575 Pro issues

[SteveF]

New here, have a new 575 Pro & I am on my 5th smoke today. Not a single issue until now. I clean it every time & use Traeger pellets, they gave me 2 bags when I bought it. I bought a dedicated vacuum for this.
So, I cleaned it & vacuumed out the inside. I filled it with pellets & preheated. About 10 mins after reheat, I got a small backfire, not enough to see flame or excess smoke. I set temp manual at 200, like all the times before. I check my phone & it's at 380 degrees. It's running up and down from 380 to 500. Then a couple more backfires. I shut it down doing the proper procedure and after 30 minutes, I vacuum things up & start again. Same thing- running 200+ over set point. Dinner is probably ruined. I checked the temp with my wireless temp sensor & it's within 10 degrees. I called Traeger & they told me operator error, read the manual. Some help. Anyone see this before?
Wife is scared to death of it now, especially after searching for YouTube videos on Traeger explosions.

 

[SteveF]

 

[MidwestSmoker]

I have not experienced this. It could be a controller issue - too many pellets being fed to the firepot causing the backfires.

Another possibility is pellet dust. If the bag of Traeger pellets you used was from old stock, then you can expect it to have a lot of dust which could trigger this. One way to eliminate this possibility is to completely remove all pellets from the auger and try again with a brand new bag of pellets without dust. If you get new stock the dust will be less. If not, you need to sift all the dust out before feeding it into the hopper.

 

[SteveF]

I didn't notice dust, this was the newly opened 2nd bag.
Still....168 degrees above target temp is a bit excessive.

 

[RayClem]

Have you checked your actual grill temperature using a thermometer of known accuracy? Many forum members do not trust their Traeger RTD thermocouples and internal meat thermometers.

You set your controller temperature at 200 F. If your RTD thermocouple is reading 25 degrees high (which is possible), then the actual temperature might only be 175 F. That is quite low, especially if you are cooking on a summer day in the sun. I find that my grill can get up to 150 F on a sunny day before I ever ignite the firepot.

1. Get a good independent thermometer to verify the accuracy of your RTD thermocouple. Mount the thermometer probe at grate level close to the cook. I find that my Ironwood 885 is reasonably close if the setpoint is 225 F, but I have to set the controller to 325 F to get a grate temperature of 300F and a setpoint of 450 F to get a grate temperature of 400 F. You need to see what your grills temperature response may be. Do not trust the Traeger temperature readout. I even added a good analog thermometer to the lid of my Traeger.

2. Try setting the controller to achieve a grate level temperature of 225F. I suspect this will eliminate the fires in auger tube as you will now be feeding enough pellets and blowing enough air down the tube to prevent backfires. If you are doing an overnight cook or you are cooking in cooler months, then you might be able to cook at even lower temperatures.

3. Likewise, many Traeger owners are suspicious of accuracy of the Traeger internal temperature probe. I used mine for the first couple of cooks and have not used it since. Get a good 3rd party temperature probe. If you get one with multiple probes you can monitor the grate level temperature and the internal meat temperature at the same time. I recommend one with a minimum of 4 probes. You just need to make sure whatever you get is accurate as just a few degrees of internal temperature difference can make a big difference in your cook.

 

[Slimpicker]

try not to vacuum so much... when you suck pellets out of the auger then it takes longer and sometimes messes with the startup.
I go 4-5 cooks before vacuuming... I've never had an issue

get different pellets before coming to a conclusion that your 575 has a problem.

SEE HERE:

Pellets - Pellet Dust Test ► Results Are In

I'll just get right to it ► Test was for DUST amount in each 20lb bag which in my opinion also means pellet strength against crumble, and also means less worries of DUST clogs in Hopper... probably also means less affected by humidity too. Using my OKJoe sifter bucket and 1/3 of a bag at a time...

www.traegerforum.com

 

[RayClem]

try not to vacuum so much... when you suck pellets out of the auger then it takes longer and sometimes messes with the startup.
I go 4-5 cooks before vacuuming... I've never had an issue

get different pellets before coming to a conclusion that your 575 has a problem.

