Cannot reach 450

[Alex]

I bought a Tailgater this fall and I've had one major problem with it: it can't heat to 450 degrees. I spent hours on the phone with Traeger support and after taking the auger apart and vacuuming out the whole thing it finally reached 450, but that was the only time it happened. Does anyone have experience with this problem? Are there any solutions other than returning it?

 

[Like Smoke]

Just curious. What are you cooking at 450 degrees.

 

[Alex]

I’m not cooking anything, just trying to make sure it works.

 

[BobbyQ]

Welcome to the forum.!! To be brutally honest, quite a few members here shy away from high cooking temperatures. Personally, I never go over 325-350 on my Ironwood even though Traeger says it'll go to 500. One nasty grease fire was enough for me. If something has to be cooked at high temp it goes on the Weber gas grill.

 

[NickGA22]

I bought a Tailgater this fall and I've had one major problem with it: it can't heat to 450 degrees. I spent hours on the phone with Traeger support and after taking the auger apart and vacuuming out the whole thing it finally reached 450, but that was the only time it happened. Does anyone have experience with this problem? Are there any solutions other than returning it?

I had this issue a few months ago when I first purchased my Traeger. Sounds like you have already addressed the ash/cleaning piece. I started using Bear Mountain pellets and being very intentional with dry storage in a cooler in garage. I don’t want to knock Traeger pellets at all as I may have been lazy with storage in an outside deck box previously that was subject to temperature fluctuation/humidity, but I haven’t had the issue since. Climbs and recovers to temp more quickly now.

I will stress again, prior issues were likely user error in terms of pellets in Fall GA weather.

 

[Alex]

I had this issue a few months ago when I first purchased my Traeger. Sounds like you have already addressed the ash/cleaning piece. I started using Bear Mountain pellets and being very intentional with dry storage in a cooler in garage. I don’t want to knock Traeger pellets at all as I may have been lazy with storage in an outside deck box previously that was subject to temperature fluctuation/humidity, but I haven’t had the issue since. Climbs and recovers to temp more quickly now.

I will stress again, prior issues were likely user error in terms of pellets in Fall GA weather.

Thanks for the tip Nick. I'm new to pellet grilling and I'm wondering if different brands make slightly different sized pellets. I often hear the auger making a sound like its got a pellet jammed between itself and the chute. Ever since I called Traeger I've been storing my pellets in a bucket with a lid on my heated kitchen floor, so there shouldn't be an issue with humidity- I've been using Pit Boss pellets.

 

[Like Smoke]

Nick has a good point, it is crucial to keep the pellets dry. The other thing I do is to get rid of the dust and small particles before I store them in a sealed container. I sieve mine through a 1/4 inch screen before I put them in my storage containers. This eliminates all the dust and fine particles that can cause havoc with auger. Through my time and different brands of pellets It is hard to say which brand I have used has the most dust and particles. It depends on how they were handled before I purchased them.
I was at my local ACE hardware and needed a bag of Apple, they were out in the front of the store so the store employee took me back to where the pellets were stored. The pallet they were stored on must have been 20 or 30 bags high. I thought to myself, I feel sorry for the customer that gets those bags on the bottom.
I currently use Pit Boss Comp, Traeger Apple, and a fruit wood mixture that came from Cosco, all have worked fine.
Bottom line, keep your pellets dry and clean and you should not have any problems.

 

[RayClem]

I like using my Ironwood for baking frozen pizzas. I have to set my controller to 450F to achieve a suitable baking temperature of 400F.

I tried using GrillGrates with the Traeger to achieve temperatures hot enough for searing, but it is marginal at best. Thus, I moved my Grill Grates over to my gas grill. The gas grill plus the GrillGrates is a great combination for searing. I no longer attempt using the Traeger for grilling hotdogs, brats, or burgers.

 

[midwest]

Curious what temp it is getting too? If it is getting close, I wouldn't sweat it. Chances are your temp sensor's are off so even it says it's at 450, its possibly either way higher or lower than that. If you have it set at 450 and it only goes to 375 I would be concerned. If you have it set to 450 and it's only getting to 440 I would just use it as is.

 

[RayClem]

Curious what temp it is getting too? If it is getting close, I wouldn't sweat it. Chances are your temp sensor's are off so even it says it's at 450, its possibly either way higher or lower than that. If you have it set at 450 and it only goes to 375 I would be concerned. If you have it set to 450 and it's only getting to 440 I would just use it as is.

On my IW885, iIf I set my controller to 450F, my actual cook temp as measured by a 3rd party thermometer will be 400F. That is how I bake pizzas and roast vegetables. The grill does not get hot enough to sear steaks, so I either use a gas grill or my gas stove in the kitchen for that purpose.

 

[Slimpicker]

I started using Bear Mountain pellets and being very intentional with dry storage in a cooler in garage. Climbs and recovers to temp more quickly now.

Exactly, also with me, I'm not even going back to Pitboss, BM is the cleanest and most "Traeger friendly" IMO

 

[CMTiger]

Exactly, also with me, I'm not even going back to Pitboss, BM is the cleanest and most "Traeger friendly" IMO

Same. BM is all I buy.

 

[midwest]

I use Smoke Ring brand pellets and get good temp results with them. They went out of business for a short time last year and another company bought them and started back up. I pick them up at my local butcher shop, 15.00 for a 40 pound bag.