Huge disappointment in Target and feeder system

[Jhobo19]

Huge disappointment. Using Traeger for first time. Cooking ribs Using 3-2-1 method. Plenty of pellets in grill but on step 2 pellets did not feed. All pellets stayed on opposite side of grill and smoker went out. No where in instructions does it instruct to stir pellets in hopper to prevent flow of pellets from stopping. Grill was on my patio on slight incline of 1:48 which should not affect feed.

 

[BobbyQ]

Wouldn't matter if it was on level ground. It doesn't matter how full the hopper is. The pellets will eventually form a cone. Just one of those things you pick up along the way. Too bad about your cook though.

 

[RayClem]

Yep! Always fill your hopper full at the start of a long cook and check it periodically. Some models of pellet grills have a pellet sensor to alert you when the hopper is getting low. Mine does, but I try never to let it get low enough to trigger the alarm. Because the pellets are irregular in shape, they will always tend to hang up on the sides of the hopper and form a cone in the center where the auger extracts pellets.

One thing you might try doing is lubricating the inside of the hopper with a food grade silicone lubricant. Use a light coat only. That will help, but it won't eliminate the problem.

 

[Like Smoke]

I have never had a problem with my older 075, pellets are always sliding in even when I am down to about two inches left in the hopper. Maybe the newer models don't have the same angle as mine to direct the pellets into the auger? The other thing that might be happening is since your in the southern part of the US with much higher humidity than here in CO is are the pellets good and dry. If the problem continues, I would use RayClem's recommendation and try the food grade lubricant.