I have had one of the small Traeger grills for a few years. It has been one pain in the butt since I bought it. It loses heat and shuts off; it smokes to the extent neighbors believe our home is on fire and it really isn't any good for anything except smoking if it is working. My daughter has replaced hers three times because her catches fire. I have no idea why she continues to buy Traeger. I will go out next week and buy something else. Traeger is hype not performance unless one is trying to smoke out the entire neighborhood.
First and Last Traeger I Will Own!
- Thread starter peterj
- Start date
DVSCYCLES
Active member
My first Traeger was a tailgater and the only problem I ever had was once when I got lazy and did not clean out the ash.
Used it for 2 years before I bought my Timberline and gave it to a Buddy.
He is still using it with no problems. You got a lemon or .....?
Used it for 2 years before I bought my Timberline and gave it to a Buddy.
He is still using it with no problems. You got a lemon or .....?
peterj
New member
Thanks for the reply. Maybe a lemon but I will not get another one. As I said my daughter's has caught fire twice and was replaced each time but it was a pain so no more Traegers for me. Ill try a PitBoss instead. My son has two of them and they just keep right on smoking. LOL. Best to you.
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Nothing wrong with a Pitt-Boss. They make a good grill, especially at their price points. Good value for the money spent. Another option is the new Weber Smokefires. They are getting good reviews.
Too bad about your experience with Traeger. Hopefully your next venture will yield better results.
Mathis
New member
You joined the forum just to tell us this?
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And hopefully he will come back and share his experience with whatever grill he decides on as a replacementYou joined the forum just to tell us this?
Most people think this site is a direct connection to Traeger, a lot of those join to vent to the manufacturer. This site has no affiliation to the corporate offices, just a group of BBQ enthusiasts sharing information.
RayClem
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If your daughter's Traeger caught fire twice, it is not a design flaw in the grill. It is improper maintenance. Fires only occur when excess grease is allowed to build up.
It is like fires in chimneys. If the chimneys are cleaned regularly whenever creosote builds up, there will be no fires.
peterj
New member
Thanks for the reply however, she is retentive as to how well maintained her smoker is. They don't do burgers on the Traeger so there is little grease from that. They use aluminum pans when doing a ham or roast. They don't like lamb so that is out. It seemed the first one caught fire in the hopper. The second one the wires burned. One the other hand, my son has used PitBoss for years with no issues. But I know where you are coming from.
RayClem
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Fires in the hopper are rare. If the fan is turning, air will be blowing from the hopper toward the fire pot. Fire won't burn back towards the hopper unless the air vents are blocked. In a grill with a chimney, air flow is controlled by the damper clearance on the discharge of the smoke stack. On Ironwood and Timberline models, there is no smokestack. On those models, smoke vents out the back. Although there is no way of adjusting the vents, it is possible for debris to build up and block the vents or there can be something external to the grill such as improper clearances that can impede vent and cause backpressure in the auger tube.
NoGood Traeger
Member
I think a fire could eventually start inside the rear vented double walled grills. There is nothing in the vents to stop some ash and grease vapor from dropping down inside the double wall and accumulating. The Silverton 620 is like this and there doesn't appear to be a way to get inside the double wall to clean it out.
Trae Bar IV
Member
The other issue other than grease build-up would be your smoker needs to be on a fairly level surface, otherwise grease will pool inside. This happened to me when I had my first Traeger. Just a thought.
My 575 has been the best cooking/smoker I've ever bought so far. What I mean is the best 4 year hassle free reliable I've ever bought.
Traeger Photos
Traeger Photos
