning the grill, as described in the owner’s manual, and cleaning the grease trap will reduce the risk of flare-ups and grease fires. If a grease fire starts, the CPSC advises turning off a gas grill and using baking soda or a kitchen fire extinguisher to put it out.
Practical advice: for what to do when a flare-up gets out of hand, see Flare-Up Prevention: Causes, Control, and When It’s a Real Fire.
Quick checklist
- Soapy-water leak test (CPSC method), done as practical advice before the season and after every tank change
- Gas valve closed when the grill is not in use (practical advice)
- No grill used indoors or in a garage, breezeway, carport, or porch (CPSC)
- Grill placed clear of walls, railings and overhangs, using the clearance in your owner’s manual (practical advice)
- Grill and grease trap cleaned, as the owner’s manual describes (CPSC); grease tray emptied (practical advice)
- Grill never left unattended (CPSC)
For how to store and winterize your grill between seasons, see How to Store and Winterize Your Grill.
Sources
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, “Fire It Up Safely: CPSC Recommends Safety Check Before Grilling This Summer,” release dated May 25, 2011. https://www.cpsc.gov/Newsroom/News-Releases/2011/Fire-It-Up-Safely-CPSC-Recommends-Safety-Check-Before-Grilling-This-Summer (checked 2026-10-08; the release’s injury statistics are from 2010 and its carbon monoxide statistics are from 2005 to 2007; neither is used here)
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Basics,” page dated January 12, 2026. https://www.cdc.gov/carbon-monoxide/about/index.html (checked 2026-10-08)
This checklist does not replace the manufacturer’s manual for your grill.