Grill looses heat at high temps

[Brharvey88]

The last few cooks I have had issues with the grill loosing heat/ shutting down at high temperatures. Please consider the following:
- fire pot and grill cleaned of all ash before use;
- auger primed with pellets;
- grill starts up no problem;
- able to cook on low temps 200-225 for extended period of time with no problems;
- set temperature to 450 and run for 15-20 minutes once the set point is reached and the fan/ grill sounds like it is shutting down. There are no errors or alerts on the OIT display. Temperature then drops rapidly. Set point is still at 450 but grill cant keep up. I will then be forced to enter shutdown mode as my grill can no longer be used.
This has happened multiple times, the last 3 cooks. Never had issues prior. I habe had the grill for maybe 4 months and cook with it on average 1 to 2 times per week.
- I spoke to Traeger support and they are no help, just throwing darts asking the most rediculous questions.

Has anyone else experienced this?

 

[RayClem]

Your profile indicates that you live in Ontario west of Toronto and north of Buffalo, NY. With the recent winter storm, the temperature there got as low as 3 degrees F. That was still warmer than were I live in Northern Illinois where the temperatures were minus 10F. Nonetheless, at temperatures well below freezing, you are likely to need some type of insulation to prevent the loss of heat. While the grill seems to be able to maintain a smoking temperature of 200-225F with no issue, even at colder conditions, it is unable to maintain grilling temperatures of 450F. The higher the grill temperature, the quicker the heat transfer from the outside of the grill to the ambient environment. If it is windy, the heat loss will be even more rapid. I suspect that when the controller was running the pellet auger and fan at maximum trying to increase temperature, it gave up when it realized that it was never going to reach the setpoint. Some type of insulation for the grill might help.

Traeger does not make fitted insulation jackets for the Silvertons or any other grill without a smokestack. I have an Ironwood and cannot get a Traeger jacket. However, many people who own grills that exhaust out the back have insulated their grills using welding blankets. They are made of fiberglass or Nomex fiber and will minimize heat loss. Just make sure you do not block the exhaust slots on the back of the grill.

If it is windy, the grill will work more efficiently if you can move it to an area that is sheltered, but not inside a garage where fumes would be hazardous. You can use plywood, canvas tarps or fiberglass panels to block the wind. Just do not make the mistake of using corrugated paperboard for this purpose. One forum member tried this. The corrugated board blew against the grill and ignited.

 

[Brharvey88]

Your profile indicates that you live in Ontario west of Toronto and north of Buffalo, NY. With the recent winter storm, the temperature there got as low as 3 degrees F. That was still warmer than were I live in Northern Illinois where the temperatures were minus 10F. Nonetheless, at temperatures well below freezing, you are likely to need some type of insulation to prevent the loss of heat. While the grill seems to be able to maintain a smoking temperature of 200-225F with no issue, even at colder conditions, it is unable to maintain grilling temperatures of 450F. The higher the grill temperature, the quicker the heat transfer from the outside of the grill to the ambient environment. If it is windy, the heat loss will be even more rapid. I suspect that when the controller was running the pellet auger and fan at maximum trying to increase temperature, it gave up when it realized that it was never going to reach the setpoint. Some type of insulation for the grill might help.

Traeger does not make fitted insulation jackets for the Silvertons or any other grill without a smokestack. I have an Ironwood and cannot get a Traeger jacket. However, many people who own grills that exhaust out the back have insulated their grills using welding blankets. They are made of fiberglass or Nomex fiber and will minimize heat loss. Just make sure you do not block the exhaust slots on the back of the grill.

If it is windy, the grill will work more efficiently if you can move it to an area that is sheltered, but not inside a garage where fumes would be hazardous. You can use plywood, canvas tarps or fiberglass panels to block the wind. Just do not make the mistake of using corrugated paperboard for this purpose. One forum member tried this. The corrugated board blew against the grill and ignited.

Thanks for the response. I was actually experiencing this issue approximately 10 degrees above freezing temps but this is helpful information.

I Think I may have figured out what is happening. While the lid is open for maybe 15 seconds (enough to flip/ check meat) it sounds like the grill looses power/ perhaps even flame. The fan doesnt run constant when this happens, it almost sounds like it is trying to start back up again. This happened yesterday when cooking but at 225 not 450 and instead of shutting the grill down, I let it play out to see what would happen. Eventually the grill after what sounded like cycling of the fan, eventually started up again and ran consistently.

 

[RayClem]

Thanks for the response. I was actually experiencing this issue approximately 10 degrees above freezing temps but this is helpful information.

