Thermostat

I had same issue. Took two of them back to Costco and spent the money on a Yoder. Much better quality and customer service. Worth every penny.

They all have problems to some degree. It is the nature of the beast.

However, comparing a cheap Costco Traeger to a Yoder is like apples and oranges. Assuming apples cost a dollar and oranges 3-4 dollars. Maybe a timberline or Memphis or something in that price range. If you expect a cheap Costco cooker to compare to an expensive cooker you are gonna be disappointed for sure.
 
My Traeger must be genetically related to yours because I have same problem with temps. I have complained to Traeger and have written about it on this forum and have concluded - Welcome to the Traegerhood where a smoker that has erratic temperature control, doesn't create any meaningful smoke taste, and eats $1.00 a pound pellets at a rapid rate is considered Great. I find it interesting that people will defend a Traeger they spent more than a few bucks for but if they say, purchased a cell phone that dropped every tenth call they would be pissed beyond belief (maybe they should normalize this and move on). Like a prior suggestion stated - make a decision, join the club and embrace the Traeger alternate universe or sell it and as they say, adjust and move on.
 
My Traeger must be genetically related to yours because I have same problem with temps. I have complained to Traeger and have written about it on this forum and have concluded - Welcome to the Traegerhood where a smoker that has erratic temperature control, doesn't create any meaningful smoke taste, and eats $1.00 a pound pellets at a rapid rate is considered Great. I find it interesting that people will defend a Traeger they spent more than a few bucks for but if they say, purchased a cell phone that dropped every tenth call they would be pissed beyond belief (maybe they should normalize this and move on). Like a prior suggestion stated - make a decision, join the club and embrace the Traeger alternate universe or sell it and as they say, adjust and move on.
People have won and continue to win large competitive BBQ contests cooking on Traegers and almost always without any smoke tubes. The old saying goes “it’s the Indian and not the arrow” and before you try to say that food isn’t good, check yourself. It’s outstanding.
 
Sir, can you honestly tell me that I should accept temperature differences of up to 100 degrees from the indicated controller temp? Traeger is a tool that should perform as advertised. I bought Traeger to meet specific needs and was told - to my face - by a Traeger representative - that the tool would fit the need. If I gave you a child's hammer to pound a nail would you just accept and move on? And if you think I am new to grilling and smoking you are wrong, been there done that for over 40 years, and Traeger is the worst experience I have ever had.
 
Sir, can you honestly tell me that I should accept temperature differences of up to 100 degrees from the indicated controller temp? Traeger is a tool that should perform as advertised. I bought Traeger to meet specific needs and was told - to my face - by a Traeger representative - that the tool would fit the need. If I gave you a child's hammer to pound a nail would you just accept and move on? And if you think I am new to grilling and smoking you are wrong, been there done that for over 40 years, and Traeger is the worst experience I have ever had.
Why are you here? Just a Troll? Go to the Yoder site that I linked for you. You can calm the complaints over there.

I’m simply pointing out that your experience is not the normal and many of them are due to user error or bad pellets just like they point out on the Yoder site. I know you are an expert. I know it’s very upsetting when things don’t work right. There are also some issues with every single manufacturer in the marketplace. So glad you got a good one on your next purchase. Happy trails.
 
I have exactly the same issue with the timberline xl I bought. Temperature is often 100 degrees off *on the upper shelves. I checked my oven thermometers in the oven and then were showing ~15 degrees lower but holding that temperature incredibly tightly. The Traeger I see 100 degrees lower *on the upper shelves with 50+ degree swings *across all levels.

Their customer support are some of the worst I have dealt with, requiring me to change the thermocouple on a brand new $4k grill myself (which didn’t help) and taking so long about it that I fell out of the return window to send it back so I had no choice but to learn to live with it. I’ve never owned another brand of pellet grill (I’m new to the traegerhood myself) so have no idea with the flaws I’m having to live with would be the same, better or worse for other brands of smokers.

I bought myself an inkbird thermometer as suggested by many on the forums here and now set those up inside the grill adjusting temps based on those and the food comes out great.

