I could use some advice

[Nefarious]

About 3 months ago I bought a pellet grill, a GMG Ledge. I really knew nothing about these things and was just hoping for a good experience. The main issue I have is that at startup it generates a huge supply of thick white smoke that gets on everything. Into my wife's office window, not a good thing and on the furniture on the patio.

When I startup in the morning, the wife comes running out with fans to blow the smoke away from the house. I had, still have, a propane smoker that does not show this problem. I just moved out the propane smoker for the new pellet grill.

So, I think I have a couple of choices. Easiest is to move the grill farther away from the house. This would be the easiest as I have a sort of reasonable place to put it. This is not my favorite choice as it make the griller, me, be far away from the party action while I am cooking. The other choice is to replace the grill with something that doesn't have the startup issue.

I see many pictures here where people have their smoker right on the patio. I have the smoker running at 225 and this is what it looks like when it lights up some new wood at 225°. At startup it is much more smoke than this.

Any advice would be useful. Do all pellet grills operate this way, generate so much smoke when the fire a new batch of pellets?

 

[tbern]

my camp chef will have white smoke at start up, but i have my lid open as they want and it maybe smokes heavy for 1-2 minutes then is done. the entire start up is 6 or 7 minutes total with the smoke like i said. after start up the smoker never puts out that much white smoke like you are showing, just thin blueish smoke even if i have it set on one of the higher smoke settings. yours is putting out that much white smoke even during your cooks? or just at startup? don't know about gmg smokers but maybe try starting with the lid open and the smoke will have a better chance to disapate quicker instead of being held inside of the smoker itself?

if you are getting that much heavy white smoke during your cooks , than i think something isn't right with your machine. hopefully other gmg owners will share how their machines act

 

[BigW.]

I also have GMG and it does smoke a lot during start up. Luckily it lasts only a few minutes. I would just keep the window closed if the wind was blowing in the wrong direction.

 

[Nefarious]

my camp chef will have white smoke at start up, but i have my lid open as they want and it maybe smokes heavy for 1-2 minutes then is done. the entire start up is 6 or 7 minutes total with the smoke like i said. after start up the smoker never puts out that much white smoke like you are showing, just thin blueish smoke even if i have it set on one of the higher smoke settings. yours is putting out that much white smoke even during your cooks? or just at startup? don't know about gmg smokers but maybe try starting with the lid open and the smoke will have a better chance to disapate quicker instead of being held inside of the smoker itself?

if you are getting that much heavy white smoke during your cooks , than i think something isn't right with your machine. hopefully other gmg owners will share how their machines act

That picture was 30 minutes into the cook at 225°.

 

[Dr. BBQ]

Funny thing is that all smokers smoke a lot at startup. You could bypass that step by using blow torch to jump start the process. Less than a minute of flame will give you hotter and cleaner burn from the beginnning.

 

[Nefarious]

I also have GMG and it does smoke a lot during start up. Luckily it lasts only a few minutes. I would just keep the window closed if the wind was blowing in the wrong direction.

I have the new ledge, am on prototype firmware, and this smoke happens many times during a cook.

 

[SmokinGame]

my camp chef will have white smoke at start up, but i have my lid open as they want and it maybe smokes heavy for 1-2 minutes then is done. the entire start up is 6 or 7 minutes total with the smoke like i said. after start up the smoker never puts out that much white smoke like you are showing, just thin blueish smoke even if i have it set on one of the higher smoke settings. yours is putting out that much white smoke even during your cooks? or just at startup? don't know about gmg smokers but maybe try starting with the lid open and the smoke will have a better chance to disapate quicker instead of being held inside of the smoker itself?

if you are getting that much heavy white smoke during your cooks , than i think something isn't right with your machine. hopefully other gmg owners will share how their machines act

I am with tbern, my Camp Chef doesn't put out smoke like that except at start-up. But I only run mine on the 'low smoke' setting and use a smoke tube to supplement. Even with the smoke tube my smoke levels are not at the level you show.

My Camp Chef sits less than 10 feet from the house. You look like there is a wall of greenery behind yours and may also cause the smoke to stay in the "bowl".

Does the GMG have smoke settings that can be adjusted down?

 

[tx smoker]

WOW!! That's a lot of smoke. I have a Rec Tec RT 700 that does put out a little additional smoke at start up then settles down after just a few minutes. Never seen anything like what you're having though. Sorry I can't help except to say consider a new grill if it's in the budget, but I do feel your pain. I could see my wife going ballistic if I had smoke like that going into the house Keep us posted on your decision.

