Pellet Grill Auger Jam

[G-Rod]

Hi All,

A couple of years ago, my auger jammed in my Pit Boss FB700. I found a video online of someone with a Traeger with the exact same problem. The build of their unit and of my Pit Boss are nearly identical and I was able to use that video to take apart my pellet grill, remove the motor from the auger, un-jam/pull out the auger, clean out the tube and then put it all back together. Not the hardest thing in the world but still a pain in the ass.

I figured that maybe it was due to the saw dust going into the hopper and ultimately ending up in the auger feeder tube, caking up and jamming. So...from that moment on, I started sifting all my pellets before putting them in the hopper. And I thought that had solved the problem.

But here we are about a year later and the auger is jammed again. :\ What sucks is that you don't fire up your pellet grill until you're ready to grill/smoke something, which I was getting ready to do this past weekend. Fortunately I have a larger Pellet Smoker (Pit Boss 5 series vertical smoker), which was overkill sizewise for my cook but I didn't want to delay my cook any longer by taking apart the smaller pellet grill that morning.

Obviously I'm not looking forward to taking it apart again and actually had a thought I'm going to try this weekend. I just bought one of those flexible drill bit extensions and am going to go in from the firepot and try to break up the pellet clog. May work, may not. But it was a $5 potential solution that IMHO is worth a shot if it works.

I'll post an update and shoot some pics and/or video of it. In the meantime has anyone else experienced the same? Any tips or tricks to un-jam a clogged auger tube.

Additional info - I always cover it when not in use and live in AZ where humidity is not really an issue.

Thanks for reading and have a great week!

 

[Misplaced Nebraskan]

Haven't had any issues yet on my P&S thankfully. I think a drain snake type apparatus may be a quick fix to break it up if need be. What type of pellets are clogging it? Same as last time?

Maybe when done cooking run the pit open at a higher temp to dry out the feed end before shutting down?

Mine, when done, instructs to open the lid and hit the power button once to put it in shutdown mode which runs it for 30 minutes. Possibly for this reason.

Not sure where your clog is. right at the feed end / middle / or hopper end? Just spit balling here though.

 

[schlotz]

Apparently something allowed the pellets to fuse into a solid mass. Curious, how long had the pellets been sitting in the hopper, and what brand are they?

 

[sweetride95]

I have a couple a these guys around for quick drain jobs. If my auger jammed this would be my first try.
https://www.zoro.com/cobra-drain-cleaning-tool-yellow-plastic-22-l-00112bl/i/G2045729/

 

[G-Rod]

Apparently something allowed the pellets to fuse into a solid mass. Curious, how long had the pellets been sitting in the hopper, and what brand are they?

Hey there and thanks. Yeah, actually I'm a smoking/grilling fool so my pellet grills get used once or twice a week. They don't sit long and as I mentioned, we don't have issues with humidity here in AZ. I've mostly been using Pit Boss pellets and like I said, since the first jam, I started sifting them to remove excess saw dust that can sometimes come with pellets.

 

[G-Rod]

I have a couple a these guys around for quick drain jobs. If my auger jammed this would be my first try.
https://www.zoro.com/cobra-drain-cleaning-tool-yellow-plastic-22-l-00112bl/i/G2045729/

Thanks! That's a good suggestion. I have one of those for our drains here and while they work great for that, but I actually tried a bent metal skewer to no avail. Keeping my fingers for that extended drill which should be here this Saturday. :)

 

[G-Rod]

Hi all, wanted to follow up on this in case it could help someone else out. I did shoot a little video for it but haven't had time to edit it so it is not too long and more helpful.

Long story short is...It WORKED! Not only did it work, it only took about 5 to 10 minutes (including taking the grates out, heat plate out and then vacuuming out the inside. The fix part itself of drilling into the auger feed tube took less than 30 seconds.

Here's what I bought to attach to my cordless drill:
My drill bits weren't the right size for the hex fitting so I ended up using a flat head tip. Not ideal but it did the job of breaking up the clog. Afterward, I plugged it back in and hit the feed button on the auger and it pushed out the junk, I vacuumed it up with my shop vac and then fired it right up. Great time saver!

