Z GRILLS ZPG-5502H User manual

VN092020
WOOD PELLET GRILLS
ZPG-5502H
OWNER’S MANUAL
MON TO FRI, 8:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M. PACIFIC STANDARD TIME
SERVICE CONTACT: 1-833-947-4557/1-833-ZGRILLS
EMAIL: [e-mail]
WEBSITE: www.zgrills.com

1
CONTENTS
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFO
3
COMPONENT LIST
6
ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS
8
INITIAL FIRING INSTRUCTIONS
13
SUBSEQUENT START-UP
14
OPERATING TIPS
15
MAINTENANCE & CLEANING
16
TROUBLESHOOTING
18
DIGITAL THERMOSTAT CONTROL WIRING DIAGRAM
20
Z GRILLS SUPPORT
21
3-Y LIMITED WARRANTY
22

2
SAVE THIS MANUAL FOR FUTURE REFERENCE

3
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFO
GENERAL WARNINGS
Please read this entire manual before installation and use of the pellet fuel-burning
appliance. Failure to follow these instructions could result in property damage, bodily
injury or even death.
Contact local building or fire officials about restrictions and installation inspection
requirements in your area.
This grill is for outdoor use only. DO NOT use it in any enclosed area.
DO NOT store or use combustible materials or liquids near this appliance.
Keep children away while it is in use.
Maintain a safe distance between your grill and any combustible material.
DO NOT move your grill while operating or while it is hot. Wait until the grill is
completely cold.
If a grease fire occurs, turn “off”and leave lid closed until the fire is extinguished. DO
NOT unplug the power cord. DO NOT throw water on it. DO NOT try to smother the
fire.
Clean and maintain your grill after each use.
DO NOT use your grill on rainy days.
DO NOT touch any part of your grill while it is hot. Serious bodily injury could result.
We suggest the use of heat-resistant gloves when operating this grill.
We suggest that you should wrap the Grease Drain Pan with heavy-duty aluminum
foil before using because it is easy to clean.
For convenient and safe assembly, use at least two people to assemble the grill.
Make sure the power cord is disconnected before performing any service or
maintenance.

4
DO NOT place anything heavy on top of hopper lid. It is not a shelf and is a tip hazard.
Never use gasoline, gasoline-type lantern fuel, kerosene, charcoal lighter fluid, or
similar liquids to start or ‘freshen up’ a fire in this appliance. Keep all such liquids
well away from the appliance when in use.
Do not use accessories not specified for use with this appliance.
NOTE: A MAJOR CAUSE OF FIRES IS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN REQUIRED
CLEARANCES (AIR SPACES) TO COMBUSTIBLE MATERIALS. IT IS OF
UTMOST IMPORTANCE THAT THIS PRODUCT BE INSTALLED ONLY IN
ACCORDANCE WITH THESE INSTRUCTIONS.

5
PELLET RESTRICTIONS
This grill is designed for use of wood pellets only designed for burning in wood pellet
grills. Do Not Use Pellet Fuel Labeled As Having Additives.
We suggest that you use Z GRILLS BBQ WOOD PELLETS, which are specifically
made to work in our grills. There is no guarantee that other brands of pellets are
suitable for use in Z GRILLS. And Z GRILLS assumes no liability for any loss, damage
or injury caused by the use of any other brands of pellets.
Always keep the Pellet Hopper dry, the wood pellets will expand greatly, break apart
and even jam the feed system if the pellets get wet or are exposed to high humidity.
CARBON MONOXIDE WARNING
Follow these guidelines to prevent this colorless, odorless gas from poisoning you,
your family or others.
Know the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning: headache, dizziness, weakness,
nausea, vomiting, sleepiness, and confusion. Carbon monoxide reduces the blood’s
ability to carry oxygen. Low blood oxygen levels can result in loss of consciousness
and death.
See a doctor if you or others develop cold or flu-like symptoms while cooking or in
the vicinity of this appliance. Carbon monoxide poisoning, which can easily be
mistaken for a cold or flu, is often detected too late.
Alcohol consumption and drug use increase the effects of carbon monoxide
poisoning.
Carbon monoxide is especially toxic to mother and child during pregnancy, infants,
the elderly, smokers, and people with blood or circulatory system problems, such as
anemia, or heart disease.

