Cleaning the Traeger?

[primeone]

How often do you vacuum out the firepot? Is there any other maintenance you do on a regular basis?

 

[mickeykool]

How often do you vacuum out the firepot? Is there any other maintenance you do on a regular basis?

rule of thumb is after every few smokes, but in my case its once a month. The new grills maybe different thou.

 

[Russells]

rule of thumb is after every few smokes, but in my case its once a month. The new grills maybe different thou.

That’s what I do but I should start doing it more often. New grill, maybe a new routine.

 

[CampWhatnot]

Every 10 hours or so of cook time. Which is every cook or every 2 cooks if I'm cooking the same protein in a row

 

[primeone]

Every 10 hours or so of cook time.

Traeger should put an hour meter on the grills with a dummy light to clean 'em. It would also be neat seeing your total cook hours!

 

[Uncle George]

After every cook. Unless my last cook was a 10 min burger I dont clean it. But 99% of the time, I clean it before every cook.

 

[Ninefingers]

I’m a new Traeger owner. I’ve done about 8 hours of running so far... a full bag... and I just looked inside the bottom of grill for the first time. I was surprised how much ash was all over the bottom. I guess tomorrow I’ll be taking the vac outside to give it a cleaning.

 

[primeone]

Here's what my Ironwood looked like after about a month's worth of use.

And after giving it a good vacuum.

I'm surprised to see surface rust around the fire pot already? I have always kept the grill in the garage after using it.

 

[Mr.Ratman]

Before every cook.

 

[Sodaking27]

After about the 3rd use, unless doing a shoulder or something greasy like bacon. Then I clean it before the next use.

 

[ndfan6464]

I like to clean mine after every cook. It's the OCD in me and the fact that I spent a crap ton on this thing and want it to last. Plus if anything should ever happen ie break down they cant say I didnt properly maintain the unit..

 

[BlackBetsy]

Clean mine after every cook. ?

 

[Biffdotorg]

Traeger should put an hour meter on the grills with a dummy light to clean 'em. It would also be neat seeing your total cook hours!

Ok, so I did a full clean on our 780 for the first time yesterday. Used the shop vac on the ash and firepot etc. Cleaned the grates and wiped it down. As soon as I fired it up to do some chicken a message popped on the screen to clean the grease trap!!!

Was it coincidence? Was there a number of hours that it did that? Or does it pop up every time and I just had not noticed it before during pre-heat? Or did that damn thing actually realize I had cleaned it and forgotten to clean out the little spout going down to the bucket? (Smile)

Good luck all.

 

[SPD656]

How often do you vacuum out the firepot? Is there any other maintenance you do on a regular basis?

I clean mine before every cook I didn’t spend $1800 on a smoker to have it fail because I didn’t do maintenance. My T850 does tell me every time I turn it on to clean it though which is weird. I always inspect the grease channel and drip tray and have zero ash in mine when I start up. I leave the shop vac plugged in right next to mine just because I know if it’s tucked away somewhere I might get lazy. Luckily mine is inside our screened in porch and covered up when not in use.

 

[SPD656]

Ok, so I did a full clean on our 780 for the first time yesterday. Used the shop vac on the ash and firepot etc. Cleaned the grates and wiped it down. As soon as I fired it up to do some chicken a message popped on the screen to clean the grease trap!!!

Was it coincidence? Was there a number of hours that it did that? Or does it pop up every time and I just had not noticed it before during pre-heat? Or did that damn thing actually realize I had cleaned it and forgotten to clean out the little spout going down to the bucket? (Smile)

Good luck all.

Mine is always clean and literally tells me to clean it every time on start up.