Hope this helps and happy smoking!

 

[Misplaced Nebraskan]

Hi all, wanted to follow up on this in case it could help someone else out. I did shoot a little video for it but haven't had time to edit it so it is not too long and more helpful.

Long story short is...It WORKED! Not only did it work, it only took about 5 to 10 minutes (including taking the grates out, heat plate out and then vacuuming out the inside. The fix part itself of drilling into the auger feed tube took less than 30 seconds.

Here's what I bought to attach to my cordless drill:
My drill bits weren't the right size for the hex fitting so I ended up using a flat head tip. Not ideal but it did the job of breaking up the clog. Afterward, I plugged it back in and hit the feed button on the auger and it pushed out the junk, I vacuumed it up with my shop vac and then fired it right up. Great time saver!

Hope this helps and happy smoking!

Excellent news. Glad to hear. Quick and easy is always the preferred outcome. Hopefully it doesn't happen again

 

[G-Rod]

So an update and a discovery. A few weeks back I slow smoked some beef ribs for 6 to 7 hours. My PID controller works amazingly well at keeping my temps right where I want them BUT...I figured out it comes at a price. That price for me...on my Pit Boss pellet grill, at low temps (220 to 225), for longer than 6 hour cooks, is...BURNBACK.

The PID controller is doing its job by slowing down the auger and the fan to keep at 225 degrees BUT, at that lower temp, it is moving slower (just slightly), than what a fire can crawl back towards the pellets in the feed tube. When I'm done with my cook, that ash and partially burnt wood pellets, solidify and can jam the auger pretty quickly. Not to mention there could be a fire hazard if it continues back and all the way to the hopper.

This time, my extension drill bit did NOT do the trick and I had to take it apart to un-jam the auger, which is how I saw how far the burnback went. Good learnings.

The solution to this is after a longer cook, I need to press the feed button to clear out the burn back before putting it away. Additionally, after this finding, I'll never do a longer than 6 hour cook on this to make sure there is no chance of burnback reaching the hopper. Besides for a brisket, it is hard to beat the old school method of using a stick burner with charcoal box with snake inserts. Talk about consistent low and slow AND the best wood smoke flavor IMHO. :)

Anyway, I've learned from many on here and their experiences, so I just wanted to share mine in case it helps someone.

 

[Misplaced Nebraskan]

So an update and a discovery. A few weeks back I slow smoked some beef ribs for 6 to 7 hours. My PID controller works amazingly well at keeping my temps right where I want them BUT...I figured out it comes at a price. That price for me...on my Pit Boss pellet grill, at low temps (220 to 225), for longer than 6 hour cooks, is...BURNBACK.

The PID controller is doing its job by slowing down the auger and the fan to keep at 225 degrees BUT, at that lower temp, it is moving slower (just slightly), than what a fire can crawl back towards the pellets in the feed tube. When I'm done with my cook, that ash and partially burnt wood pellets, solidify and can jam the auger pretty quickly. Not to mention there could be a fire hazard if it continues back and all the way to the hopper.

This time, my extension drill bit did NOT do the trick and I had to take it apart to un-jam the auger, which is how I saw how far the burnback went. Good learnings.

The solution to this is after a longer cook, I need to press the feed button to clear out the burn back before putting it away. Additionally, after this finding, I'll never do a longer than 6 hour cook on this to make sure there is no chance of burnback reaching the hopper. Besides for a brisket, it is hard to beat the old school method of using a stick burner with charcoal box with snake inserts. Talk about consistent low and slow AND the best wood smoke flavor IMHO. :)

Anyway, I've learned from many on here and their experiences, so I just wanted to share mine in case it helps someone.

Glad you found something out! Sucks it comes to that though. Really limits the setup. After reading about burn backs, it seems a gravity feed design, or at least a further distance (height-wise) from the feed tube to burn pot would be a better design.

 

[G-Rod]

Glad you found something out! Sucks it comes to that though. Really limits the setup. After reading about burn backs, it seems a gravity feed design, or at least a further distance (height-wise) from the feed tube to burn pot would be a better design.

