We are proud to produce our grills right here in America, and stand behind the craftsmanship and quality of every single grill that leaves our factory. As with any machine, sometimes things happen. We have prepared the following troubleshooting steps to help you navigate a rare issue you may be experiencing. If you are unable to find an answer, don’t hesitate to call our office at 573-803-1816 or take advantage of our Chat icon at the bottom of the screen.
Inspect the shipment for any damages to the outside box before releasing the driver. If a corner is crushed, whole in box, box not stapled to the pallet remove box from the grill. Inspect the grill for any damages. If you would not buy this grill refuse the shipment and send back with driver. Note it on the paperwork and take a picture of the paperwork with it noted and send to orders@smokinbrothers.com
Remove the casters from the plastic wrap. Make sure the rubber expansion is not already compressed. If so loosen the nuro nut by holding the stem and turning the caster clockwise. Slide the stem into the tubing of the grill and grab the dust cap and begin to turn counter clockwise to tighten the expansion adapter. When you can no longer turn by hand you can use an open ended ¾ inch wrench to tight the rest of the way or depress the brake and turn the whole wheel.
Traditional Models
- The shield has 4 angles welded in the bottom of the grill that heat shield should be placed inside of.
Premier Plus and Premier Models
- On the fire box coming from the front of the grill into the center of the grill area two brackets are welded to allow for the Heat shield to be slid in-between to hold in place.
The drip pan gets installed at an angle on the bracket on the left side of the grill and the grease trap on the right side of the grill. The small lip goes to the left bracket while the large lip goes to the grease trap area. Always remember not to go over the top of the sides of the pan with foil on the front and back. This may cause hot spots in your grill. Watch our Grill Maintenance Video or purchase our reusable drip liner for your grill.
Adding shelves to your grill is a great way to increase your available workspace. Please refer to the following installation guides for Traditional and Premier Plus shelves.
Premier Plus grills come with two hooks and mounting hardware. Please refer to the document below for installation instructions.
Your grill should have come with a Red safety latch and mounting hardware. Please refer to the document below for installation instructions.
Step 1 – Unplug your grill.
Step 2 – Check to make sure all wiring to the controller is tight and connections are secure.
Step 3 – Check the fire pot to make sure it is not full of ash. If so, vacuum out.
Step 4 – Check to be sure the hot rod is visible in the fire pot and not sticking out more than 1 inch.
Step 5 – If there is smoke coming from the fire pot but is not getting hot, check to make sure the fan is turning. If not, try to tap the fan to start it or clear any obstructions.
Step 6 – Check to be sure the auger is turning and not jammed. If not turning, you may need to clear a jam or tap the fan on the auger motor.
Step 7 – If you are getting no smoke or heat and pellets are feeding properly, use a paper towel to check if the hot rod is getting hot. Simply place one end of the towel near the hot rod to see if it ignites.
If you determine that your hot rod is not getting hot, you can still light your grill manually, but will need to replace the hot rod.
Step 1 – Turn grill power off.
Step 2 – Take everything out of the grill including the drip pan and heat shield.
Step 3 – Place a handful of pellets in the fire pot.
Step 4 – Unplug the purple and white wire that goes to the ignitor.
Step 5 – Squirt hand sanitizer on the pellets in the fire pot.
Step 6 – Light the pellets.
Step 7 – Allow the pellets to burn and as the flame begins to go out, put everything back in the grill and turn on the grill and you will be cooking.
Plan B – Use a hand held propane torch to ignite the pellets in the fire pot and skip to Step 7 above.
This may be a blown fuse and could also be a sign that a component in the grill is bad. Most often, this is the ignitor.
Step 1 – As always, unplug your grill.
Step 2 – If you have a meter, you can ohm out the ignitor, fan and auger motor to see which one is zero.
Step 3 – Locate the fuse
- Ortech: located on back of controller.
- Savanah Controller: inline located on wiring harness.
- QueView: located in the front of the controller.
Step 4 – If you do not have a volt meter, you can unplug all three, and replace fuse.
Step 5 – Mount the controller back into the hopper.
Step 6 – Plug up the fan to the orange and white and turn on grill. If grill does not blow the fuse, fan is good.
Step 7 – Repeat Step 6 with the auger motor to the red and white wires. If the grill does not blow the fuse, the auger motor is good. Therefore by process of elimination the Ignitor is bad.
This is likely a jam caused by pellets that have gotten wet and compacted inside the auger.
Step 1 – Make sure the fan on the auger motor is turning and not obstructed. This may fix your issue.
