Outdoor kitchens and living rooms are a great place to spend summer evenings and are becoming a common extension of modern homes.
Make your outdoor room as safe as your indoor rooms.
First, before plugging in even one outdoor appliance, upgrade your outdoor outlets. Each should be a three-prong outlet, protected by a ground-fault circuit interrupter with its own weatherproof cover. Without a proper cover, moisture can get into outlets and cause a malfunction or shock.
Only use appliances outside that the manufacturer says are safe for outdoor use rather than moving indoor appliances to your patio. Outdoor temperatures that are too hot or too cold can damage refrigerators and icemakers designed for indoor use.
As the popularity of outdoor rooms grows, more manufacturers are creating products that can hold up to the elements and withstand wet weather. You can find refrigerators, freezers, wine chillers, keg tappers and icemakers with a safety stamp from Underwriters Laboratories or another rating agency that ensures the appliance is safe to use outdoors.
