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Z Grills Error Overview
The Z Grills controller has 4 errors that can be displayed:
- LEr = Low Temperature Error
- HEr = High Temperature Error
- Er1 = Temperature Reading Error
- Er2 = Grill Controller Error
Never turn the grill on with the lid closed, especially if an error has occurred.
LEr – What it Means
The LEr (low temperature) error occurs if the grill has dropped below 49ºC / 120ºF for a period of time, indicating that the fire has gone out, or hasn’t been successfully ignited.
LEr most commonly occurs due to the following reasons:
- Grill runs out of pellets mid cook
- Fire hasn’t been established during startup (in first 5min)
- Ignition rod (hot rod) not working
- Fan not working (no air flow to fire-pot)
- Fire goes out due to moist pellets
- Fire goes out due to too much ash in the fire-pot
- Fire goes out after turning to low temp setting from high temp operation
- Fire goes out due to low temperature operation (Smoke or 82ºC / 180ºF) in hot weather
LEr – What to do (Important)
Never turn the grill back on until opening the grill lid and completing a full investigation as outlined below to find the cause.
Simply turning the grill back on is dangerous as the fire-pot may be full of pellets. The result can be a huge fire and even explosion as gases released from all the pellets ignite.
If LEr is displayed on the controller display, follow these steps:
- Turn off the grill and unplug from power
- Open the grill lid
- Take out the grill racks, grease tray and baffle plate so you can see the fire-pot
- Review the information below and the troubleshooting flowchart to diagnose the reason for the LEr
Huge Smoke – What to do
If the fire has gone out during startup or the middle of a cook, wood pellets will continue to feed into the fire-pot. When the ignition rod comes on again a huge amount of smoke can be released.
Follow the steps below to safely turn the grill off, and then diagnose the issue.
- Do not get too close to the grill, just disconnect (turn off) the power supply to the grill at the mains power (not the controller on/off switch). This will prevent the fan from feeding the fire with more air and generating even more smoke.
- Wait at least 5 minutes while standing at least 5 metres / 16 feet from the grill. This is because gases may have built up in the grill chamber and can ignite causing the lid to suddenly blow open.
- After 5 minutes, or once the smoke has subsided, carefully open the grill lid from the rear or side, not directly standing in front as a huge cloud of smoke may be released.
- If the smoke is not too much to get close to the grill, take out the grill racks, grease tray and baffle plate so you can see the fire-pot.
- Empty out as many wood pellets from the hopper as possible. Temporarily remove the protective guard if required to scoop the pellets out. Do not use a vacuum as it may suck live embers into the hopper. This is just a precaution in case the huge fire in the fire-pot leads to any back burning and a smoky hopper.
- Once no more smoke is being released, clean out the fire-pot (scoop out pellets with metal spoon and then vacuum), and do a good thorough clean of the hopper. Only vacuum out the wood pellets once the fire-pot has totally cooled down.
Review the troubleshooting flow chart to find the reason for the fire-out.
Temperature Drop – What to do
If you notice the temperature has dropped well below the controller setting (with grill lid shut) but LEr is NOT yet displayed on the controller screen, and there isn’t a huge amount of smoke, follow these steps:
- Turn the grill to shut down cycle.
- Carefully open the grill lid.
- Remove the grill racks, grease tray and baffle to check the fire-pot.
- If the fire-pot is full, or overflowing with wood pellets, scoop most of them out with a metal spoon.
- Do NOT use a vacuum out the pellets as there may still be hot embers in the fire-pot.
- Wait for the grill to fully cool down and then vacuum out the fire-pot.
Review the troubleshooting flow chart to find the reason for the fire-out.
Moist Pellet Clean Out
If moist pellets are the reason for the fire out they need to be cleaned out and replaced with fresh, dry pellets. Follow these steps:
- Wait until the grill has totally cooled down.
- Scoop or vacuum out most of the wood pellets from the hopper, removing the guard if required to get better access. Clean out enough so the auger entry is visible.
- Take out the grease tray and baffle (if not already out) so you can see in the fire-pot.
- Start the grill up as normal and once there is a fire in the fire-pot, turn the controller to HIGH setting. This will more quickly dump all the pellets into the fire-pot out to allow them to burn off.
- Leave on the HIGH setting with the lid open until there are no more pellets dropping into the fire-pot (auger feed tube is empty) and the fire burns out. This should take about 10-15 minutes. Eventually the grill will show up LEr on the controller screen, which is normal.
- If the fire cannot be maintained at all in the fire-pot (due to the moist pellets), just keep cleaning them out of the fire-pot (not with vacuum as they may be hot), and repeat the process of turning the grill from Shut Down Cycle to Smoke and letting the pellet dump into the fire-pot until they are all cleared.
- Once the grill has cooled down vacuum out the hopper and fire-pot thoroughly.
- Pour some fresh, dry pellets into the hopper and go through the initial startup process to prime the auger tube with pellets.
Fan Not Working (No Air Flow)
Good air flow provided by the fan is required to establish and maintain the fire in the fire-pot. The fan is clearly audible when the grill is running, so listen for that sound. Also check to ensure that air is blowing into the fire-pot.
No air flow due to a faulty fan will result in the the fire-pot filling up with pellets during startup perhaps with a small amount of smouldering smoke, but inability to establish and maintain a fire.
If the fan isn’t working, have a look through the holes in the bottom cover (or temporarily remove the bottom cover with power unplugged) to ensure nothing is blocking the fan. Frogs, geckos and spiders have been known to climb up into the grill and prevent the fan from rotating. If the fan looks clear, give it a spin with a screw driver to make sure it is freely spinning (with power off), and then try starting the grill again.
If the fan is NOT working, click here for more information.
Ran Out of Pellets
If you ran out of pellets then complete the initial startup procedure again, like the first time the grill was used. Check out the video below for more information.
LEr & Fire Out – Troubleshooting Flowchart
Click on the flow chart below to view high quality pdf version. Follow through step by step to help diagnose the cause of an LEr error or the fire going out.
