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.

 

[Murph30]

I echo Mr Matt opinion. Bought 575 as a retirement gift to myself 6 years ago and have had no problems with it. Smoker is for low and slow cooking, as well as relaxing with a brew or bourbon in hand. But, I’ve cooked at 325 on smoker, without issue, other than lack of ‘Smokey’ taste. Interesting about the pellet issue as I find Traeger very dusty vs Meat Church pellet. I will try other brands mentioned in this thread.

 

[Cordell Walker]

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.

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.

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.

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.

Thanks for the advice! I see a bit of build-up in the chimney. I'll deal with that.
I guess it's asking a lot of the grill to get to 450 (although Traeger advertises them as capable of 500 degrees.)
I had been using Costco pellets, but I find they don't always cook to ashes -- they formed a solid chunk of hard material that engulfed the firebox, and on the bottom of the grill. I never experienced that with Traeger pellets. (There could be a different reason this happened, I suppose.)

 

[Cordell Walker]

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.

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.

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.

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]

It is several years old, for sure. I didn't notice firebox holes the last time I cleaned it. But I didn't give it a close inspection. I'll check it out. Thanks NW.

 

[Cordell Walker]

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.

Those green eggs sound awesome. They sure are proud of them ($$$). A friend of mine is a big charcoal fan and he's lobbying fiercely for PK grill or similar. Coal is the Devil's fuel, as Hank Hill says, and it's a little fiddly. Mainly when the wind is calm and the fumes don't disperse. At this point I don't know that I'd buy another Traeger. Like all manufacturers these days, they seem to be plagued with very uneven QC.

 

[RayClem]

The buildup in your fire pot occurs when pellets containing silica are burned. I stopped usgin applewood pellets due to this issue. It can also occur when whole tree chips are used to produce the pellets. Whole tree chips are made by taking the chipper out in the orchard or woods and chipping the entire tree including leaves, stems, branches, etc. I have never used the Costco pellets, so I cannot comment on their use.

The Lumberjack and Bear Mountain pellets I use burn cleanly with little residue. As such, I seldom have to clean my firepot.

 

[Pat Evans]

How long does it take to get to a set temp, like 225 when you first turn it on? I suspect you need a new firepot and heating rod. Mine used to take forever to start up, sometimes failing. I replaced the firepot (very rusted with holes) and the hot rod (was very short and corroded). Now the 575 runs like new.

 

[Cordell Walker]

How long does it take to get to a set temp, like 225 when you first turn it on? I suspect you need a new firepot and heating rod. Mine used to take forever to start up, sometimes failing. I replaced the firepot (very rusted with holes) and the hot rod (was very short and corroded). Now the 575 runs like new.

Thanks for the tips, Pat. I cleaned the unit and chipped away a bit of detritus from the chimney (didn't seem consequential.) The firepot is solid - no holes or even any corrosion. The heat rod seems OK to me. (I thought I read somewhere that the heat rod isn't needed once the burn got going well, and shuts off -- do you know whether the heat rod is always on?)

I lit it and it got to 225 in 9 minutes. It made it to 400 in 30 minutes. Around there, it seems to battle for every additional degree.

I'll order a new hot rod. It's a lot cheaper than a controller board. I really hate to throw away the unit if it is still viable.

[Edit] I found this at Traeger: "When working as designed, a hot rod is only active during the first five minutes of a cook, unless reactivated by the grill's temperature falling below the grill's set temp for an extended period of time."

Dan

 

[RayClem]

The hot rod is only activated during the ignition phase. Once the fire iss burning brightly, the hot rod is no longer needed and turns off. Since your fire gets going OK, there does not appear to be anything wrong with your hot rod. There is nothing wrong with having a spare hot rod in the event it does fail, but I do not think replacing the hot rod at this time will change anything.

I can get my Ironwood up to 400F fairly easily, but trying to go above that is pushing it. The Traeger is designed primarily as a smoker/convection oven. It is not really a grill capable of high temperatures. If you want to cook a pizza at 400F, it will get the job done, but if your aim is to sear steaks or burgers, the Traeger is not ideal.

 

[Shawnbbqman]

Thanks for the tips, Pat. I cleaned the unit and chipped away a bit of detritus from the chimney (didn't seem consequential.) The firepot is solid - no holes or even any corrosion. The heat rod seems OK to me. (I thought I read somewhere that the heat rod isn't needed once the burn got going well, and shuts off -- do you know whether the heat rod is always on?)

I lit it and it got to 225 in 9 minutes. It made it to 400 in 30 minutes. Around there, it seems to battle for every additional degree.

I'll order a new hot rod. It's a lot cheaper than a controller board. I really hate to throw away the unit if it is still viable.

[Edit] I found this at Traeger: "When working as designed, a hot rod is only active during the first five minutes of a cook, unless reactivated by the grill's temperature falling below the grill's set temp for an extended period of time."

Dan

With all of that looked at the next question would be what pellets are you using? I am guessing traeger pellets. If so STOP!! get a bag of Bear Mountain or Lumberjack pellets and see what happens.

 

[Shawnbbqman]

With all of that looked at the next question would be what pellets are you using? I am guessing traeger pellets. If so STOP!! get a bag of Bear Mountain or Lumberjack pellets and see what happens.

It isn't the hotrod.
It is on for.5min and turns off. Has nothing to do with temp. Only to light the pellets

 

[Hogan]

I echo comments from MrMatt and Murph30. There are two kinds of cook - barbeque and grilling. Grilling is "hot and fast" - thin steaks, chicken breasts, hot dogs, etc, while BBQ is "low and slow"; pulled pork for 12 hrs, brisket for 8, ribs for 6. Tho the manufacturers will tell you otherwise, if you have a bbq unit (e.g. Traeger, etc) use it for low and slow. Don't get confused using it for the wrong cook style. Use your gas/charcoal grill for hot and fast, and don't try and switch them off. It's like expecting your 4 cyl Hyundai to give the other guy's Ferrari a challenge. One is for cheap, economy local trips (low and slow) while one is for going fast as hell to wherever. For whatever reason.