6
COMPONENT LIST
ITEM
QTY
DESCRIPTION
ITEM
QTY
DESCRIPTION
1
1
Grill Chamber Assembly
21
1
Bottom Plate
2
1
Hopper Assembly
22
1
Left Rear Leg
3
1
Warming Rack
23
2
Foot Pad
4
1
Porcelain Grills
24
1
Left Front Leg
5
1
Grease Drain Pan
25
1
Hopper Lid
6
1
Heat Baffle
26
1
Hopper Shell
7
1
RTD Temperature Probe
27
1
Digital Control
8
1
RTD Guard
28
1
Hopper Guard
9
1
Lid Handle
29
1
Auger Drive Motor
10
2
Handle Guide
30
1
Auger Nylon Ring
11
1
Lid
31
1
Auger
12
2
Hinge Assembly
32
1
Foam Glue
13
1
Chimney Cap
33
1
Hot Rod (Ignitor)
14
1
Smoke Stack Assembly
34
1
Feeder Assembly
15
1
Smoke Stack Gasket
35
1
Fan
16
1
Grease Bucket
36
1
Power Cord
17
1
Right Rear Leg
37
1
Hopper Insulation Gasket
18
1
Right Front Leg
38
1
Fire pot Welding Assembly
19
2
Wheels
39
1
Cable Clip
20
1
Axle
40
1
Upper Safety Grate

7
HARDWARE PACKAGE LIST
ITEM
QTY
DESCRIPTION
ITEM
QTY
DESCRIPTION
A
1
Screwdriver
E
2
Hex Nut 1/4-20
B
2
Open End Wrench
F
2
Bolt 1/4-20×0.59
C
20
Bolt 1/4-20×0.5
G
2
Cap Nut 5/16-18UNC
D
2
Gasket (OD0.79×ID0.26)

8
ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS
PARTS DIAGRAM
HOPPER BURNER ASSEMBLY

9
1. MOUNTING THE BODY FRAME TO THE CHAMBER
1. Unpack all the items, including the parts packed in the Grill Chamber (1). Turn the body
upside down and place upon the original Styrofoam packing material from the carton.
(CAUTION: Grill is heavy and requires two people to lift.)
2. Take the Right & Left Leg (17)(18)(22)(24) and use the Bolt (C) to assemble the grill body
through the holes. The front and rear are assembled in the same way. As shown.
3. Place the Bottom Plate (21) in the middle position of the four legs, attach the Bottom Plate
(21) on Legs by using the Bolt (C). The four positions are installed in the same manner. As
shown.
4. Push the Axle (20) through the hole in the legs and then through the wheel (19) as shown.
The Cap Nut (G) are used to secure the wheel assembly in place. Repeat for the other
wheel.

10
2.INSTALLING THE CHAMBER HANDLE TO THE LID
1. Lift the Grill Assembly, turn, and place on the floor.
2. From the inside of the raised lid, push the Bolts (F) through the gaskets (D) and then
through the lid (11) and Handle Guide (10). Handle should sit inside the depression in the
guide. Thread Bolts (F) into Handle (9) and tighten with Wrench (B).
3.INSTALLING THE SMOKESTACK AND CHIMNEY CAP
1. Use Bolt (F) through the holes of Smoke Stack (14) and Smoke Stack Gasket (15),
align the hole of grill body, then attach the Gasket (D) and Hexagon Nut (E). Finally use
Wrench (B) to tighten them. As shown.
2. Tighten the Chimney Cap (13) on the Smoke Stack Assembly (14). Note that the chimney
is vertical and then tightened.

11
4.INSTALLING THE HEAT BAFFLE
Place the lower bracket of the Heat Baffle (6) into the groove of the feeder.
5.INSTALLING THE GREASE DRAIN PAN
Install the Grease Drain Pan (5) over the Heat Baffle (6) facing downward to fit onto the
locating brackets so that the grease can flow into the Grease Drain Tube.

12
6.INSTALLING THE COOKING GRATE AND WARMING RACK
Install the Porcelain Grill (4) and Warming Rack (3) into the Chamber.
7.HANG ON THE GREASE BUCKET
Located the Grease Drain Tube which is on the right side of the Chamber, then hang the
Grease Bucket (16) on the hook.