SEE HERE:

Pellets - Pellet Dust Test ► Results Are In

I'll just get right to it ► Test was for DUST amount in each 20lb bag which in my opinion also means pellet strength against crumble, and also means less worries of DUST clogs in Hopper... probably also means less affected by humidity too. Using my OKJoe sifter bucket and 1/3 of a bag at a time...

www.traegerforum.com

Good point. I always prime the auger before every cook. I also start the ignition with the lid open and only close the lid once I see smoke coming out of the grill. Traeger recommends startup with the lid closed, but I think it is safer to start with the lid open to avoid buildup of combustable gases in the chamber.

 

[SteveF]

I have 2 different thermometers I used to double check the Traeger. One is an Inkbird & the other is a Therm pro. Both confirmed the high temp within 10 degrees. I'm aware of how inaccurate the built in thermometer is. I always use either the Therm Pro or the Inkbird & use that to determine my cook temp. Setting the Traeger target at 200 gives me a 225-230 at grate. Setting the Traeger at 225 gives me a 240-250 temp. It's been very consistent in that matter.

I start with the lid open but close as soon as I have ignition. My previous pellet smoker (Oklahoma Joes) I did this & it never caused an issue.

Vacuuming. These Traeger pellets create alot of ash- I mean alot! I used to use Bear Mountain in my Oklahoma Joes & I don't remember that much ash. By the end of the smoke, it's blowing ash up on my meats! Blows ash out the stack & is settling on top of the shelf in the 6th hour. That didn't happen on my old smoker & I probably went 4-5 smokes before I cleaned. A 6 hour smoke on this Traeger- it needs to be cleaned. The ash is everywhere- even on the supports for the grate. That never happened on my old one. Maybe the fan is too strong, I don't know. I've only done ribs and chicken so far- no roasts or briskets yet. I can't even imagine how much ash I would be dealing with with a 11-12 hr smoke.

Pellets. My purchase included 2 bags of Traeger pellets so that's what I used. Wasn't a brand loyalty thing- I've used other brands, just not in this smoker. I have a unopened bag of Bear Mountain so I may try that.

Even after vacuuming of the pot, pellets are still in the pot so it's not empty. I'm only worried about ash. I'm not sucking it dry. It's a quick passover to get the loose ash & small pieces of pellets. The vacuuming is done everywhere else.
The Traeger has been flawless in operation until yesterday. It's never had an issue before. No backfires, temp consistent, My only issue was the ash everywhere. Maybe I got a bad bag or old stock, who knows.
I use foil on drip tray & change every smoke. I clean grates every use. There's no grease collected anywhere. If I'm guilty of over-cleaning, so be it. When you pay over a grand for a smoker (add in a cover & front shelf), I'm going to keep it clean. This thing is like new, 5 smokes. Shouldn't be like this.
My regret is not being able to keep my old smoker. Never 1 issue, ate any pellet you fed it. It was big & heavy & didn't fit in the moving truck. My neighbor scored!

 

[davwhite]

Steve, I put a Fireboard pit sensor in my 575 and I get up to 20 degrees difference compared to the Traeger readout. I keep adjusting the Traeger until it reaches the Fireboard temp readout. And remember to clean the probes after each use.

 

[SteveF]

Steve, I put a Fireboard pit sensor in my 575 and I get up to 20 degrees difference compared to the Traeger readout. I keep adjusting the Traeger until it reaches the Fireboard temp readout. And remember to clean the probes after each use.

That's what I do with the either of my digitals, mostly the Therm Pro. I ignore the built in temp & go by my probe. I pass it through the little hole with the seal & use a clip to hold the probe just above the grate. I just use that to cook by. But this thing had a runaway burn yesterday, several times close to 500 degrees. That's not right. Burned a bunch of pellets roaring at full bore.
Your probes will probably be off- The one you added is mounted higher than the Traeger one which will show hotter.

