Clogged auger tube

[spinner_is]

I live in an area with fluctuating temps and humidity, which creates havoc with my Texas Elite 34. I am constantly having to tear it apart to clear out the gummed up auger tube.
I feel like the motor driving the auger is too weak to push through a small clog. Has anyone else had this problem or found a way to reconcile it?

 

[MidwestSmoker]

Have you tried changing your brand of pellets? Another option is to completely empty the auger after each cook.

 

[RayClem]

Which brand of pellets are you using? I have found Traeger pellets and Lumber Jack pellets are fairly soft. That might make them more susceptible to moisture.

Make sure unopened bags of pellets are stored in a cool dry place. If you look carefully at the bags, they have lots of pinholes to allow air to escape during the filling process. Those pinholes can also allow moisture to penetrate into the bags if they are not stored properly. Storing them directly on the concrete floor of a garage might not be a great idea, either.

Once a bag of pellets is opened, you might want to store any unused pellets in either a sealed plastic container or a sealed plastic bag such as a 2 gallon Ziplock bag.

For short term storage I leave pellets in the hopper and in the auger. However, if I do not expect to use the smoker for a while, I plan to remove the pellets from the hopper and store them in a Ziplock bag. You can also use the priming feature to move any pellets remaining within the auger tube into the firepot where they can be vacuumed out. For long term storage, removing all pellets might be a good idea.