Crikey! How could I forget the islandâs assault on our outdoor grills? But I did, as a dozen barbecuing cooks reminded me in short order. âSpot on,â said a former Floridian, âbut you didnât even get into the average lifespan of an outdoor grill.â He wasnât alone in advising not to spend a mini fortune on an outdoor grill. Those beasts-and-beauts that claim pride of place on your deck up north donât play well with our sun, sand and water-in-all-forms-except ice. You can maybe get three years out of a grill â if you keep it covered, drag it in when it rains and elevate it out of the flood zone. Thatâs about how long our first one survived. The second one has made it longer because Ranger Ed replaced the rusted-out thingies that hold the wheels in place with a couple chunks of wood. We canât wheel it around anymore, but it still cooks.