Traeger Bbq400.03 Owner's Manual

OWNER’S MANUAL

BBQ400.03

RESIDENTIAL PELLET GRILL-SMOKER

FOR OUTDOOR USE ONLY!

“TASTE THE DIFFERENCE”

Please read this entire manual before assembly, installation of your Traeger Pellet Grill.

Failure to follow these instructions could result in property damage, bodily injury or even

death. Contact your local building or fire official about restrictions and installation

inspection requirements in your area.

SAVE THESE INSTRUCTIONS

A MAJOR CAUSE OF FIRES IS FAILURE TO

MAINTAIN REQUIR E D CLEARENCES (AIR

SPACES) TO COMBUSTIBLES MATERIALS. IT IS

OF UTMOST IMPORTANCE THAT THIS PRODUCT

BE INSTALLED ONLY IN ACCORDANCE WITH

THESE INSTRUCTIONS.

DANGER! Hazardous voltage is present which can shock, burn or cause death. Disconnect the power
cord before servicing the Grill unless otherwise noted in the Owner’s Manual.

DANGER! Never use or store flammable liquids near the Grill.
DANGER! Never use gasoline or lighter fluid to manually light your Grill. Use ONLY Alcohol Gel for this
procedure AND according to the instructions in the Owner’s Manual.
WARNING! When operating this Grill, maintain a MINIMUM distance of 12” from the Grill to combustibles.
WARNING! When operating this Grill under overhead combustibles a MINIMUM of 40 inches is required.

WARNING! Assemble and operate this Grill ONLY per the instructions in this Owner’s Manual.
WARNING! This Grill is intended for OUTDOOR USE ONLY.
WARNING! Never use heating fuel pellets in the Grill, due to potential hazardous contaminants and

additives that may be present.
WARNING! Use ONLY TRAEGER BRAND BBQ WOOD PELLETS, which are specifically made to work
in our Grills. Traeger wood pellets are rated for 8500 BTU per LBS with an ash content of 2%.
CAUTION! Always store wood pellets in a dry location, away from heat-producing appliances and other
fuel containers.

CAUTION! Keep the Grill clean – See the cleaning Instructions in this Owner’s Manual.
CAUTION! Do not use accessories not specified for use with this Grill.

READ THE MANUAL BEFORE OPERATING

SECTION ONE: ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTI ONS

INTRODUCTION

Congratulations on your purchase of this Traeger Wood Pellet Grill, Model BBQ400.03.
With proper set-up, operation and maintenance, the Grill will provide you with delicious food
and with years of cooking enjoyment.
Assembly of the grill is required. Follow the assembly instruction provided in the
BBQ400.03 packaging. Removal of the Porcelain Grills, Drip Pan, Heat Baffle, and Grease
Bucket will be required for initial firing and whenever the Grill runs out of pellets along with
periodic maintenance . Her e are the instructions on removal and replacement for these
items.
Removal Instructions:
Open the Lid on BBQ400.03.
Remove the Porcelain Grills (3 pieces) and set aside. Remove middle porcelain grill first.
Remove the Drip Pan and set aside.
Remove the Heat baffle from the holders and set aside.
Open the right lower door and take the grease Bucket from the Drain hook and set aside.

Installation instructions:
Insert the heat baffle into the fire box aligning the notches in the heat baffle with the cutouts
in the baffle supports. (See fig ur e A)

FIGURE A

Insert drip pan into the firebox with the small flange of the Drip Pan to the left side onto the
holder. Insert the large flange into the V in the Grease Drain. Center the Drip pan from front
to back of the Firebox. (See FIGURE B)

FIGURE B

Insert Grease Bucket onto the tab located on the inside of the lower cabinet from the
grease Drain. Ensure that the bucket is straight over the drain. (See Figure B)

Install the three Porcelain grill sections (leave the middle section last) back into the grill and close the lid.

WARNING! START THE GRILL ON SMOKE SETTING

WARNING! When operating this Grill, maintain a minimum

SECTION TWO: INITIAL FIRING INSTRUCTIONS

(To be used on initial firing or anytime the Grill runs out of Pellets)

In order to ensure proper operation of the Grill, you must first

allow the Auger Tube to be “charged” with Pellets.

1) Open the Door and remove the Porcelain Grills, Grease Drain Pan and Heat Baffle
from inside the Grill.

2) Make sure the Switch is in the OFF (o) position. Plug the Power Cord into an
appropriate, grounded electrical outlet.

3) Open the Pellet Hopper Lid and locate the Auger. Make sure there are no foreign
objects in the Auger. Turn the Switch ON (--) and the Temperature/dial to smoke
look into the Pellet Hopper to confirm the Auger is turning. At the same time, place
your fingers over the Firepot and feel the air movement from the Draft Inducer Fan.
Look to see if the Hot Rod is getting hot (it will start to turn red). CAUTION! Do not
touch it. Turn the Temperature/dial to SHUT DOWN CYCLE.