I Think I may have figured out what is happening. While the lid is open for maybe 15 seconds (enough to flip/ check meat) it sounds like the grill looses power/ perhaps even flame. The fan doesnt run constant when this happens, it almost sounds like it is trying to start back up again. This happened yesterday when cooking but at 225 not 450 and instead of shutting the grill down, I let it play out to see what would happen. Eventually the grill after what sounded like cycling of the fan, eventually started up again and ran consistently.

If you leave the lid open too long, the temperature will plummet, especially when the ambient temp is 10 F. Even under warmer conditions, the fan will slow down when the controller senses the rapid temperature drop. The hotter the grill (like 450F) the sharper the temperature drop will be when the lid is opened.

 

[roadman]

Your profile indicates that you live in Ontario west of Toronto and north of Buffalo, NY. With the recent winter storm, the temperature there got as low as 3 degrees F. That was still warmer than were I live in Northern Illinois where the temperatures were minus 10F. Nonetheless, at temperatures well below freezing, you are likely to need some type of insulation to prevent the loss of heat. While the grill seems to be able to maintain a smoking temperature of 200-225F with no issue, even at colder conditions, it is unable to maintain grilling temperatures of 450F. The higher the grill temperature, the quicker the heat transfer from the outside of the grill to the ambient environment. If it is windy, the heat loss will be even more rapid. I suspect that when the controller was running the pellet auger and fan at maximum trying to increase temperature, it gave up when it realized that it was never going to reach the setpoint. Some type of insulation for the grill might help.

Traeger does not make fitted insulation jackets for the Silvertons or any other grill without a smokestack. I have an Ironwood and cannot get a Traeger jacket. However, many people who own grills that exhaust out the back have insulated their grills using welding blankets. They are made of fiberglass or Nomex fiber and will minimize heat loss. Just make sure you do not block the exhaust slots on the back of the grill.

If it is windy, the grill will work more efficiently if you can move it to an area that is sheltered, but not inside a garage where fumes would be hazardous. You can use plywood, canvas tarps or fiberglass panels to block the wind. Just do not make the mistake of using corrugated paperboard for this purpose. One forum member tried this. The corrugated board blew against the grill and ignited.

I am not far away from you in SE WI. I did use the garage on Christmas morning because of the frigid temps and high wind. I made sure the big garage door was open. I slow cooked bacon for 2 hrs and then put the temp up to 375 degrees slowly. Even with the garage door open(our driveway faces south), the winds were not a issue. I am not sure if I would have used a longer cook, though, in the garage.

 

[RayClem]

I am not far away from you in SE WI. I did use the garage on Christmas morning because of the frigid temps and high wind. I made sure the big garage door was open. I slow cooked bacon for 2 hrs and then put the temp up to 375 degrees slowly. Even with the garage door open(our driveway faces south), the winds were not a issue. I am not sure if I would have used a longer cook, though, in the garage.

I am glad your experience turned out OK.

Just as a cautionary tale, about 20 years ago, a couple of years after I moved to Northern Illinois, I smelled some weird smoke. Another homeowner a couple of miles away had tried to cook a turkey on a propane fired turkey fryer for Thanksgiving dinner. It was cold, so they put the fryer at the entrance to the garage. The oil caught fire and the fire spread to the garage and then to the house. I doubt they were very thankful that day.

I doubt that a Traeger grill is quite as hazardous as a turkey fryer, but it still pays to be cautious. Have a suitably sized fire extinguisher nearby and keep a watchful eye on the grill.

Using any type of grill in and attached garage can introduce carbon monoxide into the living space. A CO detector might be another precaution.

 

[roadman]

I am glad your experience turned out OK.

Just as a cautionary tale, about 20 years ago, a couple of years after I moved to Northern Illinois, I smelled some weird smoke. Another homeowner a couple of miles away had tried to cook a turkey on a propane fired turkey fryer for Thanksgiving dinner. It was cold, so they put the fryer at the entrance to the garage. The oil caught fire and the fire spread to the garage and then to the house. I doubt they were very thankful that day.

I doubt that a Traeger grill is quite as hazardous as a turkey fryer, but it still pays to be cautious. Have a suitably sized fire extinguisher nearby and keep a watchful eye on the grill.

Using any type of grill in and attached garage can introduce carbon monoxide into the living space. A CO detector might be another precaution.

All great points, especially being extremely cautious.

I failed to add above that we have a detached garage, so, we were very fortunate in that area as well.

Also helped that I didn't go in the garage until I turned up the grill slowly to 375, about 2 hours and then

cleared the bacon from the grill, shut down grill from inside the house and kept garage door open until the grill was off

for more than a hour. I also kept the bacon in a aluminum pan to create less cleanup until it became warmer.

Also, very good point on a CO detector.