Stupid question regarding a 'grill gazebo'

Daily Life, Swiss News and General Topics
1
Okay, so now that the huge yew tree has been cut down, we have direct, hot evening sun beaming down on our grill area (but I knew this was going to happen, so it's okay). So now I'm trying to figure out the best way to shade the grill so the hot evening sun isn't in our face when we use it.

I was thinking about maybe using one of those "grill gazebo" or "grill pavillon" type things (image below of an example), but I'm not sure if they would work with one of those built-in concrete grills like we have, where the smoke comes out the top of it, on the sides (an example of the one we have is in image #2). When I do an image search for "grill gazebo," all the photos I see show them being used only with a gas grill, which I think doesn't produce much smoke like our grill does.

This gazebo in the image here is the one I was thinking about getting because it's cheap ( ). It's 250 cm tall and has the vent at the top. Our grill is 180 cm tall, so I guess that would leave a roughly 70 cm clearance above it.

What do you think? Can a grill gazebo like this be used with a grill like ours that produces smoke? I would get one that is dark gray. Or do you think the smoke would be too hot for it or not enough ventilation, etc.?

2
No problem.

Smoke is not hot.

Tom

P.S. Are you going to burn the yew trimmings as revenge?

3
Ha haaa.

Thanks, Tom! It's funny, too, because when I was creating this thread, I remember thinking to myself "I bet this is something Ticino Tom would know."

So you think it's okay to use the grill gazebo with that kind of grill then?

4
Yes, no problem at all!

Only question will be if it holds too much smoke for you personally.

And yes, I was grilling today, yesterday, and tomorrow!

Tom

P.S. If it does hold too much smoke for you, you can always increase the length of your chimney to bypass it, or use a fan to help clear the smoke.

5
The smoke may be no problem (your neighbor may disagree but perhaps that's part of the fun) yet I don't think that'll work, the grill produces far too much heat. The heat rises and gets caught under the "plastic" top.

The sparks the hot air pulls up won't do it any good either.

6
You clearly have no experience in such matters, and are spouting total BS!

Tom

7
Okay, thank you for that input. I was curious about the heat rising because I have a feeling the top cover of that grill gazebo is just some kind of synthetic tarp-like thing, like a sun umbrella. The grill doesn't seem to send out sparks or embers, though.

So even with a ~ 70 cm clearance at the top and with that vent thing at the top of the gazebo, still not a good idea?

P.S. Tom, if you read this... we actually are using a chargeable fan out there now.

8
What about the bise? If so you need to ensure it is secured against the persistent and strong wind. Unless you want your neighbours to share in your experiences.

9
There's a reason why you won't find even one professionally built chimney that ends under some kind of roof or cover. Not even under a tree.

The big problem is not so much the smoke, that's comparatively cold. The problem are the hot fumes once it's hot and burning full throttle

Sadly, no. It might work with a nicely strong wind but that's precisely not when you'll be using it.

10
Just wondering if you need a permit for a gazebo.

Personally I would just buy a big umbrella with a sturdy base. When you aren't using the grill and are not outside you just close the umbrella.

I think what you want is to be sitting under the shade. If you buy an umbrella with a tilt function this is a very good feature to have.

11
That's exactly what we're using right now -- a large sun umbrella, tilted. I think we'll probably just continue to use that, since I wouldn't want to buy a gazebo only to find out that either it doesn't fit well or just doesn't work well in general.

I guess I'm not sure if we'd need a permit to use a grill gazebo. I know there are some neighbors with gazebos (including one with a hot tub under it) but no clue if they had to ask permission first. Our leasing company and Hauswart seem to be pretty chill about that stuff, but that's a good point that we might need permission.

And yes... That was another thought of mine as well -- that it would need to be VERY well secured, which might not be easy since there's no concrete to screw it into.

So I guess the sun umbrella it is.

Thanks everyone.

12
Generally speaking only permanent or lasting installations are considered to be a building, and thus might require permission. Also, they usually need to be larger than a certain threshold. The details of those regulations are a cantonal (possibly communal) matter, ZH's limit for instance is 2m2 whereas canton Bern's is 10m2.

When in doubt ask your municipal Bauamt.

IME gazebos are tied down by ropes and "nails" into the ground, like camping tents.

13
Thank you for the info!

It probably depends on the gazebo and what its "legs" are like. We have a 3 x 3 m shade shelter tent that we use for camping that is staked into the ground and has the ropes that come out. With a grill gazebo, I was hoping for one with legs that have holes at the bottom so I could stake them into the ground with metal U-shaped stakes, all around each leg (four per leg).

We do get some strong winds ripping through this garden sometimes, though, so I guess that's just another reason to put an umbrella up when we grill instead.

14
The rules for a gazebo like thing vary. In some places anything which is temporary might be exempt, in other places not.

Strong winds can be an issue. I prefer the sun sails but for these you need something to anchor them to, like poles. The simple versions have hooks so you can take the fabric down.

Even if your property manager is not too bothered about stuff in the garden, it only takes one neighbour to create a stink.