13
INITIAL FIRING INSTRUCTIONS
Please read this manual carefully and follow it step by step before starting your
Z Grills for the first time and each time the grill runs out of pellets.
1.Remove the Porcelain Grills, Grease Drain Pan and Heat Baffle from the interior of the
grill.
2.Open the Pellet Hopper Lid, make sure there are no foreign objects in the Auger and
Hopper.
3.With the Switch in the OFF(O) position, plug the power cord into a 110 Volt AC grounded
outlet.
4.Turn on your Z Grill and turn the Temperature Dial to the SMOKE position. Please check
the following things:
(WARNING: Please do not touch it!)
Confirm the Auger is turning. (Wait for 1-2 minutes.)
Hold your fingers above the Firepot to confirm the fan is blowing air through the Firepot.
The hotrod will heat up and you should be able to sense the heat coming from it. (It takes
approximately 1-2 minutes.)
You should see a temperature number displayed on your LED DISPLAY. If you see
something different displayed it is an ERROR CODE. NOTE: PLEASE SEE
TROUBLESHOOTING FOR DETAILS ON ERROR CODES.
5.Turn the Temperature Dial to SHUT DOWN CYCLE.
(Please note the draft fan will stay on for 10 minutes in this mode.)
6.Fill the Pellet Hopper with Pellets. Then turn the Temperature Dial to HIGH. It takes some
time for the Pellets to travel through the tube, when the Pellets start to drop, turn the
Temperature Dial to SHUT DOWN CYCLE. Leave grill until it shuts off automatically.
7.Turn the Temperature Dial to SMOKE. Allow the Pellets to come to full flame. Once flames
are coming out of the Firepot, turn the Temperature Dial to SHUT DOWN CYCLE and let the
grill cool down.
[We suggest that you should wrap the Grease Drain Pan with heavy-duty aluminum
foil before using because it is easy to clean.]
8.Place components back in place. Open the lid and turn the Temperature Dial to SMOKE. A
few minutes later, when you see whitish-gray smoke coming out of the grill, close the lid and
turn the Temperature Dial to any cooking setting desired.
9.Set Temperature Dial to HIGH and let grill run for 45 minutes at this setting to rid it of any
foreign matter. This step must be done before cooking any food.
10.Please preheat the grill for 10 minutes before adding food. This makes your grill heat up
faster and quickly reach your desired cooking temperature. Adding food sooner will slow
down the heating process.
ALWAYS START THE GRILL ON SMOKE SETTING WITH THE LID OPEN !
After the Pellets are ignited, you can turn the Temperature Dial to any cooking temperature
desired. Please don’t turn the Temperature Dial to SHUT DOWN CYCLE while in use.

14
SUBSEQUENT START-UP
ATTENTION: If the grill fails to light or the fire in the Firepot goes out while cooking, it is vital
to follow these steps when sufficient pellets are still in the Pellet Hopper. Failure to follow the
steps may cause a hazardous “over-firing”of your grill due to an excess of unburned pellets
in the Firepot.
1.Turn OFF the appliance and unplug the Power Cord. After the grill cools down, remove all
food, the Porcelain Grills, Grease Drain Pan and the Heat Baffle.
2.Remove all unburned pellets and ash from inside and around the Firepot (See instruction
for proper handling and disposal of ash).
3.Plug the Power Cord and turn on the grill. Pellets should fall into the Firepot and the Hot
Rod should begin to heat (it will start to turn red).
4.If this step is successful, you will see flames come out of the Firepot.
Then turn the Temperature Dial to SHUT DOWN CYCLE and let it cool down. Next, put
components back in place, open the lid and turn the Temperature Dial to SMOKE. Wait a
few minutes until you see whitish-gray smoke coming out of the grill, then close the lid and
turn the Temperature Dial to any cooking setting desired.
5.If this step is not successful, see TROUBLESHOOTING or contact Z GRILLS Technical
Support to help diagnose the problem.
SHUTDOWN CYCLE
Auger turns off
Fan continues to run for 10 minutes
After you have finished cooking, turn the Temperature Dial to Shutdown Cycle position. The
function of this setting is to leave the Draft Induction Fan running for 10 minutes to burn
redundant pellets in the firepot. After the fan runs for 10 minutes, the fan will stop and the
controller will power off.
CAUTION: The main power switch will shut the power off to the controller and the
Temperature Dial Knob switch will cut off power to the grill components only. When servicing
the controller or any parts ensure that the power supply is disconnected by unplugging the
grill to avoid a shock hazard.

