Severe Temp Regulation Issues

[Northeaster]

I have had my Traeger for about 8 months.
During that time I have had consistent temp issues - temperature set at 225 and bouncing from 400+ down below 120 - and sometimes even shutting off on low temp warning.

I have researched and done these 4 things....
1. Try different pellets - 4 kinds including Traeger brand
2. Clean pellet chamber perfectly and remove all dust and ash 3 times
3. Purge auger and restart with new pellets several times.
4. Test temps with other thermometers - no they do not match Traeger readout and I understand that is common - but they do confirm that the temperature bouncing around is real.

So today I replaced the whole control panel and the temperature probe - nothing changed - I cooked some ribs at 225 and they went over 400 twice and below 120 once.

Tired of messing with this - I do have a new igniter that came with the panel and temp probe - I did not replace it - can't see how that would help would it?

Any other ideas - sell and buy a pit boss?

 

[RayClem]

While it seems to be common that the Traeger RTD thermocouple reports the chamber temperature incorrectly, the problem you are reporting with temperature swings is highly unusual.

Have you reported the issue to Traeger Customer Service? I hope Traeger replaced the control panel under warranty.

Was this a day one issue? That is, did the grill every function normally? Did you observe the same temperature control issues with your initial seasoning burn, or did the problem appear later?

The process relies on five items: the controller is the brains, the RTD thermocouple measures temperature, the auger feeds pellets, the fan provides oxygen to the fire, and the hot rod ignites the pellets and insures they stay burning. If any of these devices is not operating properly, there will be issues with temerature control.

One thing you might do is to remove the grates, drip tray and heat baffle shield over the fire pot just as you would to clean the fire pot. Then start up the grill with the lid open so you can observe what is happening in the firepot. Make sure you do this in a safe place in case any sparks shoot out of the fire pot. It would be best to do this with safety glasses or goggles to protect your eyes.

With the lid open, you should be able to hear the fan as it speeds up and slows down. You should also be able to tell if the auger is feeding pellets smoothly into the pot.

If you do not note any problems close the lid and monitor the temperature. If it goes unusually high or low, open the lid and try to figure out what is going on with the fire.

Make sure you report any observations to Customer Service.

 

[Northeaster]

Thanks for the response. I will try this.
And yes this pit has always done this even when brand new - I did the initial burn and it seemed to go ok - but really didn't stay with the pit or pay much attention.
I have not contacted Traeger because I bought the pit at a charity auction and do not have a receipt other than a tax exempt slip- so I figured they wouldn't do anything anyway. I bought the control panel, temp probe, and igniter as a kit on Amazon for about $50. They are Traeger brand.

I have watched the auger feed before and it function OK - it just seems like it lags behind the temperature.
In other words it doesn't stop feeding until the temp gets really high and then it doesn't start up again until the temp gets low.

On another note - Twice I have seen it burn up into the auger a few inches and push smoke back up out of the pellet box.

 

[traeger860]

I had this exact same issue with a Lil Tex Elite when I first got it. Traeger ended up sending me a new one and sent a freight company to pick up the old one. They had me replace all kinds of parts until they finally swapped it out for me.

 

[RayClem]

Bummer. Hopefully, you did not pay too much for the grill at auction. Perhaps the previous owner donated it because they knew it was not functioning properly. Hopefully, your contribution went to a good cause.

I hope you can figure out what is going on.

 

[Northeaster]

Hah! It was a charity auction so I paid over retail price!
But it was brand new.
I will let you know if I get it figured out.

 

[Refriedbeanz]

Same here... I'm new here with a new Ranger. Followed all initial procedures and now have 2 cooks. This afternoon I decided to calibrate the temperatures with two probes with a brand new Thermopro. I tested the probes and they were very accurate prior to the test.
Here's the timeline:
set 225 •
30 minutes 285 •
45 minutes 315 •
Between these temps, the Thermopro's probes had wild swings between 300, down to 245, down to 205 and finally 315 at 45 minute mark.
Traeger showed 228-230 the whole time
I plan to get ahold of customer service, but thought I'd add to my experience to your post.

 

[Refriedbeanz]

add: using Traeger Signature pellets.

 

[Ted]

While it seems to be common that the Traeger RTD thermocouple reports the chamber temperature incorrectly, the problem you are reporting with temperature swings is highly unusual.

Have you reported the issue to Traeger Customer Service? I hope Traeger replaced the control panel under warranty.

Was this a day one issue? That is, did the grill every function normally? Did you observe the same temperature control issues with your initial seasoning burn, or did the problem appear later?

The process relies on five items: the controller is the brains, the RTD thermocouple measures temperature, the auger feeds pellets, the fan provides oxygen to the fire, and the hot rod ignites the pellets and insures they stay burning. If any of these devices is not operating properly, there will be issues with temerature control.

One thing you might do is to remove the grates, drip tray and heat baffle shield over the fire pot just as you would to clean the fire pot. Then start up the grill with the lid open so you can observe what is happening in the firepot. Make sure you do this in a safe place in case any sparks shoot out of the fire pot. It would be best to do this with safety glasses or goggles to protect your eyes.

With the lid open, you should be able to hear the fan as it speeds up and slows down. You should also be able to tell if the auger is feeding pellets smoothly into the pot.

If you do not note any problems close the lid and monitor the temperature. If it goes unusually high or low, open the lid and try to figure out what is going on with the fire.

Make sure you report any observations to Customer Service.

I returned my Ranger to ACE Hardware after the same issues. Hoping for better results from the new one