It’s incredibly annoying that the thermocouple and controller are so off out of the box yet they advertise easy as an oven which it’s not. I also don’t get why some on here are so aggressive in defending a company which clearly sells products falsely marketed that have issues with their primary function.
 
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I have no interest in a Yoder or any pellet grill, after Traeger I am dusting off the Big Green Egg. What makes me most angry over Traeger is this - I know a great deal about engineering, manufacturing, and finance. Today nothing happens by accident, meaning Traeger know the limitations of what they are selling and yet they advertise that their product will do what they know it cannot. So sure the "professional" can maneuver the limitations and get some excellent results but, these are not the population that is buying thousands of Traeger grills. So when I read that people dismiss Traeger limitations as "quirks" "operator error" or with "compensate" "buy accessories" and such it makes me angry because this simply feeds Traeger's marketing strategy. People should let Traeger know these limitations will not be accepted and then maybe Traeger will improve the product. Otherwise why would they change? Adios amigo
 
I can't comment on your grill specifically, but your first post said the difference was 50°F and one of your last posts stated it was 100°F off. Probably a bit of your frustration coming out. You have to keep in mind that this is NOT an authorized Traeger support forum. This is for Traeger enthusiasts to help one another. There is a ton of knowledge and help on this forum. But one thing no one can do is make someone change their mind.
What is acceptable to one, may not be for another. The advice given on here to adapt to the knowledge you have about your temperature settings is sound. But if you choose that you feel that is unacceptable, you need to look into a return or selling it privately. My Traeger is off in set temperature vs. pit temperature and for me I was fine with it once I learned what the actual temperature was at a given set point. Was I happy about it after shelling out a fistful of cash for my IW650, no. But for me, it wasn't a challenge that I couldn't work with or live with. Choices we all make for ourselves.
I also have a Yoder, which I got mainly because my IW650 wasn't big enough. Had I got the 885 I probably would only have the one Traeger grill. I also have a Kamado grill. The Yoder has its issues as well. If you think your Traeger burns through the pellets, be prepared for a consumption shock if you go to a Yoder. Also, pellet tunneling, the Yoder is way worse than the Traeger. Minor issues for me that I choose to accept. There is a cost difference between the two grills as well, previously mentioned by @JPSBBQ. So comparing the two isn't on the same level.
You can adjust the ambient pit temperature on the Yoder. Yoder has a process you follow, then send them the date and username of the test and they will provide you with directions on setting an offset for the temperature. Traeger could probably offer an adjustment on the ambient pit probe, but that would open up all sorts of issues in user errors in adjustments.
You have to do what's right for you. Move on from the Traeger if it's nuances bother you.
I honestly believe you will get more help here from the users on this forum than you will over at the Yoder forum. To me, there doesn't seem to be any sense of community over there. Not a lot of activity, as no one seems to share cooks or discussions.
Anyone that does their research before making their purchase would see the common issues discussed about the Traeger. Can't trust a salesman to provide the facts, they get paid by selling things. If they told you that the thermometers on the Traeger were inaccurate, you'd have never purchased it. But had you come to this user/enthusiast forum you'd have read multiple posts about the issue.
I doubt you will resolve the temperature difference between the reading and actual, so you are left with two options.
Good luck with your decision.
 