15
OPERATING TIPS
1.Like all grills, the actual temperature of this grill and the cooking times will be affected by
external temperature, humidity, wind conditions, quality of pellets, etc.
2.It is beneficial to shelter your grill from the wind. This will aid in temperature output, heat
retention and heat recovery time when the lid is open.
3.Do not open the lid frequently, it will increase your cooking time. You can open the lid
when you want the grill to cool down quickly.
4.Please preheat the grill for 10 minutes before adding food. This will allow your grill to heat
up quickly and return to your desired temperature once food is added.
5.Never move your grill while in use.
6.Never put water into the Pellet Hopper or Firepot.
7.WARNING: NEVER ADD PELLETS TO THE FIREPOT DIRECTLY. IT IS DANGEROUS.
If you run out of pellets and lose your fire while cooking, let the grill cool down and start
again with the INITIAL FIRING INSTRUCTIONS.
8.We recommend you cover your Grease Drain Pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil and
change it frequently. This is the simplest way to clean your Grease Drain Pan. Failure to
clean the Grease Drain Pan, V-shaped Grease Drain and Grease Drain Tube may cause
grease fires. If this situation happens, turn the Temperature Dial to SHUT DOWN CYCLE
and keep the lid open until the fire is completely out. AT THE SAME TIME, BE CAREFUL
NOT TO BURN YOURSELF. When the grill is completely cool, clean any grease
accumulation from the V-shaped Grease Drain and the Grease Drain Pan. Replace the foil
on the Grease Drain Pan. Then restart the grill and resume cooking.

16
MAINTENANCE & CLEANING
Your Z GRILL requires regular maintenance.
Make sure your grill is OFF, unplugged and completely cold before performing any
maintenance and cleaning.
Grease
1.With regular use your grill will accumulate grease on the Flue Lining, the Grease Drain
Tube, the V-shaped Grease Drain and the Grease Drain Pan. Always be sure these areas
are clean and free of grease and debris. You should check and clean these areas regularly
to reduce the risk of fire.
2.It is easier to remove accumulated grease when the grill is still warm (not hot).
BE CAREFUL NOT TO BURN YOURSELF. Heat-resistant gloves are recommended.
If too much grease is allowed to build up in the V-shaped Grease Drain or is allowed to plug
the Grease Drain Tube, a grease fire could result. It is necessary to clean these area
regularly. You can scarp the grease accumulation from inside the V-shaped Grease Drain
and Grease Drain Tube by using a stiff, nonmetallic tool. Much of the loosened grease can
be pushed down through the Grease Drain Tube and fall into the Grease Bucket. Wipe up
remaining grease residue with paper towels or disposable rags.
Flue Pipe(Smoke Stack)
Remove the Chimney Cap Assembly, clean it with warm soapy water. Scrape the creosote
and grease accumulation from inside of the vertical and horizontal sections of the Flue Pipe
by using a stiff, nonmetallic tool such as a wooden paint stir stick. Once the creosote and
grease residue has been loosened from the Flue Pipe Lining, much of it can be cleaned with
paper towels or disposable rags. Do not spray water or other liquid cleaners onto the inside
of the grill.
Outside surfaces
1.Use warm soapy water to wipe away grease. Do not use oven cleaner, abrasive cleansers
or abrasive cleaning pads on the outside grill surfaces.
2.It is highly recommended that you use Z GRILLS Cover to protect your grill .
3.You can use a high-quality car wax on the outside surfaces of your grill to protect it’s finish.
Internal component
1.To clean the Porcelain-coated Grill Grates we recommend using a long-handled cleaning
brush designed for Porcelain-coated Grates.
2.It is recommended that you clean your Grill Grates after each use.
3.Clean the inner RTD temperature probe after each use.

17
Ash
Clean the ash from the interior of the grill periodically. If excessive ash is in the firepot, it may
cause the fire to go out. This is especially true in the SMOKE setting. A shop vac is an
excellent tool to use for removing the ash. WARNING: MAKE SURE THE GRILL FIRE IS
OUT, THE UNIT IS OFF, UNPLUGGED AND COLD BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO CLEAN
ASH FROM THE GRILL.

18
TROUBLESHOOTING
CAUTION: Make sure the grill is completely cool and unplugged before you do any
inspection, cleaning, maintenance or service work.
Problem
Potential
Cause
Solution
Grill does not work properly
Power
Make sure the power cord is plugged
in. Verify there is power at the electrical
outlet.
Fuse
Remove the digital control, check the
fuse on the back. Replace the fuse if
blown.
Hot Rod
If both of the Draft Inducer Fan and the
Auger Driver Motor are operating, the
Hot Rod needs to be replaced. If one or
both are not operating, please contact
customer support.
Wires &
Connections
Check the wires and connectors to
make sure they are fastened securely
and not damaged. Contact customer
support if you need help.
Auger Drive
Motor
Locate the small fan motor blade on
the back of the auger drive motor. Turn
unit on. If the fan does not turn on then
the Auger Drive Motor needs to be
replaced.
Fire goes out
Too much ash
Clean the ash. Refer to
MAINTENANCE & CLEANING.
How to start
SMOKE setting
Start your grill on the SMOKE setting
with the lid open. After 5 minutes, close
the lid and turn to any temperature
setting desired. Read the INITIAL
FIRING INSTRUCTIONS carefully.