Few Issues with my tailgater

[jonathan1683]

Hello,
I am kind of new to this. I got a tailgater not too long ago, and I always seem to run into technical issues using it. Here are a few:

1. Temperature fluctuations: I can set the unit to 390, and it will heat up to 430. Is this normal?
2. Things seem to cook too fast compared to the directions on the Traeger site.
3. I have had smoke coming through the hopper on multiple occasions.
4. Sometimes, when starting up, the whole backyard fills with smoke. I don't think this is normal, but I could be wrong.
5. The auger makes groaning and clanking noises while turning. I'm not sure if this is normal, but it seems to be working ok.

Yesterday, the grill stopped working, and smoke started coming from the hopper. I ended up finishing my wings on my other grill instead and read some troubleshooting tips. I cleaned out the whole unit and vacuumed everything, including the auger. I cleared it out and trashed all the pellets because they looked weird. After that, I ran the auger prime again since it was empty, and it would not stop putting pellets in the bowl. It completely filled the bowl and wouldn't stop on its own. That's kind of where I am at right now, as I gave up for now since it's late. I have only used the grill like 5 times total, so it's not like it's old and breaking down (I think). Does anyone have any ideas what could be causing all these issues? I am getting very discouraged with it as it's always a hassle, kind of the opposite of what I thought it would be like. Any assistance would be appreciated.

Thank you,

 

[CMTiger]

I was thinking you had to stop the prime auger profess manually, no? It’s been a long time since I’ve done so though so maybe not.

 

[CMTiger]

I think you have to select done manually once they start to fall in.

How to Season & Burn In Your Grill | Traeger Grills

Before cooking food in your new grill, you need to season it. This one-time initial firing process ensures that you get the most out of your Traeger Grill.

www.traeger.com

 

[RayClem]

No matter what type of Traeger grill you have, never trust the temperature controller readout. Always verify the actual cook temperature independently near your cook, but not so close that the protein will affect the readout, Because of the probe placement, the controller sometimes read accurately at some temperatures, but will often read either higher or lower than actual. It sound like your probe is reading lower than actual. My Ironwood is pretty close at 200F, but at a setting of 450F, the cook temperature is only 400F. Do not be concerned about swings in temperature around the setpoint, that is normal. The controller is programmed to have some variability, just like a manually controlled stick burner might have.

;Cook times and temperatures in recipes are just guidelines to allow you to plan your cook. Never assume that the cook will be completed at the time indicated. If your grill is hotter than you think, the cook time will be shorter than expected. If the grill is cooler than you think (perhaps because you keep opening the lid to check the cook), it will take longer than expected. Always use an independent measurement of internal meat temperature to determine when the protein is done. Some pitmasters have made so many cooks that they can tell by appearance and feel when the meat is to their liking, but that level of expertise is only garnered with much practice;. If you are not cooking every day, you might never reach that level.

I make it a practice of priming the auger of my Ironwood before every cook. The auger normally runs a little over 2 minutes and then shuts down. It should not run much longer than that. Something is wrong if you have to shut it down manually.