Pro 22 Will not stay at Smoke or 180 degree setting

[Don623]

I have had this smoker for three months and used it with no problems at least six times. Trying to smoke some beef jerky and need temp to stay below 180. Fired up the smoker as per instructions but it will not stop at 180, the temp goes to 230-240 range and stays there. I turned it up to see if it will go higher and it will but it will not go below the 230 degree mark. Seems like a bad controller.

 

[NoGood Traeger]

I have had this smoker for three months and used it with no problems at least six times. Trying to smoke some beef jerky and need temp to stay below 180. Fired up the smoker as per instructions but it will not stop at 180, the temp goes to 230-240 range and stays there. I turned it up to see if it will go higher and it will but it will not go below the 230 degree mark. Seems like a bad controller.

Did you start using a hotter burning pellet type?

My new Silverton 620 does similar. With a set point of 225, the Traeger temp display stabilizes and swings between 257 and 270. A 3rd party temp probe shows at grate level, grill center, a temp centered around 202.

 

[RayClem]

You live in Texas and July has just ended. Usually mid-July through the end of August will be the hottest period of the year. I live in Northern Illinois near Chicago. Even here, during the daytime, my grill can reach over 150F in the sun without ever igniting the pellets. How do you expect to be able to keep the temperature under 180F in that type of weather.

You have a few options:
1. Wait until Fall or Winter and try your jerky again.
2. Start your grill late in the evening after then sun goes down and allow it to smoke through the night.
3. Build a canopy to shade your Traeger use a fan to cool it down during the day.
Either option should greatly improve your chances of staying under 180F.

 

[Don623]

Did you start using a hotter burning pellet type?

My new Silverton 620 does similar. With a set point of 225, the Traeger temp display stabilizes and swings between 257 and 270. A 3rd party temp probe shows at grate level, grill center, a temp centered around 202.

Using same pellets I have used for the last three cooks.... Bear Mountain

 

[Shedd]

I have had this smoker for three months and used it with no problems at least six times. Trying to smoke some beef jerky and need temp to stay below 180. Fired up the smoker as per instructions but it will not stop at 180, the temp goes to 230-240 range and stays there. I turned it up to see if it will go higher and it will but it will not go below the 230 degree mark. Seems like a bad controller.

Could it have something to do with the extreme heat and humidity we’ve been experiencing? I noticed mine was running a little hotter than the 275 I had it on but didn’t have a prob in to compare.

 

[L10nel]

This low temperature issue is known, but not really acknowledged by Traeger. I have a new (2 months) pro 575 that cannot achieve anything lower than 250° - and that's with a165° temp setting, a 4:30am ignite, ambient 48°, and no wind. Spent quite a bit of time with multiple levels in Traeger support including corporate. Done all the trouble shooting they recommend, too. My take on this, is that the issue is either in the controller firmware or being able to decrease auger voltage enough to slow pellet feed. As of Thursday 7/31/24, I'm awaiting word from Traeger engineering on possible fixes...