Robert

 

[Nefarious]

I am with tbern, my Camp Chef doesn't put out smoke like that except at start-up. But I only run mine on the 'low smoke' setting and use a smoke tube to supplement. Even with the smoke tube my smoke levels are not at the level you show.

My Camp Chef sits less than 10 feet from the house. You look like there is a wall of greenery behind yours and may also cause the smoke to stay in the "bowl".

Does the GMG have smoke settings that can be adjusted down?

It does not have smoke setting. The smoke in the image is after the auger turns and the fan comes on.

The space is pretty open, the greenery is over 15 feet away and only on that one side, it is open on all other sides except the house. Being to close to the house might be an issue, but not the biggest one.

When the fan comes on, it fills the entire back area of my property with a smoke haze. It might be a quarter acre back there.

 

[Nefarious]

WOW!! That's a lot of smoke. I have a Rec Tec RT 700 that does put out a little additional smoke at start up then settles down after just a few minutes. Never seen anything like what you're having though. Sorry I can't help except to say consider a new grill if it's in the budget, but I do feel your pain. I could see my wife going ballistic if I had smoke like that going into the house Keep us posted on your decision.

Robert

I think I am already at the new grill point, and may be moving the kitchen to the lower patio which would put it at 50 feet from the house. Only problem with that choice is power. I would have to run a new AC line under ground, or there is a set of low voltage, 12v wires closer to where I want this. It is 16/2 so maybe I pull it and put in a heavier wire.

Tomorrow is my birthday, so with the wife already up in arms, I could probably get whatever I want.

 

[BigW.]

How does the food taste if smokes that much? Have you called GMG, or tried smoking at 275?

 

[Brokenhandle]

Has to be something with that machine. You've seen how much my GMG Peak smokes at start up...nothing like yours. Really sad if they won't do anything about it!

Ryan

 

[tx smoker]

I would have to run a new AC line under ground, or there is a set of low voltage, 12v wires closer to where I want this. It is 16/2 so maybe I pull it and put in a heavier wire.

You seem to have a pretty good idea what you're doing, but having been in the construction industry all my life, I'll share some info that may or may not be helpful. You'll need at least 14/2 to run the pellet grill but I'd recommend 12/2 in case you want to add additional outlets. If the current 16/2 is in conduit, you may be able to run a fish tape through it and just pull a new 14/2 or 12/2 wire without having to dig....assuming the conduit is large enough to accommodate the additional wire.

Robert

 

[Nefarious]

You seem to have a pretty good idea what you're doing, but having been in the construction industry all my life, I'll share some info that may or may not be helpful. You'll need at least 14/2 to run the pellet grill but I'd recommend 12/2 in case you want to add additional outlets. If the current 16/2 is in conduit, you may be able to run a fish tape through it and just pull a new 14/2 or 12/2 wire without having to dig....assuming the conduit is large enough to accommodate the additional wire.

Robert

Thanks, given you are in the trade. The wire is in conduit, under a paving stone patio. I can move the wire from either end, and think it will be straight forward to use the existing wire to be pull a couple of new ones, bigger ones.

Wife just came out on patio and told me in no uncertain terms, I have to get a new grill, either a new GMG, or something else.

 

[Brokenhandle]

New and heavier wires won't hurt, but is your Ledge 12 volt like mine?
And customer support not doing anything for you? Just blowing you off?

Ryan

 

[tx smoker]

Wife just came out on patio and told me in no uncertain terms, I have to get a new grill, either a new GMG, or something else.

I don't even know your wife but I like her There are a lot of good pellet grills out there. I'd recommend giving a good look at the Rec Tec (now Req Tec). they are rock solid and really never heard a negative comment about them.

Robert

 

[Gonna Smoke]

Tomorrow is my birthday

Can't offer any advice with the pellet grills, but Happy Birthday...

 

[tx smoker]

Can't offer any advice with the pellet grills, but Happy Birthday.

Same here....and sorry I overlooked saying this in my first reply. I saw it and intended to say happy b-day but had a brain cramp. My dad told me that the road to Hell is paved with good intentions so maybe he's right

Robert

 

[Brokenhandle]

Well at least one of us paid attention! I read it as well but it apparently didn't get through my thick skull! Happy birthday!

Ryan

 

[Nefarious]

Happy birthday!

Ryan

Thank you.