Over the past few years, outdoor kitchens and custom-made BBQ islands have become a staple in the outdoor/backyard dining atmosphere. To no surprise, BBQ Islands offers an incredible opportunity to bring your indoor dining to your backyard patio and enjoy an elegant and wonderful time with your family and friends outdoors. However, while outdoor kitchens can offer a great opportunity to share time with loved ones, they can also become dangerous structures in your backyard without the proper airflow or ventilation.

An outdoor kitchen structure is no different than any other environment or structure that handles gas equipment, it simply needs to be ventilated, without doing so, trapped gases can cause an explosion that can oftentimes result in terrible injuries or even death. Over the past few years, BBQGrills.com and other retailers of BBQ Islands and Outdoor Kitchens have noticed an alarming trend in safety-related accidents stemming from improperly constructed bbq islands. In each case, these accidents could have been prevented with simple venting.

By nature, propane gas is heavier than oxygen making it more susceptible to collecting in places without airflow. Natural Gas, although lighter than oxygen, can also build up. These types of gases can and will collect in confined areas, making it imperative that an outdoor kitchen be vented correctly to allow these gasses to escape. Unfortunately, there are currently no specific codes that reference venting when building an outdoor kitchen. The nightmare scenario is created when you combine a BBQ that has been neglected, a collection of excess debris, grease, and carbonized food particles with an outdoor kitchen structure that has not been vented.

If the debris catches fire and gas has collected under the BBQ, then you can imagine the disastrous scenarios that could possibly play out. Many contractors are simply unaware of the need to vent outdoor bbq kitchens. Many brands across our industry felt that there was a need to do something to prevent these types of accidents, and try to lower the number of accidents related to non-vented outdoor kitchens, That’s when the venting panel was introduced as part of our extended product lineup. Let’s Dive in and check Venting an Outdoor Kitchen- The Importance of Gas Vent Panels

What is an Outdoor Kitchen Gas Vent Panel?

BBQ island vent panels are construct of 304-grade stainless steel to prevent rust and are very easy to install. When installing gas vents into your outdoor kitchens, the most important thing is to consider placement. At companies like Bull BBQ, they place several vents in our outdoor kitchens to create a cross-flow of air. The rule of thumb is to place a vent panel every 6-feet in your outdoor kitchen! space and to simply remember, that too many vents are not a bad thing.

Depending on the design of your outdoor kitchen this could be a set of vents! on each side or a set on one side coupled with a set on the backside of the structure. Each side that the vents are place on will have a vent for the top and bottom of that side. The same applies to the other side that has been designate for venting. If installed properly, this creates enough airflow so that the gas will safely escape the structure and not collect.

Benefits of a BBQ Island Vent Panel

BBQ Island vent panels do a lot more than just regulating! the gas airflow of the interior of your outdoor kitchen, they considerably help with the help of airflow in general. For instance, let’s say that your outdoor kitchen project is near a beach or coastal climate. The salty atmosphere of that environment! over a long period of time can trapped in the interior of your BBQ! island cabinet and cause rust and could essentially decay the structure as a whole. With BBQ island vents this air will no longer trapped! in the interior of the cabinet, and instead will be constantly! flowing through the structure, preventing any chance that the atmosphere can decay the structure. 

I’m not a fan of the way the vents look’ isn’t there something else?

At BBQGrills.com, we get ask this a lot, and it’s perfectly understandable. While gas vent panels may not be the prettiest! thing to put into your outdoor kitchen or BBQ Island, the truth is, they’re safe. If you’re looking for something that will help streamline the look and feel of your outdoor kitchen! then we would recommend incorporating outdoor kitchen storage that features vents on the front of the door! and drawer panels, this will help regulate the airflow in the interior! of your cabinet all while maintaining a sleek and clean look.

The best part of being in the outdoor living and BBQ island industry is seeing how much people! enjoy entertaining in their backyards with their family and friends. At BBQGrills.com, our goal is to offer a safe environment and outdoor kitchen structure. The safety of your friends and family is our top priority when using the products we offer. This were all about Venting an Outdoor Kitchen- The Importance of Gas Vent Panels

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