The P-Setting, short for Pause Setting, is used on some older grills to help monitor the temperature of the grill when being used in extreme cold or hot temperatures (newer grills monitor this automatically). The P-Setting does this by controlling the length of pause between the auger cycles, which feeds pellets to the fire pot.
While most grills that have the P-Setting have been discontinued, there are still grills being manufactured with this feature, such as the Scout and Junior 20.
You can find out if your grill has a P-setting by simply looking at your controller. If it has a plain black sticker, a sticker that says "call service" or a small hole next to the digital display, then they have a p-setting like the controller below.
Once a grill reaches its set temperature, it enters a pause cycle. This pause cycle, which turns the auger on and off, regulates the amount of pellets flowing into the fire pot.
Grills have 5 P-Settings: P-1 to P-5, the default setting being P-2. The lower the P-Setting, the shorter the pause; the higher the P-Setting, the longer the pause. A lower P-Setting is ideal for low outside temperatures because it will feed pellets faster, preventing the flame from going out. A higher P-Setting is good for high outside temperatures to prevent the grill from getting too hot.
P-1 | 15 seconds auger on | Pause 55 seconds |
P-2 (factory default) | 15 seconds auger on | Pause 65 seconds |
P-3 | 15 seconds auger on | Pause 75 seconds |
P-4 | 15 seconds auger on | Pause 85 seconds |
P-5 | 15 seconds auger on | Pause 95 seconds |
So when should you adjust your P-Setting?
Because increasing the P-Setting increases the pause before feeding more pellets, we recommend not going above P-4 to prevent the fire from going out.
To change the P-Setting, use a paperclip or something similar to press the button inside the hole on the front face of the grill’s controller. Sometimes it’s behind a small black sticker, the sticker might say "Call Service" on it.