My fire pot stops working after 12 Hrs

[Jhenault]

I have a Pro series 34 and was smoking a 9lb pork butt after 12 hrs the fire pot stops working but the auger still sends pellets to the pot. Has this happened to anyone before and if so how did they correct it. It's the 2nd time in 5 years this has happened, I spoke with Treager support and they said to keep my hopper full. When this happened it was at 3/4.

 

[Retinla53]

I have a Pro series 34 and was smoking a 9lb pork butt after 12 hrs the fire pot stops working but the auger still sends pellets to the pot. Has this happened to anyone before and if so how did they correct it. It's the 2nd time in 5 years this has happened, I spoke with Treager support and they said to keep my hopper full. When this happened it was at 3/4.

I’ve had the same problem several times on my Pro 34. Now I wish I would have purchased a Pit Boss instead. Advice from some well seasoned guys ( no pun intended) in this forum suggested I go with a high quality pellet and sifting the pellets for excess dust. I started sifting the dust out of my pellets, but I no longer smoke over 8 hrs. I don’t want to take a chance. On those 2 occasions when the fire bowl smothered out, the auger kept pushing the pellets out and it looked like a volcano that hadn’t erupted yet and/or the mountain from the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind. I was not a happy smoker and have regretted the purchase ever since.
I’ve always cleaned the fire pot after every smoke, so that wasn’t the problem. I started using Green Mountain pellets and they seem to be cleaner.
I’ve even considered taking a hit selling on marketplace and purchasing a Pitt Boss. My brother is coming in town soon and will try a 10 lb pork butt. I want to smoke it for 12 hrs. If it acts properly, I’ll keep it. If not Marketplace bound and Pit Boss Christmas in July

 

[RustyJake]

Fire requires three things heat, fuel and oxygen.
Once the fire is started the ignitor shuts down and the smoker relies on the fan to maintain oxygen to sustain the fire/heat.
If you have fire, which you do because it runs for a while, it seems like the oxygen supply/flow is probably the problem. Either the draw through the exhaust is blocked or restricted causing a slower airflow than necessary to keep the fire burning. The other possible issue is oxygen input, which is supplied from the fan. Is it possible the fan stops for some reason? (Controller or obstruction or a bad fan).
I know you said you clean the firepot, but if there is a blockage in the channel around the auger, that could be something left during manufacturing or something moved. Worth checking. If the fan or controller is an issue, you probably wouldn't notice unless you were there when it shut off.
Frustrating for sure, because it is such a simple process but something goes wrong and it's difficult to troubleshoot.
Hope your next smoke goes without issue for you

Edit to add
The only other way would be your auger pushing in too many pellets and it smothered the flame and/or restricted airflow.