You kept the gas grill burners lit for “just a minute” after removing the steaks, in case they were too rare and needed more grilling time. Or, maybe you left the grill on “briefly,” to burn off the residue from the salmon you just cooked. Or, you kept it lit “just a bit longer,” in case someone was still hungry and wanted an extra burger for dinner.

But then life happened and you got distracted. To your shock and alarm, you discovered – maybe even DAYS LATER – that you never turned off the burners!

Sound familiar? That’s because we’ve all done it. In fact, these scenarios are far more common than you’d think. Unfortunately, the results of accidentally leaving the grill on overnight, or worse, for days, could be devastating.

The prolonged heat could damage the burners, grill body, knobs, ignitor, and other components. It could melt the siding on your house. It could even ignite grease in the grease tray, potentially causing a fire that could burn your pergola, pavilion, deck, or home. At the very least, you’ve wasted lots of gas and money.

If you have a propane grill, the problem is somewhat mitigated by the finite amount of gas in the tank. However, a full tank of propane could still last up to 20 hours on an average-sized grill before it runs out. If you have a natural gas grill plumbed into your home’s gas line, the gas supply will continue to flow indefinitely, and the grill will stay lit until it is turned off.

How to Avoid an Accidental Leave-on (and a Potential Accident)

A gas timer can help prevent these situations by functioning as an automatic gas shut-off. Gas timers are already common in multifamily residences, where grills are often shared. Now private homeowners are increasingly installing them in their own backyards as a failsafe backup in case they forget to turn off the grill or other gas-fueled outdoor-living products.

A timer is particularly important if your outdoor kitchen or outdoor living area is situated a distance from the house and you don’t walk past it regularly. Consequently, it might be a long time before you detected a grill, fire pit, fireplace, or other gas appliance was left running.

The RGT1 Gas Timer from Renaissance Cooking Systems is simple to operate. The manual control knob can be set to any amount of usage time up to one hour. When time is up, the gas flow cuts off, averting a potential crisis.

 The device works with both propane and natural gas. In addition to grills, it can be used with other gas outdoor cooking appliances, such as flattop griddles or power burners. It can also be used with gas-powered fire pits, fireplaces, heaters, decorative fire features, and anything else fueled by gas in the outdoor living space.

The RGT1 Gas Timer can be mounted on a grill cart, outdoor kitchen island, fence, house exterior wall, or most any other surface. It can be installed in conjunction with a coordinating stainless steel RTB1P Timer Mounting Plate, or with the RTB1 Gas Timer Mounting Box Kit, a stainless steel enclosure which protects the timer behind a locking door to shield it from the elements.

Each RGT1 Gas Timer is rated at 100K BTUs, so it can control multiple appliances, as long as their maximum combined BTUs are within the threshold. For instance, it might be possible to put several gas heaters on one timer. But, a large grill with extra cooking features, like the 72,000-BTU, RCS 40” Premier “L” Series Built-in Grill, may require its own timer. To figure out how many you need, determine the BTUs of all the gas products in your outdoor space.

 Bottom line: a gas timer provides peace of mind and saves money in the long run. That’s worth remembering.

For more information about the RGT1 Gas Timer, RTB1P Timer Mounting Plate, and the RTB1 Gas Timer Mounting Box Kit click here, or visit Renaissance Cooking Systems at www.rcsgasgrills.com.