Green Mountain Grills (GMG) are excellent grills that almost never have mechanical issues. However, they can sometimes fail to heat up; when this happens, you’ll need to figure out the cause before you can fix it.
If your Green Mountain Grill isn’t heating up, first check the power source and ensure the grill is lighting. Look out for rust, take a look at the temperature control, and check for uneven heat. Then, clean your grill, and reset and update it.
In the rest of this article, I’ll discuss the possible reasons why your Green Mountain Grill isn’t getting hot. I’ll also discuss the fixes you can use to address these potential issues and keep your grill working perfectly. Read on to learn more.
Top Reasons Why Green Mountain Grill Not Heating Up
1. Check the Power Source
The first thing to do is inspecting the grill’s power source for a tripped ground-fault circuit interpreter (GFCI) or breaker.
Sometimes, the GFCI does shut off the electric circuit in case of a ground-fault. This will automatically switch off your GMG, and as a result, it won’t run or heat up until you check and rectify the issue.
Here’s how to check the power source:
- Unplug your grill before inspecting the parts.
- Find the control panel and unscrew the head screws right in front of it.
- Pull the control panel towards you and allow it to hang.
- Check the back of the on/off switch and look for loose wires.
- Fasten the wires, and if the problem persists, check the fuse.
- On the control board, look for a key plug with a black fuse holder and identify a red wire.
- Twist the fuse holder clockwise open it.
- Check if the fuse is burnt or broken.
- Inspect the filament to ensure it’s intact.
If the power source is faulty, you’ll either need to replace the fuse or the entire control panel. I recommend buying the GMG Button 3 Replacement Control Board if you need to replace the panel.
You can perform the replacement yourself using this step-by-step video guide:
2. Ensure the Grill Is Lighting
Your Green Mountain Grill can fail to light, which will obviously cause a heating failure. This problem this can be due to a few factors:
- A defective igniter
- Defective auger motor resulting in an empty firebox
- Malfunctioning combustion fan
- Too much ash in the firebox
- Too many pellets in your firebox
To ensure your Green Mountain Grill is lighting, here are some tips:
- Consider replacing your igniter. My recommended replacement is the GMG Daniel Boone and Jim Bowie Igniter.
- Replace the defective auger motor with a new GMG Daniel Boone and Jim Bowie Auger Feed Motor.
- Change your malfunctioned combustion motor.
- Ensure your cook fan is functional to exhaust the ash from the firebox.
- Avoid turning your grill on and off repeatedly.
- Avoid overfilling pellets to let the igniter light them quickly. This will also ensure the free movement of air inside the ignition chamber.
- You can hire a professional for proper replacements.
3. Look Out for Rust on Your Grill
Rust can also impact your Green Mountain Grill heating ability. In this case, your GMG may heat up slowly or fail to get hot at all, depending on the rusted part. If rust has formed in the ignition chamber, your Green Mountain Grill will fail to light up, and as a result, it won’t heat up.
A combination of oxygen and elements such as humidity, salty water, temperature, or precipitation do encourage rust formation. Keeping your GMG outdoors for a long time can favor rust formation, which may inhibit your grill from heating up.
To let the heat spread freely, here are some tips:
Remove rust from all surfaces
You can do this by applying a combination of baking soda and water or vinegar as detergent to a sponge, wiping the rusty surfaces with the sponge, and using a grill brush (I recommend the POLIGO Grill Brush) to scrape the rust away.
- If you keep your GMG outside or even in your garage, consider using a GMG Heavy-Duty Canvas Cover to protect your GMG from further rusting.
4. Check the Temperature Control
If you’ve got a wifi-enabled grill, poor communication between your phone and the Green Mountain Grill can make it cause temperature control issues.
Here are some tips on how to avoid this problem:
- Make sure your GMG mobile application is up-to-date.
- Ensure you’ve got an excellent Wi-Fi strength.
- When using the application, ensure it connects to your GMG correctly to avoid too high or too low-temperature issues resulting from inconvenient temperature control.
5. Check for Uneven Heat
If one side of your grill gets hot while the other side remains cold or slightly warm, the position of your heat shield is probably the issue.
Here’s how you can fix it:
- Adjust the heat shield’s position by sliding it toward the hot side by about ¼ inch (0.635cm).
- Take note of any temperature changes.
- Adjust the heat shield placement until the temperature is back to normal.
The below video will help you understand how to balance your grill’s heat shield:
6. Clean Your Grill
Ash build-up and dirt inside your Green Mountain Grill can reduce airflow through the firebox. This can prevent your grill from getting hot by causing the fire to go out or prevent your grill from lighting up.
Here are some tips on how to keep your Green Mountain Grill clean and operational:
- Clean your grill after use. I recommend using gloves, CLR Grill Cleaning Solution, and a brush to clean the grill.
- Blow out the ashes every few weeks to avoid ash build-up.
The below video demonstrates how to clean your Green Mountain Grill:
7. Reset and Update the Grill
If you’ve got Wi-Fi problems, getting alerts and controlling your grill’s temperature can be challenging. Your Green Mountain Grill may not heat up due to troublesome temperature controls and timer settings.
Here are the steps on how to reset and update your Green Mountain Grill:
- First, ensure you’re using the latest firmware that supports the Wi-Fi option.
- Reset the router and ensure GMG’s network signal is secure.
- Position the antenna properly.
- Unplug your GMG from the power source/socket and plug it again.
- Press the “Food” button and turn on your GMG grill. Press the button continuously and release it after 15 seconds.
- The LCD will start to count. Let it count until 999 and indicate “off.”
- Unplug your grill once more and plug it back to complete the board reset.
- Wait for 30 seconds to let your grill reboot the wireless chip.
The following video demonstrates how to reset your Green Mountain Grill for proper performance:
Summary
This article discussed various possible causes of your Green Mountain Grill not heating up and ways to fix these problems.
Don’t hesitate to check all the signs of potential issues mentioned in this article to ensure you apply the right procedure to fix the faulty parts. And if you can’t do any necessary replacements by yourself, don’t be afraid to seek assistance from an expert.
Additional Grilling Resources
If you ever have grill problems in the future, our other grill troubleshooting articles may be able to help you.
- Camp Chef Pellet Grill Not Heating Up? Why and How to Fix
- Pit Boss Grill Not Heating Up? Here’s Why (and How to Fix)
- Green Mountain Grill Not Heating Up? Here’s Why (And How to Fix)
- Weber Grill Not Getting Hot? 8 Causes (+ How to Fix)
- Weber Grill Not Lighting? 5 Causes (+ How to Fix)
- Gas Grill Not Getting Hot? Here’s Why (+ How to Fix)
- Char Broil Grill Not Heating Up? Here’s Why (+ How to Fix)
- Charcoal Grill Not Getting Hot Enough? 10 Causes (+ Fixes)
- Traeger Grill Not Igniting? 5 Causes (+ How to Fix)
- Traeger Grill Not Heating Up? 7 Causes (+ How to Fix)
- Propane Grill Not Getting Hot? 6 Causes (+ How to Fix)
- Why Does My Gas Grill Smoke So Much? Top 8 Causes (+ Fixes)
- Why Is My Grill Humming, Whistling, Popping, or Clicking?
