Cleaning the Trimal S1

Cleaning Frequency

• The following cleaning frequency guide is a suggested minimum. 
• Clean grill surfaces regularly to remove grease and prevent grease fires.
• Clean thoroughly after very long or greasy cooks.
• Refer to the rest of this page for more detailed cleaning instructions

Regular Cleaning Task	Frequency
Grill racks	Before every cook (for food safety!)
Dump fire grate and empty ash bin	Before every cook
Empty grease bin	Before every cook
Vacuum grill bottom	Once 1cm thick layer accumulates (40-50kg pellets)
Wipe down grill surfaces	Regularly to remove accumulated grease
Clean exhaust panels & vents	Quick clean with brush ever few cooks Full clean every >250kg of pellets burnt
Empty wood pellets from hopper	If not using for more than a week.

Grill Racks

• Grill racks are made from stainless steel so are very durable.
• They are dishwasher safe.
• Clean with metal cleaning brush, scourer and any common kitchen cleaning chemicals.
• Do no leave out in the rain as although they are stainless steel, surface rust can still occur. If it does, clean with scourer pad or ultra-fine wire wool.

Fire Ash

Fire Grates and Ash Bin

● Never use the ash dump or remove the ash bin when the grill is operating or during the shutdown process.
● Only empty the ash bin once ash and embers are totally cold.
● Never pour hot embers into a bin or on flammable materials.

• Ash should be dumped from the fire grate after each cook (or before next cook)
• Follow these steps:
  • Lift up the lock plate and pull the knob back and forth several times to tip the ash into the bin.
  • Slide lock plate back down. 
  • Lift up and slide out the ash bin and tip out the ash. 
  • Ensure there are no hot embers that could cause a fire if tipped onto flammable materials. 
  • If there are still hot embers, pour water on the ash before safely disposing.
  • Slide the ash bin back into place (lift and slide, then lower to lock into place). 
• Once every few long cooks check to see if there is an accumulation of ash on the right fire grate. If there is, remove the heat baffle and scrap or brush the fire grate clean.

Ash in Grill Bottom

• Ash blown out of the fire grate during operation and shut down will settle in the bottom of the grill.
• Vacuum out when it starts to form a layer more than about 1cm deep.
• Depending on the type of pellets being used, the ash accumulation will differ. Aussie hardwood pellets produce much less ash than oak based pellets.
• A good rule of thumb is to vacuum once every 40-50 kg of pellets have been used.

Grease Bin

● Never remove and empty the grease bin when the grill is operating.
● Slide grease bin out slowly, and keep level to avoid spilling oil. 

• Always clean out the grease bin before any high temperature cooks (>250℃ / 482℉ ).
• Empty the grease bin after any cooks that produced enough oil to run down the drip tray.
• Follow these steps:
  • Lift and slide out the grease bin.
  • Wash out the bin with warm soapy water.
  • Slide the grease bin back into place. 
  • Wipe out any grease in the V channel and spout.

Grill Surfaces

Black Surfaces

• Use BBQ cleaner and paper towel or soft cloth to clean grill surfaces.
• Do not use harsh chemicals such as oven cleaners, mineral turpentine or paint thinners on any of the black painted surfaces. 
• Do not use any abrasive cleaners such as Jif or bar keepers friend.

Stainless Steel Internal Surfaces

• Use a BBQ cleaning spray, or fore more stubborn areas Jif or Bar Keepers Friend.
• Clean with a soft cloth or paper towel.
• Focus on removing any accumulated grease which could lead to a grease fire if not removed. 
• Internal stainless steel panels can be scrubbed more aggressively than black painted surfaces, but will scratch if a scourer or wire wool is used.

Stainless Steel Outer Surfaces

• Although high quality 304 grade stainless steel used for the grill lids, it can still develop “tea staining” brown corrosion spots if near the coast or swimming pool. 
• To clean, polish along the brushed grain with Jif or Bar Keepers Friend (or equivalent) to remove any rust or other blemishes. 
• Ultra-fine wire wool can be used to remove stubborn stains. Take care to rub with the brushed surface pattern where applicable.
• Do not use a stainless steel steel cleaning ball or coarse cleaning pad or brush as it will scratch the stainless steel.

Controller Screen

• The controller screen is made from glass the same as a mobile phone screen.
• Clean with a soft cloth and screen cleaner liquid.
• Do not use any harsh chemicals or alcohol.

Wood Pellet Dump

• If not planning to use the grill for more than a week it is advisable to dump out all of the wood pellets in the hopper to store in a sealed container. 
• Place a bucket under the hopper dump chute and pull the trap door slider, located on the rear of the hopper.
• Use a long blunt object to help push the pellets towards the dump hole.
• Once as many pellets as possible have been dumped out, enter the controller menu and select:
  Pellet Feed → Empty Hopper which will feed the remaining pellets into the fire grate.
• Dump the pellets out of the fire grate into the ash bin and dispose. 
• If there is an accumulation of wood dust in the bottom of the hopper, vacuum that out, as it if gets moist (in high humidity) it can set hard. The finger guard in the hopper can be temporarily removed (two small screws on the side of the hopper) to give full access for the vaccum.

Dump ALL the pellets out! Never try and close the trap door slider when there are still pellets in the hopper, as it will not close properly and can result in pellets pushing it open and falling out later on during grill operation.

Exhaust Panels & Vents

• Exhaust vents in the side walls can accumulate soot and creosote, eventually restricting air flow and potentially even catching fire.
• Use a soft brush to clean the exhaust holes on the inside and outside.
• A piece of wire can be inserted in through the rear vents to break up any larger accumulated chunks of ash.
• Tap the inside side panels with a brush to loosen off any ash in the wall, and then vacuuming out through the inner and outer vent holes.
• If too much soot accumulates (after hundreds of cooks), blocking normal air flow, the rear and side inner panels can be removed to allow thorough clean to be completed.