Is my Traeger dying?

[Omnivore]

Hi all. I have an older Eastwood 22. I did some ribs the other day and when I went to flick the ON switch nothing happened. So I unplugged and plugged back in. Flicked the switch again. Still nothing. I started turning the temp dial back and forth a couple time and flicked the ON switch back and forth and finally it started up. A few hours into smoking I went outside and it seemed dead again. This time none of my random jostling seemed to help so I finished the ribs in the oven. Any guesses to what is up with it or what I need to possibly replace?

I got this smoker used so not quite sure how old it is.

PS - the outlet and extension cord seem to be fine

 

[kruizer]

I would call Treager CS and give them a model number and ask them if they can help.

 

[sweetride95]

It's hard judging how long these things should last. Without knowing the age or being able to judge the amount of usage the grill has had only complicates it.
I would check and clean all your connectors behind the control.
If the rest of the grill is solid I would plan on buying a new control personally.
If you've been thinking about a new grill, then a broken controller may be enough to convince the wife that now is the time.

 

[Omnivore]

It's hard judging how long these things should last. Without knowing the age or being able to judge the amount of usage the grill has had only complicates it.
I would check and clean all your connectors behind the control.
If the rest of the grill is solid I would plan on buying a new control personally.
If you've been thinking about a new grill, then a broken controller may be enough to convince the wife that now is the time.

I'm actually the wife and if it were solely up to me I'd have way too many cooking toys!
Thanks for the tips, we'll take a look at the controller/connectors and see what we see. I'm glad that my first pellet smoker was old, used, and free because now I'm well aware of what I want and don't want when it's time to upgrade (which might be soon)

 

[sweetride95]

I'm actually the wife and if it were solely up to me I'd have way too many cooking toys!
Thanks for the tips, we'll take a look at the controller/connectors and see what we see. I'm glad that my first pellet smoker was old, used, and free because now I'm well aware of what I want and don't want when it's time to upgrade (which might be soon)

Excellent!
Now that you've proven you enjoy the process, it sounds like it's time to get exactly what you want.
Let us know what happens.

 

[forktender]

I'm actually the wife and if it were solely up to me I'd have way too many cooking toys!
Thanks for the tips, we'll take a look at the controller/connectors and see what we see. I'm glad that my first pellet smoker was old, used, and free because now I'm well aware of what I want and don't want when it's time to upgrade (which might be soon)

O Omnivore
Your reply literally made me shoot sweet tea out of my nose.........yuck I know T.M.I. but the "I am the wife" really struck me as funny. If all else fails before you junk the old controller take it out of the smoker and spray the switch and control knob with while you move them with electrical contact cleaner spray. You can find it at lowe's, walmart and most auto parts store for $4.00-$5.00. I've saved so many things that people were throwing away with just a few squirts of the stuff.

Best of luck.
Dan

 

[sandyut]

I would use the opportunity to buy a new one...like a Rec Tec. ; )

 

[JWFokker]

Caig DeOxit is good for cleaning all kinds of electronics. Also check any fuses. Luckily the old style hopper/controller boxes are easy to work on.

 

[jmtyndall]

If it's not tripping the breaker or blowing the fuse, then my first guess would be a grounding issue. Grounds cause all kinds of weird issues.

The electronics on these things are dead-simple. Unplug it and take a peek inside, make sure all the connectors are connected firmly. Then find where the power wire comes into the grill. A white and black wire should go from that to the control board, a third green wire should have an eyelet on it and have a screw holding it to the metal inside the grill somewhere. If that's there and tight, I'd try plugging the grill directly into a different outlet.

If the problem persists I'd disconnect the auger, igniter and fan (leave the power connected to the board) and try turning it on. If the same problem exists then you probably need a new board. There are aftermarket options available for less than Traeger. If the board turns on and off as expected during this test then the next step is to plug in the accessories 1 by 1 and see which causes the issue. Igniter is the most common issue, followed by auger, and then the fan. If it died in the middle of a cook then it probably wouldn't be the igniter as the igniter wouldn't be given any power. It's only used at startup.

PS: If it is the board, and if you're comfortable soldering I have a working board that I cut the plugs off for another project, you could solder your plugs on and use it.

 

[Omnivore]

If it's not tripping the breaker or blowing the fuse, then my first guess would be a grounding issue. Grounds cause all kinds of weird issues.

The electronics on these things are dead-simple. Unplug it and take a peek inside, make sure all the connectors are connected firmly. Then find where the power wire comes into the grill. A white and black wire should go from that to the control board, a third green wire should have an eyelet on it and have a screw holding it to the metal inside the grill somewhere. If that's there and tight, I'd try plugging the grill directly into a different outlet.

If the problem persists I'd disconnect the auger, igniter and fan (leave the power connected to the board) and try turning it on. If the same problem exists then you probably need a new board. There are aftermarket options available for less than Traeger. If the board turns on and off as expected during this test then the next step is to plug in the accessories 1 by 1 and see which causes the issue. Igniter is the most common issue, followed by auger, and then the fan. If it died in the middle of a cook then it probably wouldn't be the igniter as the igniter wouldn't be given any power. It's only used at startup.

PS: If it is the board, and if you're comfortable soldering I have a working board that I cut the plugs off for another project, you could solder your plugs on and use it.

Thank you so much for all of the guidance. Will keep you posted. Hoping to have some time this weekend to go through it.

 

[bill1]

Are you saying the display doesn't light up at all? That sounds like a fuse. I'm not a Traeger expert but many have a fuse holder directly behind the control panel so removing those two screws and pulling it out a couple inches to have a look-see seems worth the effort. (Make sure it's unplugged first.) You may still have an underlying problem that's causing blown fuses but frequently it's just a fluke and after a simple change-out you're good to go for many years.

I sure don't want to talk you out of a new one (and some worthy friend or relative getting your old one) but it's usually best to make these decisions from a position of strength (namely the one you have works, you just want better) than a position of weakness (you love smokers and currently have nothing).

Good luck on both fronts.