Issue with the Lonestar Grillz Pellet Smoker

[RoadRunner18]

For those of you with a Lonestar Grillz Pellet smoker, periodically remove the side cover on the right hand side to inspect the area that houses the fans and and electronics. You do this by removing the 6 screws on the right side lower panel of the pellet hopper.

Recently, After over 2 years of use, my 20 x 42 would not light. I contacted Chris (the Owner of Lonestar Grillz) and he gave me some diagnostics to check (Fan operation and Ignition). He advised to take the 6 screws out of the area below the hopper on the right side and see if a pellet may be blocking fan operation.

What I found shocked me!!! The area which houses the fans and electronics was completely filled, top to bottom, with unspent pellets. I completely cleaned out the pellets and vacuumed out the compartment. I reported this to Chris and he told me to send a picture if it happened again. After inspecting the compartment, I have no idea how this could happen.

I advise all of you who have been cooking on a Lonestar Pellet Smoker, to remove the right side cover and inspect the compartment that houses the fans and electronics. If it contains pellets, call or email Chris and let him know, and let all of us know as well.

If you go on youtube, Texas Blues Man has a video about deep cleaning his lonestar pellet smoker. At the 9:03 mark of the video, He also removed the right side cover and had a considerable amount of pellets inside the housing, but nowhere near what I had. I don't think this is an isolated incident.

Like I said, this was the first time I removed the cover in two years. I did replace the 6 Phillips head screws with thumb screws to make inspection a lot easier.

 

[hoity toit]

Who is Chris ???

 

[RoadRunner18]

Who is Chris ???

Owner of Lonestar Grillz, thanks for pointing that out - I just added it to my original post

 

[SmokinEdge]

I suppose it can happen. I’d look hard in the pellet hopper and see where they are getting out. Has to be a gap, in your case a good one.

I recently replaced the fans and such on my Yoder 640. Removed the fan panel and there were pellets in there, maybe a 1/2 cup. This was after about 6 years of serious use. I can’t figure out how they got in there either but mine was much less than you and many more years of almost daily use.

 

[bigfurmn]

I don't have one but that's great info for anyone here who does.

 

[RoadRunner18]

I suppose it can happen. I’d look hard in the pellet hopper and see where they are getting out. Has to be a gap, in your case a good one.

I recently replaced the fans and such on my Yoder 640. Removed the fan panel and there were pellets in there, maybe a 1/2 cup. This was after about 6 years of serious use. I can’t figure out how they got in there either but mine was much less than you and many more years of almost daily use.

I emptied the pellet hopper, removed all the pellets and vaccummed the compartment housing the fans and electronics, and inspected the auger. No gaps that I can detect. I even clean the fire pot out after each cook. After cleaning out the fan area everything was running as normal.

 

[bigfurmn]

Where is 48Hours with the exclusive video?

 

[RoadRunner18]

I don't have one but that's great info for anyone here who does.

Thanks Tom, had I not had a problem I would have never thought to look at the fan and electronics area. As soon as I started removing screws pellets started to fall out the bottom. I should have taken pictures but I was so surprised to see a full compartment area my first reaction was to remove the pellets. You can bet I will periodically inspect this area, especially before and after long cooks.

 

[SmokinEdge]

Thanks Tom, had I not had a problem I would have never thought to look at the fan and electronics area. As soon as I started removing screws pellets started to fall out the bottom. I should have taken pictures but I was so surprised to see a full compartment area my first reaction was to remove the pellets. You can bet I will periodically inspect this area, especially before and after long cooks.

I just looked at mine again. There is really no place for pellets to escape from the hopper itself. Yet the pellets were in my fan box.

My cooker drops pellets into the fire pot from above, so the only other place would be from the auger assembly somehow. It is baffling. But still obviously physical. I didn’t pay that much attention to the underneath of the workings when I changed my fans. I was pressed for time but remember thinking was real odd the pellets in the fan box.

So it’s not just your brand. It almost has to be from the auger assembly somehow.

 

[bigfurmn]

Thanks Tom, had I not had a problem I would have never thought to look at the fan and electronics area. As soon as I started removing screws pellets started to fall out the bottom. I should have taken pictures but I was so surprised to see a full compartment area my first reaction was to remove the pellets. You can bet I will periodically inspect this area, especially before and after long cooks.

I have no horse in this race but it sounds like a safety issue so yeah I'll try to bump it or keep it relevant. Glad you found the issue before a major problem.

 

[schlotz]

One would think the owner should be able to shed some light regarding how pellets could possibly get into that area. Of course, that would be admitting a design flaw and possibly opening him up to being responsible.

 

[RoadRunner18]

Schlotz,
I am the owner - but I assumed your meant the manufacturer, And i agree. My bad was that I didn't take a picture before cleaning out all the pellets from the fan/electronics compartment.

I posted this information not to bash Lonestar Grillz (I still think its the best Pellet Smoker out there - and I have owned many), but as a "heads up" to other owners, hoping they would check out their fan and electronics compartment, and if required, report their findings to the manufacturer's attention as well as all of us.

