How bad is it, doc? (Thermocouple coating cracked)

[bflowjr]

I was getting ready to do some ribs, cleaning the grill with the traeger wooden grill scraper and boom... bumped into the thermocouple like an idiot.

Bottom have of the coating cracked off, but the tip seems to be ok. How bad is this? Temps still seemed to be ok right now. The part isn't too expensive, but I REALLY don't want to take this thing apart if I don't absolutely have to.

 

[TheGrumpyGriller]

I've seen other similar posts, but wondering if performance wilpmdegrade as it exposed or at least more easily damaged further?

 

[bflowjr]

I bought the replacement in case I notice a difference in performance or it gets damaged further. So far, seems to be working as normal.

Now I'll be super nervous when trying to clean the grill lol doesn't help that the traeger wooden grill scraper is so wide!

 

[BobbyQ]

JB Weld is your friend. Then add some protection. By the way, I got a spare from Traeger CS but replacing it will take some effort as the screws are frozen solid.

 

[B-Grilla-Watts]

Did something similar to mine but the tip was fully intact. Traeger CS looked at my pics and said it looked fine and I’ve had no issues with it so far.

 

[bflowjr]

JB Weld is your friend. Then add some protection. By the way, I got a spare from Traeger CS but replacing it will take some effort as the screws are frozen solid.

Thanks for the picture! I saw people mentioning JB weld but wasn't what exact product to get.

And whoa! You got yours super protected. Nice! That looks like something traeger should've done from the beginning.

 

[bflowjr]

Did something similar to mine but the tip was fully intact. Traeger CS looked at my pics and said it looked fine and I’ve had no issues with it so far.

Yeah, I've noticed no difference in functionality so I'm not going stress about it too much. I did buy a replacement in case things start to fault out... but even before replacing it I might try the jb weld BobbyQ mentioned

 

[Is1918v]

Hey guys! I just chipped off a piece of my thermocouple as well. Does the JB Weld hold up to the heat okay? I will pick some up and seal the whole tip if so.

 

[bflowjr]

JB Weld is your friend. Then add some protection. By the way, I got a spare from Traeger CS but replacing it will take some effort as the screws are frozen solid.

Do you have instructions how to apply the jb weld? Total noob here... also, should the tip be left exposed?

 

[BobbyQ]

The product information says it's good to 550F. Mine's been holding up fine. There's several different formulations of JB Weld. I got the original like it says on the product card. Check out the photo it says "Original Cold Weld Formula".

I mixed a small batch just like any other epoxy and dabbed it on with a toothpick to just fill in the cracked part. I stayed away from the mounting tube.

Lots of members have ginned up similar protection. It's pretty easy and yes, you can drill into the inner sheet metal (at least on an Ironwood). Just take care to let up on the pressure when it breaks through. Make sure you use stainless pipe strap and screws or at least not zinc galvanized.

 

[bflowjr]

The product information says it's good to 550F. Mine's been holding up fine. There's several different formulations of JB Weld. I got the original like it says on the product card. Check out the photo it says "Original Cold Weld Formula".

I mixed a small batch just like any other epoxy and dabbed it on with a toothpick to just fill in the cracked part. I stayed away from the mounting tube.

Lots of members have ginned up similar protection. It's pretty easy and yes, you can drill into the inner sheet metal (at least on an Ironwood). Just take care to let up on the pressure when it breaks through. Make sure you use stainless pipe strap and screws or at least not zinc galvanized.

got'cha

And I assume the tip of the thermocouple needs to be left exposed? Or doesn't matter?

 

[OldMayfield]

I did same. As noted, if the tip of the thermocouple is not damaged, it can continue to work well. (I actually damaged the thermocouple tip in an earlier instance, and it was bad). Good suggestion I received: check with a stand-alone thermometer/probe

I replaced it anyhow and keep it as a spare. If you think you want to replace yours, order soon. When I ordered mine a lot of Traeger parts are out of stock.

See this thread for discussion of my case.

https://www.traegerforum.com/threads/urgent-ok-to-cook-like-this.3253/

 

[Murphy's Law]

I just ordered a spare. Figure for $24 it's probably good to have in the spare parts bin just in case!

 

[BobbyQ]

got'cha

And I assume the tip of the thermocouple needs to be left exposed? Or doesn't matter?

I made it look like it did when it came from the factory.

 

[JayHog]

JB Weld is your friend. Then add some protection. By the way, I got a spare from Traeger CS but replacing it will take some effort as the screws are frozen solid.

So, if I coat this with JB Weld, will it still work or will that throw off the temp reading?