Step 2 – Take all pellets out of the hopper.
Step 3 – Remove the hopper or front panel.
Step 4 – Remove the auger motor from the auger (5/16 nut and needle nose plyers.)
Step 5 – Remove the motor mount
Step 6 – Using a vice grip, clamp to the auger and turn repeatedly until it is out of the tube.
Step 7 – Run the auger in and out a little bit at a time to remove all the wet pellets.
Check out this video for additional assistance – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCCKQQ7bY7w&t=482s
Is your outlet tripping in the first 4 minutes after turning on your grill or later?
Ignitors do have a shelf like, and can sometimes show signs before they go out.
If the trip time is greater than 4 minutes and closer to 10 minutes, the grill temp for some reason did not get above 120 in the first lighting sequence so the ignitor was fired again. If the fire was lit it would cause the hot rod to get above 1400 degrees and therefore trip the GFI.
If the GFI tripped in the first 4 minutes, that is a sign the ignitor is going bad.
Step 1 – Unplug your grill.
Step 2 – Unplug the purple and white wire then plug the grill back in. This wire goes to the ignitor.
Step 3 – Turn on the gill make sure the purple and white wire is unplugged. If it does not trip the GFI then that means you have an ignitor that is going out.
You will need to order a replacement ignitor, but can still light the grill manually in the meantime. See above.
During start up and anytime the set temp is increased it is very normal for the grill temp to initially over shoot. The controller is designed to identify this and stabilizes the temperature back to the set point. This process can take 10 to 20 minutes depending on set point.
Little Spot
Step 1 – Clean the entire area with a degreaser. Citrus Clean, Piggys Grill Cleaner, or hot Dawn dish soap water are good for this.
Step 2 – Sand the edges where the paint is missing using a sand paper with 220 grit. You can use a sanding block and sand until you reach a point where the paint dulls to a gray and stops flaking off.
Step 3 – Clean very thoroughly with a wet sponge to get all the debris away.
Step 4 – Come back with some denatured alcohol to prep the metal. Let it dry.
Step 5 – Use high temp gloss black paint. You will need a glass jar and a small art brush.
Step 6 – Spray the paint into the jar and use the brush to apply to the spot. You can let dry for a bit until tacky then dab with a paper towel and let dry.
Repeat this step 3 to 4 times to help blend the spot into the grills finish.
Big Spot
Step 1 – Clean the entire area with a degreaser. Citrus Clean, Piggys Grill Cleaner, hot Dawn dish soap water are good for this.
Step 2 – Sand the edges where the paint is missing using a sand paper with 220 grit. You can use a sanding block and sand until you reach a point where the paint dulls to a gray and stops flaking off.
Step 3 – Clean very thoroughly with a wet sponge to get all the debris away.
Step 4 – Come back with some denatured alcohol to prep the metal. Let it dry.
Step 5 – You can remove the grill lids if you would like to help isolate for painting by spraying wd-40 on the threads of the bolts and nuts and let sit for a moment. Then use a No. 3 Phillips screw driver and 7/16 wrench for the grill lid and 2 7/16 for the hopper lid.
Step 6 – Tape off the area that does not need to be touched up. You can use a high temp gloss black paint Spray the paint to apply to the spot. You can let dry for a bit until tacky then dab with a paper towel and let dry.
Repeat this step 3 to 4 times to help blend the spot into the grills finish.
This is an error in lighting and occurs when the relight sequence is triggered for a second time on the grill. Please take the following steps:
- Unplug your grill
- Check the wire connections on the fan, auger motor and Ignitor
- the hopper for pellets – add pellets and put a handful just to cover the ignitor in the firepot and start your grill.
- check the auger for movement – if auger is not moving check to see if the a wire has become tangled in the fan attached to the auger motor. If not your auger is jammed and proceed to the step on how to unjam and auger.
- Cehck to make sure the combustion fan is turning – if not turning spin the blades with a pencil/pen while grill is on to see if it frees it. The fan has a low torque and sometimes can be stuck from dust particles.
- check the ignitor for warmth with a paper towel it should turn it colors. If the paper towl does not change colors you need a new hot rod. But you can still cook today by lighting the grill manually.
This code means that the RTD Sensor (grill temperature probe) has lost connection. Please take the following steps:
- Unplug your grill
- Remove the controller and check the terminal block at the top of the controller to have the two wires connected to it. If they are connected you can try to reterminate and put everything back together and see if it works. If not you need a new RTD sensor.