 

[RoadRunner18]

My original post was sent out on April 11th. I was very frustrated because of the pellets that were falling into the auger motor and fan compartment, which at one point shut down the smoker. What was confusing was that this was not a systemic problem amongst Lonestar Grills Pellet Smoker owners. Rather it was hit and miss.

Well I am happy to report there is a fix and it won't cost you a cent other than about 30 minutes of your time. After sending Chris Goodlander - owner of Lonestar Grillz , pictures of the electrical compartment containing pellets which somehow seemed to bypass the auger and fell on top of the fans, he sent me the following:

"During covid and supply chain shortages, we were force to swap motors and motor mounts. We had shipped a small amount out prior to realizing that an additional motor bracked was need."

Apparently, mine was one of the smokers sent out with the replacement motors brackets.
Chris immediately sent me out the fix - a motor bracket attached by two longer screws. Very simple fix by very efficient I received the bracket and hardware and installed it today (The screw in back of the auger motor was a difficult reach for anyone with large hands. He also emailed me a picture of a mounted bracket for my reference during the install process.

So if anyone else is experiencing the original problem stated in my initial post, give Chris a call and he will send you the fix.

Lonestar Grillz is a stand up company and I also own one of their Santa Maria Grills as well.

 

[02ebz06]

Guess I don't have that issue.
Have my 20x42 for at least 2 years
I've had that cover off a couple times replacing RTD (port 7 probe) and saw no pellets.

 

[RoadRunner18]

Took Delivery of my 20 x 42 LSG Pellet Smoker September 2022

 

[02ebz06]

Guess I didn't have mine over 2 years.
Just looked, took delivery 9/19/23.

 

[Kev81]

Took Delivery of my 20 x 42 LSG Pellet Smoker September 2022

Hi, I am new here, I’m thinking about getting an LSG pellet smoker and wanted to hear your thoughts.

1. How have you liked it so far? How does it compare to your offset?
2. In terms of flavor, how close does it come to the offset experience?

 

[02ebz06]

The #1 complaint I have is the Probe (port 7) that controls the temp is right on the wall where the burn pot is.
It causes the temp to be off 20f high to as much as 100f high.
A work around is to use one of the 6 ports with a probe at grate level near where you cook as a the controller port.
A nice feature of the Fireboard Controller.
The downside is you have to set it every time you use it.
I had a thick stainless plate made that I pushed up to the wall to prevent the heat from coming up to the probe.
LSG won't admit it is a problem.
Sent me another Port 7 probe that was longer and had a curve.
I guess hoping it would solve the problem. Nope
Claimed it was just from another manufacturer.

Other complaints are about the Controller and it's location.
It was placed too close to the side wall where the burn pot is.
Makes it difficult to get to the 3 buttons on that side.
Not a major thing, as you don't normally have to mess with them after initial setup.
However, I've had 2 controller failures and maybe excessive heat from the side wall caused it, unsure.
Fireboard replaced both, no questions asked, one in warranty and one out.

LSG claims to be a custom manufacture, but wouldn't add a counterweight to the lid.

Overall it is a great smoker.

 

[Kev81]

The #1 complaint I have is the Probe (port 7) that controls the temp is right on the wall where the burn pot is.
It causes the temp to be off 20f high to as much as 100f high.
A work around is to use one of the 6 ports with a probe at grate level near where you cook as a the controller port.
A nice feature of the Fireboard Controller.
The downside is you have to set it every time you use it.
I had a thick stainless plate made that I pushed up to the wall to prevent the heat from coming up to the probe.
LSG won't admit it is a problem.
Sent me another Port 7 probe that was longer and had a curve.
I guess hoping it would solve the problem. Nope
Claimed it was just from another manufacturer.

Other complaints are about the Controller and it's location.
It was placed too close to the side wall where the burn pot is.
Makes it difficult to get to the 3 buttons on that side.
Not a major thing, as you don't normally have to mess with them after initial setup.
However, I've had 2 controller failures and maybe excessive heat from the side wall caused it, unsure.
Fireboard replaced both, no questions asked, one in warranty and one out.

LSG claims to be a custom manufacture, but wouldn't add a counterweight to the lid.

Overall it is a great smoker.

 

[Kev81]

Thanks so much for the detailed feedback — that’s incredibly helpful. I really appreciate you sharing both the pros and the issues you’ve run into. The insight about the probe placement and controller location is exactly the kind of real-world experience that’s hard to find online.


Sounds like despite a few design frustrations, it’s still a solid smoker overall. Thanks again for taking the time to share your experience — this definitely helps me make a more informed decision.

I had a Yoder YS-640 for a while — great build quality, but I ran into a few issues. The ignitor started acting up and eventually began tripping my breaker. In the winter, it really struggled to hold a steady temperature, with big swings that made longer cooks tough to manage.

Eventually, I sold it, but I’ve been looking at the LSG and wondering if it would be a better option, especially for temperature consistency and overall reliability. I do like some of the design touches — like the pellet dump feature — but it’s interesting they won’t add a counterweight for the lid, especially given how heavy it is.