Traeger BBQ075 Flame Out's, Please Help!

[ksstang]

Hello all,

So yesterday I decided to do a Pork Butt for some pulled pork. I have the Traeger BBQ075. I have upgraded the controller to the pro style (blue LED readout) awhile back due to issues with 2 other P-Setting style digital controllers.

I fired the Traeger up like normal, got it going good on the 225* setting. Put my Pork Butt on and went to cooking. I went outside about 2-2.5hrs later and noticed that the temp readout on my display said 160, and dropping. I then heard a tink, tink sound. I figured out the noise, as it was pellets hitting the cook barrel. I shut my traeger off, pulled everything apart and sure enough, pot the pellets fall in was overflowing out into the cook barrel. I cleaned it all out, vacuumed, etc and re-lit it. Fast forward another couple hours, and same thing happened.

I clean my Traeger religiously, as I vacuum it, and new foil on drip pan before EVERY use. So it's not like it was super dirty. I was starting to think it was wind that could have been causing this, as it was kind of windy yesterday, but nothing crazy. As a precautionary I moved it around the corner of my garage, as I needed to go run a couple errands and didn't want to risk it for sure being wind causing this and it going out while I was gone.

I cam home about an hour later from running errands and all was good. Go on about my business and go outside about an hour later and saw the temp dropping again, and wham, same thing. Flame out. This time there was absolutely ZERO wind as it was evening time and things had completely calmed down.

The pellets I'm using are Lumberjack brand.

What the heck could be causing this? So frustrating!!!

 

[bregent]

What was the ambient temp and was there a lot of direct sun hitting it? On warm days, a grill might have trouble staying lit while keeping the minimum pellets dropping.

 

[ksstang]

It was around 82-83 degrees yesterday. It was in direct sun part of the time, but not the entire time.

 

[troutman]

Couple of things come to mind. On the old autos when the car would not start, it had to be either the starter, the cable or the battery. In your case it sounds like it's either the hot rod or perhaps the controller mis-firing. I would check with Traeger and get them to diagnose that with you. They probably can pin point it. Good luck.

 

[bregent]

Well it can't be the hotrod - that's only used on initial startup.

One thing that can cause it is a pellet bridge in the hopper that prevents the pellets from dropping in a timely manner - the fire goes out and once the pellets start dropping again, the pot is too cold and they pile up.

I had frequent flameouts on my CampChef that were a result of wild temperature swings, although the root cause was never determined.

Do you know for sure that Pro controller will work in the 075?

 

[troutman]

It may also be that the combustion/exhaust fan is not working properly or that the air holes to the burn pot are getting clogged up. No air, no combustion.

 

[ksstang]

Well it can't be the hotrod - that's only used on initial startup.

One thing that can cause it is a pellet bridge in the hopper that prevents the pellets from dropping in a timely manner - the fire goes out and once the pellets start dropping again, the pot is too cold and they pile up.

I had frequent flameouts on my CampChef that were a result of wild temperature swings, although the root cause was never determined.

Do you know for sure that Pro controller will work in the 075?

Yes, the pro controller will work with the 075. Traeger sent me this controller directly as a replacement for my older controller when I was having issues with it. I have used it probably a dozen times previously to this issue.

It may also be that the combustion/exhaust fan is not working properly or that the air holes to the burn pot are getting clogged up. No air, no combustion.

The combustion exhaust fan is working as it should. I checked that multiple times the other day. I clean the burn pot/grill on a regular basis, and checked those holes each time I had my flame out and they were clear and clean.

 

[troutman]

since in your estimation the system parts seem to be working and the burn pot is overflowing with pellets, then my initial thought still holds, controller issue. Again, call Traeger and discuss with them. Good luck, hope you get back to cooking!!

 

[gmc2003]

I don't own a pellet smoker, but on my home heating pellet stove I had to replace the main circuit board because of a cold solder joint. Sometimes it worked sometimes not so much. It wasn't reliable at all and you never knew when it was going to fail. Once it was replaced the stove worked perfectly going on ten years.

Chris

 

[bregent]

Did you happen to notice if you started getting big temp swings prior to flameout? That's what was happening with my CampChef. Big temp oscillations and when the pit was over set temp, the temp in the firepot was so hot it quickly burns up the minimum amount of pellets that are delivered during that phase.

 

[ksstang]

There was a couple times I was getting bigger temp swings than the advertised +/- 20 degrees that Traeger says. But, Anyone that owns a Traeger knows that big temp swings are very common.

 

[bregent]

There was a couple times I was getting bigger temp swings than the advertised +/- 20 degrees that Traeger says. But, Anyone that owns a Traeger knows that big temp swings are very common.

Yeah, +/- 20 is not problem. I'm taking about +/- 100 or more. See if Traeger has an answer.

 

[Quibbley]

Could it be the pellets themselves and they don’t burn very well? This may be unlikely but it's worth considering the possibility.