Let's Talk BBQ
Outdoor Cooking Equipment => Grills & Smokers => Pellet Grills and Smokers => Topic started by: Bluesman Bill on October 13, 2012, 12:02:41 AM
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I'm the proud owner of new Outdoor Gourmet pellet grill. I've been looking forward to cooking on it since buying it on Craiglist earlier this week.
So I fired it up last night and was all set. It was starting to heat up and then - boom - it just went out. No lights no nothing. I verified that the outlet in my patio is working. I tried turning it on and off again and again with no sign of life.
Having bought it on Craigslist, i have no manual.
Anyway - if anyone has a suggestion - or a manual - I'd greatly appreciate it!
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Pull the controller out. There is a fuse on it that is blown. There should be a spare fuse attached. Try another fuse. If that one blows it could be a bad igniter(hot rod).
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Bill..just google your grill name and you will be able to find a manual online. Pam .☆´¯`•.¸¸. ི♥ྀ.
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Bill, Outdoor Gourmet is a store brand for Academy Sports + Outdoors. Best we can determine that pellet grill is either a re-branded Traeger or a clone of it. There are two known issues with the grill right now, one of them being the fuses blowing. They have pulled it off the website and from the stores until the manufacturer can fix the problem. Call Academy Customer Service at 1-888-922-2336 and tell them about your problem. They should send out the electronics to fix it.
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Thanks for the feedback everyone! Impressed with how quickly you all responded.
I called Academy and the customer service rep said they didn't even have any manuals - much less the parts, but he couldn't find any history of their work on this grill because they've removed it from their system. He did say he'll refer my story to the research center and see what they can dig up for me.
Meanwhile, I'll go take a look at the fuse situation!
Thanks again, y'all!
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Well - I was able to find the fuse - yes it was blown. No replacement was there, so I went to home depot and got some replacements.
Extra fuse 1 - again it cut off @ 3 or 4 minutes. The pellets did ignite this time. Asked my nephew for advice. He suggested maybe the auger was getting stuck or something.
Extra fuse 2 - removed all the extra pellets from the hopper so I could observe the auger in action. No problems there. I watched the heating element heat up again and the entire thing was glowing when it again cut off at @ 3 or 4 minutes.
My theory is that it has something to do with the heating element. Still don't know what to do about it and am awaiting feedback from Academy sports.
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Sounds like a hot rod problem. You could disconnect it [plug with purple and white wires] and do manual light with some starter gel or a torch.
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Sounds like a hot rod problem. You could disconnect it [plug with purple and white wires] and do manual light with some starter gel or a torch.
Ditto on this. You can manually light it until you get a replacement hot rod. If you unplug the hot rod and get it going manually and the fuse does not blow then it is the igniter.
They probably got a bad batch of igniters from their supplier... It can happen.
To manually light turn on the grill with the drain pan removed. Wait for the controller to fill the firepot with some pellets. Then use a torch to get them flaming. Once they are lit replace the drip pan and grill then start smoking.
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So the torch lit pellets will start the un-lit pellets that come from the auger??
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So the torch lit pellets will start the un-lit pellets that come from the auger??
Yes. The igniter only runs for 4 minutes to get the pellets going then shuts off. Once the pellets are on fire the additional pellets will ignite.
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So then the rest of the cook happens with the burning pellets ingniting un-lit pellets and the fan under the fire-pot keeping them going??
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Smoke here is a picture of the Traeger firepot. You can see the igniter glowing red hot as pellets are entering the firepot from the auger. At the same time there are holes in the firepot sides that are forcing air(oxygen) into the firepot causing a vortex from a fan. This is what causes the pellets to burn at very high temperatures...
(http://i752.photobucket.com/albums/xx169/muebe/IMAG0857.jpg)
So once the pellets are ignited there is enough heat and air to cause any additional pellets added to ignite through the cook until you run out of pellets or shut it off.
The Traeger digital controller will add 15 seconds of pellets every minute or so when the temp is above what it is set at to keep the flame from going out. The 3 speed controller is simply that. Three different timing feeds creating a low, medium, and high setting.
Smoke is created as the pellets start to cool and smolder then more pellets are added and ignite... Then the process repeats.
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Gotcha...thank you Muebe!! ;)
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Awesome troubleshooting tip. I will try that tonight!
Thanks a lot.
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They probably shipped with a bad batch of hot rods. Same thing happened to my 2 grills (MAK & Traeger) when the hot rod went bad. POOF goes the fuse.
I'd wager that a replacement hot rod from a Traeger dealer will fit in that grill.
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Thanks for the guidance. I disconnected the ignitor and fired it up on the smoke setting. I got concerned when it shot up to @ 450 degrees. But then it started dropping and leveled off @ 150. I jacked it up to 250 - watched it fire up to @ 400 again and then level off.
So it's clearly an issue with the ignitor and will be reaching out to Academy for a replacement.
Thanks for you help everyone!
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Bill, how long did you leave the lid up after starting the pellets?
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I actually left the lid down when I lit them. I did open it several times to check it during the 30 minutes I had it burning.
Should I have left it open?
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Next time leave the lid open for 10 minutes after a flame is established and see what the results are. I think it will be more stable.
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That makes more sense - venting will help it stay a bit more steady. Thanks for the tip!
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That controller will overshoot temps quite a bit when raising the temperature. Then it will level off after a few minutes. By leaving the hood open when you start it that will help keep it from overshooting too much.
Glad you got it figured out ;)
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Yeah, it will take some getting used to, but it will settle in.
I usually start my Traeger on 'smoke' with the lid shut, go inside to prep whatever I'm cooking, and then come back in 20 minutes or so.
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Hey everyone - things are looking up here with my new pellet grill. Academy Sports sent a manual and a new hot rod within. I was able to replace it with about 30 minutes of contortionism and cussing and now it starts on its own.
I've managed to smoke two turkeys, some wings and chicken breasts. Everything has turned out great so far. I would like to see more smoke, but we can't argue the flavor!
I'm finding the temp from the thermostat on the door is more reliable and runs a little hotter than the thermostat inside the cook chamber - and all the way to one side. Tends to run a bit hot - but that's workable.
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The dome thermo will read higher, as the heat is pooling up there before it heads out the stack.
I usually split the difference between the 2 and call it good.
Many of us added an AMAZN tube pellet smoker for that 'extra' smoke. (especially when running at a higher temp for poultry, etc.) They work great, and don't take up much space on the grill.
Sounds like you are getting dialed in!
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Good recommendation on the smoke tube. Will definitely put that on my list for Santa!
Made my first round of boston butts last week and had plenty of smoke.