Pellet build up in new Traeger 22???

[IM4DHERD]

So what causes this? 2nd cook on new Traeger 22.

 

[RayClem]

It looks like the auger fed pellets faster than the fire was consuming them.

The igniter rod turns on when you push the igniter button. It stays on for several minutes to allow the fire to get a good start. After that the igniter turns off and the fire in the pot should continue to burn. However, for that to occur, there has to be the right amount of air to blowing to fan the flames.

When you pushed the igniter button, could you hear the fan blowing?

What were the conditions of the cook....controller temperature, etc.?

 

[IM4DHERD]

22nd cook so not sure just what I might be hearing. Once I turn it on, I hear a whirring sound which could be the fan and auger or one or the other. No igniter button? See pic of control panel.

I vacuumed out the fire hole and the auger. Filled the pellet bin. Set the temp to 180 and turned it on. Took quite a while, it seems, to get up to temp. At one point it surged up to 220, but I read that I needed to pull it out of the sun and that got the temp back down. Using the 3/2/1 on a 3 # brisket, I turned the heat up to 250 after the first 3 hours even though the meat was at only 145, not the prescribed 165. After a bit I noticed the temp was closter to 120 than 250 then saw what you see in the first pic. Brought the meat in and finished it in the oven.

 

[IM4DHERD]

2nd cook, not 22nd

 

[Lie2me]

I have the same problem on my pro-34, only it happens when I turn the temperature down. Called Traeger for resolution. Not much help.

 

[Jayhawkwx]

22nd cook so not sure just what I might be hearing. Once I turn it on, I hear a whirring sound which could be the fan and auger or one or the other. No igniter button? See pic of control panel.

I vacuumed out the fire hole and the auger. Filled the pellet bin. Set the temp to 180 and turned it on. Took quite a while, it seems, to get up to temp. At one point it surged up to 220, but I read that I needed to pull it out of the sun and that got the temp back down. Using the 3/2/1 on a 3 # brisket, I turned the heat up to 250 after the first 3 hours even though the meat was at only 145, not the prescribed 165. After a bit I noticed the temp was closter to 120 than 250 then saw what you see in the first pic. Brought the meat in and finished it in the oven.

Did you turn it on smoke first before setting your temp to 180*? Turning on to smoke allows the hot rod to start burning pellets in the fire port. After you see smoke, turn the control panel to your desired setting. This is what the instructions call for rather than setting to your desired temperature and turning the unit on.

 

[IM4DHERD]

I did, but maybe didn't wait long enough???

 

[Jayhawkwx]

I did, but maybe didn't wait long enough???

After turning to the smoke setting, wait 4-7 minutes or until you see smoke coming out the chimney. Then turn to your desired temperature setting. FWIW-I never turn my desired setting over 275*. Low & slow for these older units. If I need to cook anything above 275*, it goes o the Weber gasser.

 

[Like Smoke]

I pulled up the starting instructions for the Pro 22. It states,
(Close the grill door. Turn the temperature dial to your
desired temperature. After two minutes pellets will begin
to ignite and whitish-gray smoke will come out of the grill.
For best results, allow the grill to preheat for 10 minutes
with the door closed before placing food in the grill.)

Like Jayhawkyz stated. My older one says to set the controller to the smoke setting, with cover open. When visible smoke is exiting from the unit, close the lid and set the controller to the desired temp setting. Not sure what has changed but you might try the old method and see if it works any better.

 

[RayClem]

I don't have one of the older grills; I have an Ironwood 885. Although the instructions say to ignite the grill with the cover closed, I always leave the cover open until the thick white smoke starts to thin out. Then I close the lid. That procedure has worked well for me.