General Overview
The Sterling requires very little maintenance. However, a
periodic inspection of orifice openings and venturi inlets
to clear obstructions to gas flow is recommended. Proper
care, maintenance and cleaning will help ensure long life
of your grill. Periodic cleaning will help avoid
accumulations of flammable grease, fats, and other
debris.
Because of the high intensity of the Infra-red burner, any
drippings and food particles that fall onto the burner
surface are immediately incinerated. However, some
debris and residue may remain. To remove this residue
after cooking, turn the grill on HIGH for 5-10 minutes
with the hood OPEN. The most important way to
maintain the performance of the Infra-red burner is to do
this after each use.
This procedure will leave some ash on the surface of the
Burner Head. If it accumulates in excessive amount, it
will clog the small ports in the ceramic surface. To
prevent this blockage, remove the Cooking Grid and the
Burner Screen, and vacuum the burner surface with a
low-suction vacuum cleaner every six months, or as
necessary. When completing this procedure be careful not
to scrape or strike the ceramic with the suction device,
which may damage the ceramic. The ceramic surface of
the burner is fragile and must be handled carefully.
Maintenance
Protection of Burners
The burners of your grill are designed to provide a long
life of satisfactory performance. However, there are steps
you must take to prevent cracking of the burner’s ceramic
surfaces, which will cause the burners to malfunction.
Following are the most common causes of cracks and the
steps you must take to avoid them.
Damage caused by
failure to follow these steps is not covered by your grill
warranty.
IMPACT WITH HARD OBJECTS -
Never allow hard objects
to strike the ceramic. You should take particular care
when inserting or removing Cooking Grids and
accessories into or from the grill. If objects such as these
fall onto the ceramic, it is likely to crack the ceramic.
IMPAIRED VENTILATION OF HOT AIR FROM GRILL -
In order
for the burners to function properly, hot air created by
the burners must have a way to escape the grill. If the hot
air is not allowed to escape, the burners may become
deprived of oxygen, causing them to backfire, especially if
the burner output is set at HIGH. If this occurs
repeatedly, the burners may crack. This is the reason your
grill was designed with ventilation louvers, and the
accessories were designed to leave open space at the grill
surface. These design features give the hot air an escape
route. Accordingly, never operate your grill with very
little or no open space at the cooking surface (the
Cooking Grids provide sufficient open space).
Also, never cover the ventilation louvers with foil or other
materials that prevent air flow. Specifically:
■
Do not operate the grill on HIGH fire with the
hood closed. The Burner Output Knobs indicate the
maximum gas setting
*
you can use with the hood
closed. (See Figure 12 on page 11.)
■
Do not use accessories in combinations that cover
more than 75% of the cooking surface with solid
metal. For example, on a two-burner unit, do not
use the deep fryer/steamer over one burner and the
griddle over the other burner simultaneously. Leave
one side open. Appendix B, Accessories, contains
further instructions as to proper use of accessories
and warnings about improper use.
■
Do not cover the entire surface with foil, a large pan,
etc.
WATER OR OTHER LIQUIDS -
When the burners are in
operation, their intense heat is normally sufficient to
vaporize any drippings, marinades or sauces that contact
the surface as a by-product of grilling. This does not
include water thrown into the grill to douse a flame.
Cold liquid contacting a hot surface in substantial
amounts can cause the surface to break. Also, if the
ceramic or interior of a burner becomes wet while not in
use, later operation of the burner can create steam, which
may produce enough pressure to crack the ceramic. In
addition, repeated soaking of the ceramic will cause it to
swell and expand. This expansion will create pressure on
the ceramic and cause it to crack and crumble.
■
Never throw water into the grill to control a flare-up.
■
Never expose the burners to the risk of soaking by
rainfall, sprinklers or otherwise. We recommend that
Maintenance and Cleaning
16
Revised 08/04