Thanks and I whole hardheartedly agree with you. I actually thought of a gravity feed type of design as well, where the feed tube was slightly angled up and had a shoot to drop the pellets into the fire box, thus preventing the fire from being able to get back in the feeder tube. If I had the time and (and funding it would take) to R&D that to fruition, that would certainly be a fun venture.

 

[6GRILLZNTN]

Some pellet grills have a shutdown feature that runs the fan, but not the auger to combat "burnback" when you are done with the cook. I replaced the controller on my Rec Tec with a Sawtooth controller that has this function, and I've never had burnback in the 4 years I've run this setup.

 

[chef jimmyj]

Thanks and I whole hardheartedly agree with you. I actually thought of a gravity feed type of design as well, where the feed tube was slightly angled up and had a shoot to drop the pellets into the fire box, thus preventing the fire from being able to get back in the feeder tube. If I had the time and (and funding it would take) to R&D that to fruition, that would certainly be a fun venture.

The Kuma Platinum and Yoder function this way. Very short distance from hopper to burn pot and the pellets drop in with no physical connection...JJ

 

[flatbroke]

My treager Texas model has had the auger jam 3 times. It is now sitting in the yard waiting to rust out with the 3rd jam F the thing

 

[RCAlan]

So an update and a discovery. A few weeks back I slow smoked some beef ribs for 6 to 7 hours. My PID controller works amazingly well at keeping my temps right where I want them BUT...I figured out it comes at a price. That price for me...on my Pit Boss pellet grill, at low temps (220 to 225), for longer than 6 hour cooks, is...BURNBACK.

The PID controller is doing its job by slowing down the auger and the fan to keep at 225 degrees BUT, at that lower temp, it is moving slower (just slightly), than what a fire can crawl back towards the pellets in the feed tube. When I'm done with my cook, that ash and partially burnt wood pellets, solidify and can jam the auger pretty quickly. Not to mention there could be a fire hazard if it continues back and all the way to the hopper.

This time, my extension drill bit did NOT do the trick and I had to take it apart to un-jam the auger, which is how I saw how far the burnback went. Good learnings.

The solution to this is after a longer cook, I need to press the feed button to clear out the burn back before putting it away. Additionally, after this finding, I'll never do a longer than 6 hour cook on this to make sure there is no chance of burnback reaching the hopper. Besides for a brisket, it is hard to beat the old school method of using a stick burner with charcoal box with snake inserts. Talk about consistent low and slow AND the best wood smoke flavor IMHO. :)

Anyway, I've learned from many on here and their experiences, so I just wanted to share mine in case it helps someone.

G-Rod, You posted that you are using a PID Controller on your PB Grill... What PID Controller are You using and does it have a shutdown sequence that you can run after you’re done cooking? The Shutdown Sequence should burn all the remaining pellets in the Auger Tube. If it does have a shutdown sequence similar to the one on the original PB controller your grill had, I would run that after every cook and dump all the remaining pellets in the hopper into an air tight plastic container for storage. If it does not have a Shutdown Sequence, after I’m done cooking, I would empty the Hopper of any remaining pellets and then Prime the Auger to clear out any remaining pellets in the Auger Tube... At least until You get things figured out with it and this way you won’t have anymore burn back issues and no more chances of a unwanted fire in your grill... Something to consider...


PB Austin XL in SoCal and Always... Semper Fi

 

[G-Rod]

The Kuma Platinum and Yoder function this way. Very short distance from hopper to burn pot and the pellets drop in with no physical connection...JJ

Hadn't heard about Kuma but just looked them up now and apparently they are no longer making pellet grills. Actually they are citing it as putting it "into a state of dormancy", while preparing for new and stringent EPA regulations coming in 2020.

