Auger starts up long after shut down.

[davehenrie]

I have had the Tex 22 for about 5 years now, it has suffered several overheats due to rushing the startup, but I have that figured out and understand what I was doing wrong. However recently I almost blew up the house when I started the Traeger in the back yard. Apparently the Auger started on it's own and had filled the fire pot and that spilled over into the barrel when nothing should have been working at all. The power was on, but the switch set to cool-down/off. Only the auger was running, no firestart, no fan, just the auger. I usually leave the power on after selecting the shutdown setting that cleans out the fire pot. But at least 3 times now I have heard the Auger running when no temperature was selected and the temperature switch was still in the shut down setting.
As I mentioned, the firepot overflowed and eventually ALL these pellets caught fire, white smoke everywhere, my neighbor thought the house was on fire. Temps were building, the only way I could stop it was with a garden hose, soaking and ruining all those overflowing pellets. Anyone see this Auger self starting?

 

[RayClem]

I am not familiar with the Tex 22, but if the ignition was off, how did the pellets ignite?

One time I thought my Ironwood was shut down, but apparently I did not hold the button long enough. The fire continued to burn until the hopper was empty. I make it a practice of leaving the lid open on my grill until the fire is out and the grill has cooled down.

If you think the auger is running when it is not supposed to be doing so, you should always check the fire pot to make sure it is not full of pellets. When I clean my grill I always find about a dozen unburned pellets in the firepot, but that is not enough to be a problem. Igniting a firepot full of pellets is not recommended. Also, you might want to consider igniting the grill with the lid open. That will prevent hot gases from building up inside the chamber. If the lid is down, you could get an explosion. As soon as you know the ignition is normal, close the lid.

 

[davehenrie]

(I knew I wasn't going to be clear enough, my apologies & thankyou for the reply)
The first time it happened & when the big fire happened, actually occurred several days prior to the cook. I had heard the auger running, no fire, just the auger. So I fully powered it off and promptly forgot about.(I was doing other chores at the time.) So when I next went to use the Traeger, I started it like normal and it only took a few minutes for it to ignite not only the the completely full firepot, but also the mounds of pellets surrounding the fire pot.
So it was my fault for the huge fire, but my real issue is Why is the Auger restarting without any input from myself days after I last used the Traeger? 3 times total but hopefully now I will remember to also use the power off switch AND unplug it.

 

[RayClem]

It is possible that there is something wrong with the controller. You might contact Traeger customer service and see if others have reported the issue. With the controller on my Ironwood, the grill goes through about a 15 minute shutdown sequence to burn off pellets in the hopper. Then the controller powers down.

You could always unplug the grill power cord after you finish your cook (but after the shutdown sequence) to insure the auger cannot run.

 

[Timmy]

I agree with @RayClem it sounds as if the controller is malfunctioning.

 

[davehenrie]

Thanks all, sorry for the long lapse in a reply, I was in the process of moving and just got back online. Your solution has been mine of late, to let it burn itself out, then ensure the power is switched off. (although I still have forgotten after eating a nice helping of ribs...)
If the controller is the problem, I wonder if this will be the start of a cascade of failures? Can't get it replaced since so much time & $$ got used up in our move to a new home. I'll try to remember to shut off the power after the cool down and let you all know if the symptoms change.