Exterior Paint Bubbling - Ironwood 650

[Greg G]

I received what I hope to be my last replacement 650, here is a post in another thread showing what modifications I made to help minimize the risk of paint issues.

Insulating Timberline850, a Covid Project.

I don't believe that the Ironwoods have internal double wall plates on the sides, top, and hood like the Timberlines so you can't insulate those areas as easily. However, I believe that you could insulate the bottom and rear exhaust ports if you wanted to lower the exterior temps and save some...

www.traegerforum.com

 

[Timberline]

3 months old. First time using their thermal blanket, as we've had near freezing temps. This is what happened. Paint bubbling all over, inside and out. The worst part was that customer service told me this can happen, but instead of replacing it they told me to buy some high temp paint and repaint myself???!!! I don't even know if it's safe to use.

 

[JonO]

3 months old. First time using their thermal blanket, as we've had near freezing temps. This is what happened. Paint bubbling all over, inside and out. The worst part was that customer service told me this can happen, but instead of replacing it they told me to buy some high temp paint and repaint myself???!!! I don't even know if it's safe to use.

YIKES! That's the worst I've ever seen.

 

[RemE]

That's a bummer, I wonder if it was some kind of combination of heat and trapped moisture.
I do know other companies don't warranty paint. Traeger has covered paint in some cases and not in others.

If you have to fix it, you can sand and paint with semi gloss high temp paint or you can clean it up and rub oil on it and it will form a black coating like a gun barrel.

 

[Timberline]

Thanks. The rep said it should be safe to use but hadn't seen any photos, and my concern should be rust. I always cover it but live in a pretty humid place during the summer months. Honestly disappointed to see these grill fires are so common and there's no warranty on paint damage. Is it worth getting parts to replace? I might file a claim through the retailer.

 

[lenolaroad]

when they send a replacement grill what happens with the old one? do you dispose of it or do they ask you to ship it back?

 

[RemE]

Good question, I've had several parts replaced, even a controller and they never asked for a return until this most recent fix. I believe some grills were picked up.

 

[DVSCYCLES]

when they send a replacement grill what happens with the old one? do you dispose of it or do they ask you to ship it back?

If they don't want it back part it out for spare parts or repaint it and use it.

 

[radridd]

Wow I just purchased an Ironwood 650. Dealer is delivering Monday. Now I am having buyer remorse. Been cooking on my Lil Tex since 2012 and the finish is still intact.

 

[BrianT]

This came up in another thread so I thought I would start a new thread here to see who has had this issue and what (if anything) Traeger has done to rectify it for you.

I had my grill for less than a week and the first time I went to sear on it, the paint bubbled in two spots where the heat shield ends. Sounds like others have had this issue as well, and are noticing bubbling in other spots as well.

I contacted the store that I bought it from and they are dealing with Traeger. So far no response.

Anyone else had this, and if so, any fix from Traeger? Seems like the exterior coating they applied isn't quite durable enough.

Mine has same problem on the front and on the back. Happened right away even though I followed the seasoning in scrutiny to the T. At first they said they would not replace it and I was kind of okay with that at first but then I thought about it. Why put paint on a grill that can’t take heat? My old Weber charcoal grill, which gets much hotter and a decade old, still has perfect paint. In any case I escalated and they are shipping a new grill. I plan to film the seasoning and my cooks until I feel confident the paint is not going to bubble. We will see. Paint aside, I love my Traeger Ironwood 650!

 

[BrianT]

Mine has same problem on the front and on the back. Happened right away even though I followed the seasoning in scrutiny to the T. At first they said they would not replace it and I was kind of okay with that at first but then I thought about it. Why put paint on a grill that can’t take heat? My old Weber charcoal grill, which gets much hotter and a decade old, still has perfect paint. In any case I escalated and they are shipping a new grill. I plan to film the seasoning and my cooks until I feel confident the paint is not going to bubble. We will see. Paint aside, I love my Traeger Ironwood 650!

 

[Jbolden2]

I have owned my Ironwood 650 for almost 3 months and have the exact same problem. I was told that from looking at my pictures they could see grease build up and therefore would not honor a warranty replacement. My Ironwood is stored in my garage, and cleaned after every use. I vaccum and wipe it down inside and out. What a waste of money if this rusts and gets a hole in it. It wouldn’t be so bad if I went with a cheaper product, but this is supposed to be the industry leading pellet smoker.

 

[RustyJake]

I have owned my Ironwood 650 for almost 3 months and have the exact same problem. I was told that from looking at my pictures they could see grease build up and therefore would not honor a warranty replacement. My Ironwood is stored in my garage, and cleaned after every use. I vaccum and wipe it down inside and out. What a waste of money if this rusts and gets a hole in it. It wouldn’t be so bad if I went with a cheaper product, but this is supposed to be the industry leading pellet smoker.

Seems to be hit and miss with Traeger CS. I had no love from them with mine either. I just noted that for any future purchases.

 

[BrianT]

Seems to be hit and miss with Traeger CS. I had no love from them with mine either. I just noted that for any future purchases.

I called them again and they are sending a replacement. I will definitely video record the seasoning and the cooks for documentation.

 

[RustyJake]

I called them again and they are sending a replacement. I will definitely video record the seasoning and the cooks for documentation.

Glad you were able to get some satisfaction.
If they have to replace enough of these maybe they will look at a better process in the future. Other brands of high heat BBQ's have it figured out and can handle grease fires as well as high heat situations