 

[SteveF]

So, I decided to clean the Traeger & remove all the pellets. Wow, that trap door location was a poor design & it's not even at the bottom. Even with a 5 gal bucket under it, I had pellets everywhere. Why wouldn't they put it on the end or the bottom? I found the easiest way was to just use a shop vac. What I did find was the metal over the burn cup was warped so it now doesn't engage the slots on 4 sides & the grease tray (I use foil to keep it clean) is badly warped. 5 smokes, 6 weeks old. Nice. The burn cup & the metal over the auger is white. This thing got hot! I called Traeger & again, it's my fault. Then they ask for my SN & say it was never registered even though I did register it. They want me to send a proof of purchase. Only then will they send a new controller & metal parts that warped- but no answer to why it happened. I called Home Depot where I bought it. Much more helpful. Told me to bring it back & exchange it for a brand new one or they would refund my money.

 

[Lbeberdick]

New here, have a new 575 Pro & I am on my 5th smoke today. Not a single issue until now. I clean it every time & use Traeger pellets, they gave me 2 bags when I bought it. I bought a dedicated vacuum for this.
So, I cleaned it & vacuumed out the inside. I filled it with pellets & preheated. About 10 mins after reheat, I got a small backfire, not enough to see flame or excess smoke. I set temp manual at 200, like all the times before. I check my phone & it's at 380 degrees. It's running up and down from 380 to 500. Then a couple more backfires. I shut it down doing the proper procedure and after 30 minutes, I vacuum things up & start again. Same thing- running 200+ over set point. Dinner is probably ruined. I checked the temp with my wireless temp sensor & it's within 10 degrees. I called Traeger & they told me operator error, read the manual. Some help. Anyone see this before?
Wife is scared to death of it now, especially after searching for YouTube videos on Traeger explosions.

One time. Received a flame out error. But temp kept climbing. Made no sense to me. Then smoke from pellet hopper. Called Traeger, they said to remove food, and shut down. Keep everything closed. Let cool and clean out. Fortunately no fire in pellet hopper. During cleaning I noticed a burn ring around the top of
Burn pot. Apparently there was an error in the logic that kept feeding pellets to overflowing the burn pot, but temp kept climbing. until it triggered a flam out error, but keep burning. MAKES NO SENSE TO ME, NOT HUMAN LOGICAL. Good news is it was a 1 time thing. Have used 3 times since then with no errors. When this thing dies, no more Traeger.

 

[SteveF]

I returned it & decided to take the refund for now. I need to take a step back & think. I was so disappointed in how customer service treated me. They never acknowledged the problem was theirs, it was always my fault. I've had the last 2 dinners ruined by this smoker & with the prices of meat now- that's not acceptable. I did look at the Timberline & talked to the people at Home Depot. The Pro series are the ones that get returned while the Ironwood have a few & Timberline never have returns. Alot to think about. A Timberline is more than double the money & is it that much better? The controller is certainly different looking. But when I do a search on the Timberline, the first thing I get is hits for replacement controllers. Why are people replacing controllers on a smoker that's nearly 2 grand?

 

[Lbeberdick]

I am really disappointed with Traeger as well. If I had to do over I would buy either Grilla or

I returned it & decided to take the refund for now. I need to take a step back & think. I was so disappointed in how customer service treated me. They never acknowledged the problem was theirs, it was always my fault. I've had the last 2 dinners ruined by this smoker & with the prices of meat now- that's not acceptable. I did look at the Timberline & talked to the people at Home Depot. The Pro series are the ones that get returned while the Ironwood have a few & Timberline never have returns. Alot to think about. A Timberline is more than double the money & is it that much better? The controller is certainly different looking. But when I do a search on the Timberline, the first thing I get is hits for replacement controllers. Why are people replacing controllers on a smoker that's nearly 2 grand?

Look into Rec Tec or Grilla. If I had it to do over I would buy a Rec Tec.

 

[SteveF]

I'm looking at the Recteq but they have their own problems too. I just don't understand why they can't get it right. For me, a grand is alot of money for a smoker being retired & on a fixed income. 2 grand is crazy. Makes me want to go back to a $500 side burner. I am monitoring several forums & it's a broken record.
Controller issue
Inaccurate temps
Feed issues
Backfires

The overwhelming opinion is to ignore the display & use your own probes. Why can't these companies offer a controller that matches these 3rd party probes & displays? So why buy such an expensive wifi smoker if you are going to run it manual?