I can't comment on your grill specifically, but your first post said the difference was 50°F and one of your last posts stated it was 100°F off. Probably a bit of your frustration coming out. You have to keep in mind that this is NOT an authorized Traeger support forum. This is for Traeger enthusiasts to help one another. There is a ton of knowledge and help on this forum. But one thing no one can do is make someone change their mind.
What is acceptable to one, may not be for another. The advice given on here to adapt to the knowledge you have about your temperature settings is sound. But if you choose that you feel that is unacceptable, you need to look into a return or selling it privately. My Traeger is off in set temperature vs. pit temperature and for me I was fine with it once I learned what the actual temperature was at a given set point. Was I happy about it after shelling out a fistful of cash for my IW650, no. But for me, it wasn't a challenge that I couldn't work with or live with. Choices we all make for ourselves.
I also have a Yoder, which I got mainly because my IW650 wasn't big enough. Had I got the 885 I probably would only have the one Traeger grill. I also have a Kamado grill. The Yoder has its issues as well. If you think your Traeger burns through the pellets, be prepared for a consumption shock if you go to a Yoder. Also, pellet tunneling, the Yoder is way worse than the Traeger. Minor issues for me that I choose to accept. There is a cost difference between the two grills as well, previously mentioned by @JPSBBQ. So comparing the two isn't on the same level.
You can adjust the ambient pit temperature on the Yoder. Yoder has a process you follow, then send them the date and username of the test and they will provide you with directions on setting an offset for the temperature. Traeger could probably offer an adjustment on the ambient pit probe, but that would open up all sorts of issues in user errors in adjustments.
You have to do what's right for you. Move on from the Traeger if it's nuances bother you.
I honestly believe you will get more help here from the users on this forum than you will over at the Yoder forum. To me, there doesn't seem to be any sense of community over there. Not a lot of activity, as no one seems to share cooks or discussions.
Anyone that does their research before making their purchase would see the common issues discussed about the Traeger. Can't trust a salesman to provide the facts, they get paid by selling things. If they told you that the thermometers on the Traeger were inaccurate, you'd have never purchased it. But had you come to this user/enthusiast forum you'd have read multiple posts about the issue.
I doubt you will resolve the temperature difference between the reading and actual, so you are left with two options.
Good luck with your decision.
It depends which level in the grill. The grill grates are 50+ lower but the upper shelves are consistently 100+ lower. I said this in the original post. I learned this the hard way when following the in box suggestion to use the upper shelves for low and slow and having a joint fail to come to to temperature.
 
It depends which level in the grill. The grill grates are 50+ lower but the upper shelves are consistently 100+ lower. I said this in the original post. I learned this the hard way when following the in box suggestion to use the upper shelves for low and slow and having a joint fail to come to to temperature.
Sorry, I had missed that part. I know my Traeger is out about 20° at lower temps and up to 90°-100° at higher temps
If you decide to go the route of a Big Green Egg, you'll need to learn it's nuances in temperature deviation as well. They definitely take a bit of fine tuning and they have a learning curve. Not as simple to use as the Traeger. There are all sorts of fan control options available for them, you should consider researching those to help with maintaining constant temperatures, especially during longer cooks. I use my Fireboard2 Drive for mine and it makes things a lot easier for dialing in and keeping a constant temperature.
I guess it depends on if you want to babysit the egg, or have a convenience factor. Again, back to choices. But don't trust any 'dome' thermometer to be accurate on any of them. You will need to test it to see if you got lucky and have one that is reading correctly.
There is tons of help out there for the egg/Kamado grills
 
Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this issue. I have the 620 and have noticed, unfortunately while trying to smoke, that the grill is not heating to the desired temp. I have used two different oven thermometers, one of them being brand new, the grill is 50 degrees off, lower, than what I have it set for. I have to set the grill to 400 just to get 350 and the thermostat is right next to the one in the grill. I spoke with tech support and they were only happy that the grill stopped feeding the hopper when it “thinks” it hit its set temperature. I said several times that the grill slowing and stopping the auger is different than reading the temperature correctly but I think they were just trying to get Me off the phone. Anyone else have this experience? I will have to try again with tech support but quite honestly, this is really annoying and if not fixed, I will be getting rid of it. Traeger is disappointing me …

Thanks
Yeah, I had the same problem. I cleaned, I scrub, I pulled everything apart. The only difference I had, was when I bought a fresh new bag of pellets, and did it did get above 330, but it would go up and more down most of the time. There is no help from Traeger, just suggestions like it is your fault.
 
Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this issue. I have the 620 and have noticed, unfortunately while trying to smoke, that the grill is not heating to the desired temp. I have used two different oven thermometers, one of them being brand new, the grill is 50 degrees off, lower, than what I have it set for. I have to set the grill to 400 just to get 350 and the thermostat is right next to the one in the grill. I spoke with tech support and they were only happy that the grill stopped feeding the hopper when it “thinks” it hit its set temperature. I said several times that the grill slowing and stopping the auger is different than reading the temperature correctly but I think they were just trying to get Me off the phone. Anyone else have this experience? I will have to try again with tech support but quite honestly, this is really annoying and if not fixed, I will be getting rid of it. Traeger is disappointing me …

Thanks
Welcome to Traeger! Unfortunately, the temperature controls in Traegers are known to not be the most accurate (you’d think that after so many complaints, Traeger would do something about it).
I’m on my second (and last) Traeger. The first I got 14 years ago. The temperature controls were perfect. Not so on my second. My temperatures are 20* cooler that what I set them on. I installed an old fashioned analogue thermometer on the lid of my grill. It was much cheaper that the solutions many other Traeger users recommend on this post site.
I now set my temp controls to the closest temp setting that is 20* above my desired cook temperature.
 
Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this issue. I have the 620 and have noticed, unfortunately while trying to smoke, that the grill is not heating to the desired temp. I have used two different oven thermometers, one of them being brand new, the grill is 50 degrees off, lower, than what I have it set for. I have to set the grill to 400 just to get 350 and the thermostat is right next to the one in the grill. I spoke with tech support and they were only happy that the grill stopped feeding the hopper when it “thinks” it hit its set temperature. I said several times that the grill slowing and stopping the auger is different than reading the temperature correctly but I think they were just trying to get Me off the phone. Anyone else have this experience? I will have to try again with tech support but quite honestly, this is really annoying and if not fixed, I will be getting rid of it. Traeger is disappointing me …

Thanks
Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this issue. I have the 620 and have noticed, unfortunately while trying to smoke, that the grill is not heating to the desired temp. I have used two different oven thermometers, one of them being brand new, the grill is 50 degrees off, lower, than what I have it set for. I have to set the grill to 400 just to get 350 and the thermostat is right next to the one in the grill. I spoke with tech support and they were only happy that the grill stopped feeding the hopper when it “thinks” it hit its set temperature. I said several times that the grill slowing and stopping the auger is different than reading the temperature correctly but I think they were just trying to get Me off the phone. Anyone else have this experience? I will have to try again with tech support but quite honestly, this is really annoying and if not fixed, I will be getting rid of it. Traeger is disappointing me …

Thanks
My first Traeger fluctuated a lot, but it was way more stable than post-oak fired old pit. However, this may not help you but like me, I used my first Traeger for five years and just bought a Timberline 1300. It is massively more stable. I can literally let the app/WiFi/temp probe do its thing when I don't have time to fire up my old school pit. The difference is that the Timberline has double wall construction and oven type seals on the lid. That really helps stabllize things. My old Traeger (and why Traeger started insulating them) is that it's very susceptible to wind/ambient heat or cold. The Timberline pretty much helps deal with that. However, to help you in the short-term, I found that buying two generic mini-bread loaf pans and kept water in them during a cook helped a LOT. That steam seemed to help make a nice hot/humid cloud that helped moderate the temperature. I still do it on my new Timberline 1300. Hang in there- don't give up on your new Traeger- just think back to the days of charcoal or wood- those are still great but when I'm short on time, both my old and new Traeger were wonderful.
 
I have a BGE and as stated before the Traeger is way easier for slow cooks. To keep a consistent temp it will be needed to be babysat. Love the BGE though!
 
Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this issue. I have the 620 and have noticed, unfortunately while trying to smoke, that the grill is not heating to the desired temp. I have used two different oven thermometers, one of them being brand new, the grill is 50 degrees off, lower, than what I have it set for. I have to set the grill to 400 just to get 350 and the thermostat is right next to the one in the grill. I spoke with tech support and they were only happy that the grill stopped feeding the hopper when it “thinks” it hit its set temperature. I said several times that the grill slowing and stopping the auger is different than reading the temperature correctly but I think they were just trying to get Me off the phone. Anyone else have this experience? I will have to try again with tech support but quite honestly, this is really annoying and if not fixed, I will be getting rid of it. Traeger is disappointing me …

Thanks
I've got an 885 and it's off by around 50 degrees at the lower temps and 100 degrees at the high end. Since the max setting on the grill is 500 I can't get anything above 400 actual. It's annoying. I think I read something by Traeger that said a 25 degree difference is normal. I've got a friend with a Camp Chef and his is within 5 degrees at all temps.
 

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