My treager Texas model has had the auger jam 3 times. It is now sitting in the yard waiting to rust out with the 3rd jam F the thing

Yeah it is frustrating. I love the pellet grilling aspect of it, but run into issues with long cooks at 225. Just got an offset smoker for this coming Father's day. Going old school on future ribs and brisket cooks. :)

 

[G-Rod]

G-Rod, You posted that you are using a PID Controller on your PB Grill... What PID Controller are You using and does it have a shutdown sequence that you can run after you’re done cooking? The Shutdown Sequence should burn all the remaining pellets in the Auger Tube. If it does have a shutdown sequence similar to the one on the original PB controller your grill had, I would run that after every cook and dump all the remaining pellets in the hopper into an air tight plastic container for storage. If it does not have a Shutdown Sequence, after I’m done cooking, I would empty the Hopper of any remaining pellets and then Prime the Auger to clear out any remaining pellets in the Auger Tube... At least until You get things figured out with it and this way you won’t have anymore burn back issues and no more chances of a unwanted fire in your grill... Something to consider...


PB Austin XL in SoCal and Always... Semper Fi

Thanks for the info! The PID I retro fitted it with is the Pellet Pro Smoke Daddy PID. It does go into a sequence where it runs for 15 minutes after I turn it off to clear out that burn but apparently it is not working as well as it should?

S'all good. I love pellet grilling (quick cooks) and will continue to do so but just got a new offset smoker that I'll use for my future ribs and brisket cooks. Old school is sometimes the best school. :)

 

[G-Rod]

Glad to hear you got it freed up. You might want to think about trying another brand of pellets and shifting the dust out of what you have. I've had good luck with Grilla pellets and have had no jams yet. When I get an empty hopper I've vacuumed out what sawdust there is in the bottom but that's a rare occasion. I mostly use their competition blend but have a bag of every wood they have on hand.
They use oak for base wood. Their comp blend is oak, hickory and cherry. Always have very little ash residue when I clean the smoker after about every third long run or so.
If you buy say three or so bags at a time, shipping is free. I could buy Traeger pellets locally but dont trust them. Why bother when they come to my door for free?

Hey Richard and thanks for your reply! I should've mentioned in my post but after my first jam, I did start sifting my pellets before putting them in the hopper. Our fire pit screen works perfectly for this! :)

I also recently bought pellets from Sam's club and have been really happy with them. Little to no dust and a great price and of course smoke flavor.

I believe the reason I was getting the jams is because I was smoking a 225 degrees for a longer cook. My retrofitted PID controller, is pushing those pellets in at such a slow rate that the fire can start making its way back through the feeding tube over a long period of time.

If I smoke something for a few hours at a low temp, after the cook, I push those pellets out now. For longer cooks, I've now gone to my new stick burner which I just love and can control temps on pretty easily.

 

[SlowmotionQue]

Just so you know I cook almost everything at 225 and you dont need any PID loop to smoke meat.
PID loops are meant for precise control and maintaining constant and consistent temperatures where its needed. Go to any good old Carolina or Texas barbeque joint that has great Q and just try to find a PID controller anywhere on the premises. You won't and they'll be laughing their asses off at you while you're looking.

No, they'll be laughing their asses off at you for using a pellet grill in the first place.

One with or without a PID controller.

When you ask about a "PID controller", they'll ask "what's that?"

And the minute you say; "Well, I barbecue on a pellet grill, and...." is exactly when the rolling on the floor in laughter and holding their sides will start.

But aside from all of that, they'll still be staying up all night tending fire, and burning seasoned wood splits.

Two advantages "good old Carolina or Texas barbecue" have over any pellet grill. Even a pellet grill without a PID controller said by some believers to give "more smoke flavor" as a result of lacking this feature and allowing wild temperature swings. A likely myth, right up there with Pegasus, but I digress.

But on top of that, some of those "good old Carolina or Texas barbecue" joints, will have limited hours of operation as a result of the practicalities involved in tending fire, and making only enough barbecue that they can sell.

 

[SlowmotionQue]

Well that part is likely true especially the old guy busy shoveling hot coals from his burn barrel and spreading them out in his cinder block pit. I wonder how exact and consistsnt his cook temperatures are? LOL
But man oh man does that barbeque ever taste good. My mouth is watering just thinking about that stuff. I'd settle for either whole hog or just shoulder right now.

Some pit masters can keep their temps extremely tight.

But as you have already demonstrated that you do not know how a stick burner works, it's almost useless to point that out.