My pro 575 can't get to 450 degrees anymore

[Cordell Walker]

Hello everyone. Very first post.
I inherited my Traeger from a friend. It stopped working for him and he bought a new one. I resurrected it with a new power supply and had a season of great steaks, chicken, and chops.
At the end of last summer it started struggling to get above about 400 degrees. Even with zero wind, I would run it for an hour and it would barely get over 400 degrees, then slowly creep up towards 420. My friend swears his new Traeger gets to 450 in 15 minutes. Mine will only get to 450 in the middle of summer when it's in the 90s outside, and it's been burning for an hour or more. I crave steak in the winter, too. Steaks at 400 degrees do not cook up as nice as 450.

I got new Traeger branded pellets. I convinced myself it could be the fan. It's supposed to be multi-speed and I thought I remembered the fan running louder at startup. The fan always sounds the same to me, now. Replacing the fan did not help. All I can think of, that's left, is the auger motor ($75) or the controller board ($185).

I like the idea of keeping mine going, rather than shelling out for a new one. Sort of like recycling, versus manufacturing a new one. But I don't have confidence a new motor or board would fix the problem.

1) Has anyone timed their grill starting up, and getting up to 450 degrees? Is it really just 15 minutes or so?
2) Do you think it likely an augur motor or printed circuit board would do the trick? Which would you try first?

Any help appreciated!
Dan

 

[RayClem]

To achieve high temperatures in your grill, you need good pellets and optimal air flow. If the air flow is excessive, you will be losing heat out the stack. If the air flow in insufficient, the pellets will not burn at maximum temperature. Check you vent pipe for any pluggagge or buildup of creosote. You might need to adjust the clearance of the cap to achieve maximum temps.

Although Traeger recommends their own brand of pellets, many of the members here have found other brands to be better. The Traeger pellets tend to be rather soft and dusty. My personal perference is for the single wood pellets by Lumberjack and the blends by Bear Mountain.

Many of the members also use Pit Boss pellets and some recommend the Costco Kirkland brand. There are several threads on pellet brands that you might benefit from reading.

Generally, when people want to cook above 400F, they are attempting to use their Traeger for searing steaks. Unfortunately, the Traeger is not ideal for that. I purchased a set of custom GrillGrates for my Traeger Ironwood. They help with searing, but are still not ideal. I finally ended up purchasing a flat top griddle for searing. The combination of the Traeger grill for smoking and the griddle for searing works perfectly.

When cooking steaks, you can either sear the steaks on the griddle and then finish them off to temp on the Traeger, or you can reverse sear by cooking to 125F on the Traeger and then searing them on the griddle until the final temp is reached.

 

[Shawnbbqman]

First how old is your grill? If it is a few years old and is now not getting to 450 look at the firepot for extra holes and deterioration.
The fan could be a big culprit if it is dragging and not at full speed. That could possibly be fixed with some WD-40 or replacement.
And Abigail problem in your setup is the pellets. Traeger pellets are the worst pellet on the market. Not knowing your area and availability of different brands i would suggest you to see if you can find Bear Mountain pellets or Lumberjack pellets.
If you have more questions let me know.
[email protected]

 

[MrMatt]

I use my Pro 575 for smoking, low and slow. I use my Green Egg for searing hot proteins, or my aged charcoal grill. At temps higher than 200 degrees, not much smoke is generated.