- Check to see if the RTD sensor is still secure to its stainless steel base. If it is not you need a new rtd sensor (this occurred by some object hitting the rod)
This is the cool down timer. It means the grill has been turned to the off position.
This means the Ignition Sequence or a Re-Light Sequence is in progress. A Re-Light Sequence occurs when your grill falls below 120 degrees.
The P-Settings should not be adjusted without talking to your local dealer first. Factory setting is P-5.
The P-Setting is strictly a timer setting and does not have a set temperature point. It controls how long the auger is left off before coming on for 15 seconds. P-Settings start at 0 and is equal to a 35 second break for the auger and each setting increases the break by 5 seconds.
IMPORTANT – If the grill’s temperature falls below 120, it will go through the Re-Light Sequence one time. If it falls below 120 again it will turn off the grill and display an “ERL” code. This is because your P-Setting is too high and needs to be reduced. We suggest you only change the P-Setting by 1 increment then wait 20 minutes before making another adjustment.
For normal grill operation, the P-Setting should be 5 for Winter and 6 for Summer.
The RTD sensor wires may be loose on terminals 1 & 2 of your controller. Please take these steps:
- Unplug grill
- Take the control panel off
- Loosen the terminals 1 & 2.
- Place the wires back on terminals 1 and 2, being careful to make sure to only to get the wire inserted and not the rubber covering.
- You may also put di-eletric grease under the terminals before placing the RTD wires back on the terminals.
If this does not fix the problem, your RTD sensor is bad. You can use your meat probe for a temporary RTD sensor. Put the wires from 3 & 4 to terminals 1 & 2 and then plug your meat probe in and go through the chimney stack or the port on your grill. This will work for a temporary fix, until we can get a replacement RTD sensor sent your way.
This means that the AUG button has been pressed. If so, press the AUG button and this will turn the ACC function off. This is used to heat the grill up at a faster rate but should be monitored closely because it does not have temperature control and will need to be turned off manually.
This means the grill is in cool down mode and will shut off in 10 minutes or when grill temp is below 120.
This indicates that the auto-tune process is in progress. If you did not do this, turn the grill off and back on. This will reset the controller to normal grill operation.
In the parameters the AT may have been changed from standard 3 to 1. To change:
- Hold down the SET button until you see IGN on the top screen.
- Release then use the SET button to scroll through the parameters. You are looking for one that says AT on the top screen (the 3rd parameter)
- Change the 1 to 3 by using the arrow keys.
- Scroll through the parameters screen until you get back to your original screen.
Much like AT1, this indicates that the auto-tune process is in progress. If you did not do this, turn the grill off and back on. This will reset the controller to normal grill operation.
In the parameters the AT may have been changed from standard 3 to 2. To change:
- Hold down the SET button until you see IGN on the top screen.
- Release then use the SET button to scroll through the parameters. You are looking for one that says AT on the top screen (the 3rd parameter)
- Change the 2 to 3 by using the arrow keys.
- Scroll through the parameters screen until you get back to your original screen.
The controller is in cold smoke mode. If this was not intentional, simply press the power button to turn off the grill then press the power button again to turn your grill back on.
This means your grill is Manual mode and will no longer be controlled by the temperature inside the grill. Pressing the A/M button again will put the grill back into Automatic mode.
The buttons could be stuck. Please take these steps:
- Unplug your grill.
- Press the plastic tab on the bottom of the black plastic upward and pull away from the grill.
- This will slide out the mother board completely.
- Take a can of air and try to spray between the front and the buttons if you can.
- You can also gently tap it on the side to see if the button will release.
- Slide back into the plastic box.
If this does not fix the issue please contact Savanah Stoker directly for assistance.
This simply means that the RTD sensor was not located upon start of the grill. Check the RTD connection.
This means that the RTD sensor was located upon start of the grill, but lost connection during the cook. Check the RTD connection.
Grill failed to start. Unit is unsafe for operation.
Ignition has failed, meaning the hot rod attempted to light pellets for 10 minutes but was unsuccessful.
The grill has reached a temperature above the maximum threshold of 500 degrees and should be cooled down.
Controller is attempting to follow a recipe that requires a meat probe, but meat probe is not detected. Please plug in meat probe.
The grill has fired up but a button on the controller is stuck.
Grill power has been turned off and is in the automated cool down process. Grill lid should be open during this process.
The grill is in the process of “charging” the auger. This lasts for four minutes and will turn off when complete.
The grill is in the set up parameters waiting for you to set an initial temperature. After 25 seconds, grill will return to normal mode.
This will display the current auger percentage that the controller is set to. This can be removed by simply pressing the AUG button one time.