4) Fill the Pellet Hopper with TRAEGER BBQ PELLETS. WARNING! Use only

TRAEGER BRAND BBQ PELLETS, which are specifically made to work in our
Grills. Never use heating fuel pellets in the Grill. Turn the Temperature/Dial to

HIGH. Note: During the initial charging of the Auger, it will take time for the Pellets to
travel from the Pellet Hopper to the Firepot. When the Pellets begin to fall into the
Firepot, turn the Temperature/Dial to Shut Down Cycle.

5) Set the Temperature/Dial to SMOKE. Let the Pellets come to full flame. Once you
see flames come out of the Firepot, turn the Temperature/Dial to SHUT DOWN
CYCLE, and let the Grill cool down.

Recommendation: For ease of clean-up, line the Grease Drain Pan with heavy-

duty aluminum foil. Be sure the edges and ends of the foil are tight against the
bottom of the Grease Drain Pan. Position the Heat Baffle, The foil lined Grease

Drain Pan and Porcelain Grills in their proper locations.

6) With the Door open set the Temperature/Dial to SMOKE. In approximately 2 minutes
you will notice whitish-gray smoke coming out of the Grill as the Pellets ignite. After
assuring the Pellets have ignited, close the Door and set the Temperature/Dial to
any cooking setting desired.

7) Note: Before cooking the first batch of food in your new Grill, you will need to

season the Grill. Turn the Temperature/Dial to HIGH and run for 45 minutes at
this setting with the Door closed. This must be done before cooking any food
on the Grill.

8) The Grill should be allowed to preheat for approximately 10 minutes with the Door
closed before placing food in the grill.

WITH THE DOOR OPEN

Once the Pellets are ignited, close the Door and

set the Temperature Dial to any cooking temperature desired.

clearance of 12 inches from Grill to combustibles

SECTION THREE: SUBSEQUENT START-UP

With the Door open, turn the Switch ON (--) and the Temperatur e/ Di al to SMOKE. In

approximately 2 minutes you will notice whitish-gray smoke coming out of the Grill
as the Pellets ignite. After assuring the Pellets have ignited, close the Door and set
the Temperature/Dial to any cooking setting desired. The Grill should be allowed to
pre-heat for approximately 10 minutes with the Door closed before placing food in
the Grill.

WARNING! If at any time, the Grill fails to light or the fire in the Firepot goes out while
cooking or smoking, when sufficient pellets are still in the Pellet Hopper, it is important
to follow these steps. Failure to do so may cause a hazardous “over-firing” of your grill
due to an excess of unburned pellets in the Firepot.

1) DANGER! Turn the Switch OFF (o) and disconnect the Power Cord. If the Grill is still
hot, allow it to thoroughly cool. Open the Door and remove all food, the Porcelain
Grills, Grease Drain Pan and the Heat Baffle.

2) WARNING! Remove all unburned pellets and ash from inside and around the
Firepot. (See instructions for proper handling and disposal of ash in Section
Five)

3) Before replacing the Heat Baffle, Grease Drain Pan and the Porcelain Grills, plug the

power Cord into an appropr iat e , gr ound ed el ect r ic al outl et and restart the Grill. Pellets
should fall into the Firepot and the Hot Rod should begin to heat (it will start to turn
red). CAUTION! Do not touch it.

4) If this procedure is successful, you will soon see flames come out of the Firepot.

Then turn the Switch OFF (o), and let the Grill cool down. Position the Heat Baffle,
the Grease Drain Pan and Porcelain Grill in their proper locations. With the Door
open, turn the Switch ON (--) and the Temperature/Dial to SMOKE. In approximately
2 minutes you will notice whitish-gray smoke coming out of the Grill as the Pellets
ignite. After assuring the Pellets have ignited, close the Door and set the
temperature/Dial to any cooking setting desired.

5) If this procedure is not successful, see Section Six: FREQUENTLY ASKED

QUESTIONS for troubleshooting tips or contact Traeger Technical Support (Section
Seven) to help diagnos e the problem before proceeding to the MANUAL LIGHTING
INSTRUCTIONS below.

MANUAL LIGHTING INSTRUCTIONS:

If the Hot Rod only is not operating, the Grill can still be used to cook and smoke using
the MANUAL LIGHTING PROCEDURE below:

1) DANGER! Turn the Switch OFF (o) and disconnect the Power Cord. Allow the Grill to

thoroughly cool if it is still hot. From beneath the Pellet Hopper, disconnect the Hot
Rod (Purple / White wire pair as shown in the wiring diagram near the end of this
manual). You will need to remove the Hopper Bottom Panel to access the wiring.
Once the Hot Rod is disconnected, replace the Hopper Bottom Panel and plug the
Power Cord back into an appropriate, grounded electrical outlet.

2) Open the Pellet Hopper and fill with TRAEGER BBQ PELLETS.

WARNING! USE ONLY TRAEGER BRAND BBQ WO OD PELLETS, which are
specifically made to work in our Grills. NEVER use heating fuel pellets in the
Grill due to potential hazardous contaminants and additives that may be
present.