Unburnt Pellets in Firebox (temp dropped to 80) - Advice Needed

[Daba's BBQ]

I have a Pro Series 34. About 4 hours into a 5 1/2 cook, the Traeger stopped burning pellets. The temperature was holding steady at 250, then all of a sudden it dropped to 80. I took off the food, and all the grates. The firebox was loaded with unburnt pellets. I have the rig for 2 years and never had this problem. Any idea what may have caused this?

 

[RayClem]

Remove the grates, drip trays and flame shield from the grill so you can see into the burn pot. If the pot is empty, use the auger priming function to add some pellets to the hopper. Then try to ignite the grill. I suspect that the hot rod, is not getting hot enough to ignite the pellets. If that is the case, the pellets won't ignite. If that is the case, it might be that you need to replace the hot rod, but before doing that, check to make sure that the wires connecting the hot rod to the control panel. If there is not a good connection, the wires won't be able to supply enough current to heat the hot rod to the normal operating temperature.

 

[Daba's BBQ]

I removed everything from the interior of the rig. I then vacuumed everything out of the fire box. I then emptied the hopper, leaving only 1-2 ups of pellets. I fired it up and placed in on the Smoke setting. The temp crank up to about 500, then started to dramatically decrease. It finally settled at around 225. I then bump up the setting to 250, and the rig held at that temp. As I stated, the rig is 2 years old and I never had this problem before. I am hoping that this is a one time problem. I would be totally disappointed in Traeger if this is any of the problems that you mentioned in your reply. I guess I'll find out the next time I cook. I appreciate your input.

 

[RayClem]

The hot rod will eventually wear out. It is considered to be a consumable part. Fortunately, the hot rod is not expensive, especially if you purchase a 3rd party replacement online. The RTD temperature thermocouple is also a replaceable part. that will eventually fail.

How frequently do you vacuum out your hopper? If the hot rod gets covered up in ash and burned pellets, it will have a tough time igniting fresh pellets. Some types of wood pellets, especially apple wood, are prone to to the development of hard "clinkers" that result with silica in the wood fuses together. If you use such pellets, the hopper will need to be cleaned more frequently.

If you do a long cook such as a brisket or large pork shoulder, you should probably clean the hopper before using the grill again.

 

[Daba's BBQ]

I am psychotic when it comes to cleaning my rig. I vacuum after every 3-4 uses. I buy mainly Pit Boss, Lumberjack, Traeger, or Bear Mountain pellets. As for the type - cherry, post oak, hickory, or competition blend

 

[Like Smoke]

I clean mine after every smoke. Plastic scraper for the drum, shop vac for all the dusty ash and burn pot, brush down the grill and change the foil on the drip pan. Probably takes 15 minutes and I am ready for the next cook. I live in a dry climate, but if I lived in a more humid climate I would worry about the ash and dust collecting moisture and possibly rusting the interior. A friend of mine mentioned he was having some ash problems showing up on his cooks. I asked when was the last time he cleaned out the area under the grease catcher and I got that look like do you have to clean these. Just my way, not preaching.

 

[RayClem]

I am psychotic when it comes to cleaning my rig. I vacuum after every 3-4 uses. I buy mainly Pit Boss, Lumberjack, Traeger, or Bear Mountain pellets. As for the type - cherry, post oak, hickory, or competition blend

Your cleaning schedule should be based on the time of the cooks rather than the number of the cooks. If you clean after 3-4 cooks and those cooks are 3-4 hours each, you will be fine, but if each of those cooks was 16 hours, you might not be.

 

[61loub]

I really question whether cleaning is the issue here. I had the same problem my last cook and grill was thoroughly cleaned prior to use. Support said it was hot rod which is only part I have not replaced.. Hot rod either works or it doesn't ignition is initiated by the controller so if it ignites it is fine. Mine relit fine..Mine temp swings and then goes out. If you turn back on it will repeat. Hope you have better luck than I had. Not a dirty grill causing that issue