This will allow you to control the Auger % with the arrow buttons. To return back to normal operation press the AUG button once.
We have prepared two easy to follow videos to walk you through this process Step by step. Check them out below:
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On average our grills will use 1 pound of pellets an hour set at 300. This can be heavily dependent on the quality of the pellets you are using.
You do not have to use Smokin Brothers, but it is highly recommended when possible. The grill will perform the most optimal because all pellets are not created equal just like grills!
The range under normal operation is 150 to 450. A grill’s max temp is dependent on the quality of pellets being used and fruit woods will produce lower BTUs making it difficult to reacher higher temperatures. With the use of our HeatWaves, you can be directing 600 degree air across the grid surface to help sear and cook at higher temps.
When cooking above 300 degrees, degrees set temp to 225 and let cook for 5 minutes. Then shut the grill off and raise the grill lid until completely cool.
If cooking below below 300, simply turn the grill off and raise the grill lid until cool.
We HIGHLY recommend you store your pellets in a climate-controlled environment. You are safe to leave your pellets in your hopper if you cook more often than once in 6 months.
Absolutely! The wrapped lids on our grills do an amazing job of keeping the weather out and the heat and smoke in regardless of weather.
This is definitely a matter of preference. However, we recommend you wipe your grill down after every cook and clean out the ash every 30-40 pounds of pellets.
Our warranty is 3 years and covers nearly anything as long as it is normal wear and tear.
We recommend you maintain a minimum clearance of one foot away from your house, but more if available.
ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!
We don’t like to wear turtlenecks and neither do our grills.
In the event you are having issues with your Hot Rod or are unable to get your grill to heat up. Follow these easy steps to get your grill cooking manually:
- Take everything out of the grill grease pan and heat shield.
- Make sure the grill is off.
- Place a handful of pellets in the fire pot.
- Unplug the purple and white wire that goes to the ignitor.
- Take hand sanitizer and squirt on the pellets.
- Light the pellets.
- Let the flame go out then put everything back in the grill.
- Turn on the grill and you will be cooking.
You can also use a hand held propane torch to ignite the pellets in the fire pot.
We believe wholeheartedly in our powder coat design, but some times things happen. Even the smallest of dings to the coating, sometimes small enough to not be noticeable, can allow oxidation to occur and cause failure of the coating. Here is our recommendation on touching up.
- Clean the entire area with a degreaser. Citrus Clean, Piggys grill cleaner, or hot Dawn dish soap water are good for this.
- Sand the edges where the paint is missing using a sand paper with 220 grit. You can use a sanding block. You sand until you reach a point where the paint dulls to a gray and stops flaking off.
- Clean very thoroughly with a wet sponge to get all the debris away, and come back with some denatured alcohol to prep the metal.
- Let it dry.
- Use high-temp gloss black bbq paint. You will need a glass jar and a small art brush.
- Spray the paint into the jar and use the brush to apply to the spot. You can let dry for a bit until tacky then dab with a paper towel and let dry.
- Repeat this step 3 to 4 times to help blend the spot into the grills finish.
Areas Around Lid and Hinges:
- Same steps as above.
- You can remove the lid if you would like to help isolate the painting. We would spray WD-40 on the threads of the bolts and nuts and let sit for a moment. Then use a No. 3 Phillips screw driver and 7/16 wrench for the grill lid and 2 7/16 for the hopper lid.
- Tape off the area that does not need to be touched up.
Easy Cleaning Tips:
- Place a 1 quart sour cream or yogurt container in your drip bucket to keep the bucket looking pretty and dispose of the container when full. You can also put kitty litter in the bottom of the bucket to help the grease come out of the bucket when full.
- Use our reusable drip liner for your drip pan. Simply roll it up and shake the debris into the trash. You can also soak the drip liner in Dawn and rinse for tougher debris.
- Vacuum the fire pot and bottom of your grill after 30 to 40 pounds of pellet use.
- Before long cooks clean the ash out. This helps with temperature control.
- Clean the grill temp probe every 30-40 pounds of pellets used.
- Hot Dawn dish soap water will help remove grease and grime from the outside of your grill. Always come back with just a wet rag to remove any soap scum that may be left.
- To clean your grids, make a mixture of one tbsp of Dawn, one tbsp of white vinegar and 2 cups of water. Spray on the grids and let sit for a bit. Then wipe off the grids and rinse.
- Clean your chimney stack once in a while by removing and soaking in a bucket of dish soap. Rinse and dry and place back on the grill.