Garland Xpress Clamshell Grill Troubleshooting
Whether it’s for a restaurant or commercial kitchen, a heavy-duty grill can open up a whole new world of signature dishes. The Garland Xpress clamshell grill uses top and bottom grill plates to cook both sides of your food simultaneously, helping reduce cooking time and heating food evenly. Like any commercial equipment, some problems can occur from time to time. Fortunately, we have easy Garland grill troubleshooting tips to help identify and remedy issues as soon as possible.
Undercooked Food
If food is undercooked, check for the following causes:
- Temperature cool before startup – If the grill isn’t at the right temperature before the starting cycle, check the zone temperatures and setpoints in the “temperature status” screen. Proper settings should be available in the operation manual.
- Temperature calibration is incorrect – Reset the temperature offsets to the default value of 0℉ and verify the temperature with a probe.
- Kitchen ventilation is affecting temperature – Check if the system is pushing high volumes of cool air toward the griddle.
- Inconsistent gap setting – The gap setting from front to back or side to side could be unreliable. Contact an authorized technician to correct the issue.
- Release material sheet was installed incorrectly – Follow the proper installation instructions to correct this issue.
- Raw food is too cold – Make sure the item you’re cooking isn’t too frozen and is being cooked at the correct temperature.
- Raw food is too thin – When the food comes out thinner than usual, decrease the cooking gap on the “cook cycle change” screen.
- Low cooking time was selected – Increase the cooking time on the “cook cycle change” screen.
- Incorrect recipe was selected – Food can be undercooked if the incorrect recipe was selected. Check the “recipe” screen and retry.
Overcooked Food
Whenever food is dried or overcooked, look for the possible causes below:
- Temperature high before startup – When the temperature is too high before the starting cycle, this can overcook food. Check the zone temperatures and setpoints in the “temperature status” screen. Proper settings should be available in the operation manual.
- Temperature calibration is incorrect – Reset the temperature offsets to the default value of 0℉ and verify the temperature with a probe.
- Inconsistent gap setting – The gap setting from front to back or side to side could be unreliable. Contact an authorized technician to correct the issue.
- Raw food is too warm – Check that the food you’re cooking is at the proper temperature before cooking. For example, meat should be thawed and not frozen.
- Raw food is too thick – When the food comes out thicker than usual, increase the cooking gap on the “cook cycle change” screen.
- High cooking time was selected – Decrease the cooking time on the “cook cycle change” screen.
- Incorrect recipe was selected – Food can be overcooked if the incorrect recipe was selected. Check the “recipe” screen and retry.
Grill Too Cool
If the grill surface or platens are cooler than normal, check for the following:
- Improper ventilation – High or cool volumes of air in the kitchen can affect the temperature of the grill. Reposition the unit so the air doesn’t affect the cooking process.
- Improper temperature calibration – When the temperature is cool, the calibration could be incorrect. Check the operations manual for proper instructions. Try resetting the offsets to their default value, which is 0°. Then, verify the temperatures.
- Low recipe set points – Before the starting cycle, check the zone temperatures and setpoints in the “temperature status” screen. Proper settings should be available in the operation manual.
Grill Too Hot
When the grill surface or platens are warmer than usual, one of the potential issues below could be the cause:
- High recipe setpoints – Before the starting cycle, check the zone temperatures and setpoints in the “temperature status” screen. Proper settings should be available in the operation manual.
- Improper temperature calibration – When the temperature is hot, the grill could become uncalibrated. Check the operations manual for proper instructions. Try resetting the offsets to their default value, which is 0°. Then, verify the temperatures.
- Improper thermocouple wiring – Incorrect thermocouple wiring could make the grill or platen temperature too hot. Once you select the “temperature status” screen, put an icy cloth on each thermocouple and see if the temperature drops in that zone. Check the operations manual to verify specific instructions to correct the issue.
- Note. If this doesn’t resolve the issue, contact an authorized service technician.
Touchscreen Locked, Frozen or Rebooting
If the touchscreen is locked out, frozen, slow to respond or rebooting, check for the following:
- Software issue – A software problem can cause the touchscreen to freeze, lock or not respond to touch. Try turning off the grill using the main power switch and waiting about 10 seconds before turning it back on. If the issue still exists, connect a mouse to the USB port to see if there is pointer movement. Contact a certified technician for additional help if needed.
- Loss of power – When the touchscreen is rebooting, the main power could be lost. A voltmeter will be needed to confirm if the main power is connected and live. If the issue continues, contact an authorized technician for assistance.
Can’t Read or Load USB Files
Whenever the grill can’t read or load USB files, look for the issues below:
- Faulty flash drive – If the flash drive is damaged, try using one in working condition.
- Full flash drive – If the flash drive is full while attempting to collect the log file, the grill won’t be able to read the USB. Delete all existing files on the flash drive and repeat the process.
- Disconnected USB cable – The USB connector cable might be out of position. Make sure to reseat it so it can read the USB properly.
- Corrupted or incorrect files – USB files on the flash drive won’t load if they’re incorrect or corrupted. Delete all the files on the flash drive and reload the updated files.
Need more assistance? Check out our Garland manuals for more grill troubleshooting instructions and maintenance tips.