Rust on 4 Month Old Grill

[SeidlBrewingAndBBQ]

Hey everyone,

I wanted to share some pictures of my Traeger Silverton and see if this is normal, or if I have an issue (see rust on inside). It seems to just be surface rust for now, but I'm afraid it will get worst quickly. Is there a food safe, high heat paint I can use to prevent more rust? Will Traeger look into this since it is under warranty? I have not reached out to them yet.

Just a little background to try to answer follow up questions that might come. I bought this back in April of this year and followed all of the instructions for seasoning and first use to a T. I clean the whole grill every few grills or after a long smoke. Also, the grill is ALWAYS covered unless I'm using it.

-Tim

 

[Slimpicker]

I clean the whole grill every few grills or after a long smoke.

I think you 'clean' it too much?? Mine is BLACK, coated in smoke film, NO RUST and it's a year old.
You have it 'covered', is it covered but still sitting in a yard??? The moisture from any rain would trap itself in your grill out on a lawn.
I say you need to get a smoke tube and USE it to start coating your grill in protective smoke.

NO DO NOT PAINT the interior, if you spray anything at all, spray a 'grill pam'

 

[SeidlBrewingAndBBQ]

It lives on my deck and I'm not going to build a shelter or covering for a grill. Unless Traeger uses the cheapest grade steel available, this shouldn't be an issue. I've have cheap $200 Charbroils with less rust after a few years. I will clean it less if you guys think that will help, and will definitely try spraying high temp oil on the inside to further season (like you would a cast iron skillet). And for the smoke tube, it seems like there are some major design flaws in the grill if I have to buy a separate accessory to build enough smoke for a protective coating.

 

[Slimpicker]

it seems like there are some major design flaws in the grill if I have to buy a separate accessory to build enough smoke for a protective coating.

I didn't say build smoke on purpose, just SMOKE your food more, (low temps and maybe a smoke tube) and maybe let some buildup in your grill.

 

[Murphy's Law]

It lives on my deck and I'm not going to build a shelter or covering for a grill. Unless Traeger uses the cheapest grade steel available, this shouldn't be an issue. I've have cheap $200 Charbroils with less rust after a few years. I will clean it less if you guys think that will help, and will definitely try spraying high temp oil on the inside to further season (like you would a cast iron skillet). And for the smoke tube, it seems like there are some major design flaws in the grill if I have to buy a separate accessory to build enough smoke for a protective coating.

Well if you’re not going to build a shelter…!

He was asking if you had it covered as in - grill cover. I keep my grill covered (I didn’t build a shelter) and have zero issues.

 

[Slimpicker]

He was asking if you had it covered as in - grill cover. I keep my grill covered (I didn’t build a shelter) and have zero issues.

CORRECT (TY Murphy), and if it sits in the yard, then it creates a trap for evaporating water from rain soaked ground around it... (message for others now, since his is on a deck)

 

[SeidlBrewingAndBBQ]

I guess I'm confused what the alternative is. Yes I use a grill cover and have it on a deck. How can I better protect it short of keeping it in the house? I agree with Slimpicker that maybe I clean it too much. I wanted to make sure I took the best care of it since these things aren't cheap!

I'm going to reach out to Traeger in case this is a one off issue they can help with. I have read from others on here that their CS is very helpful with this kind of stuff.

Is there any chance Traeger uses cheaper materials on the Silverton series since they are a Costco exclusive?

 

[CMTiger]

Idk if the steel is of lesser quality, but certainly possible. I’ve read several complaints from people with the Costco lineup......but then again I’ve read a ton of people loving them too. But based on all I’ve read I’d stick with one of the ones offered directly from Traeger. Fwiw they’re all made in China now.

i will say if you look at the reviews on Traeger side your grill has 3.4 stars out of 5. The Pro575 which is the bare bonesish model they offer on there has a rating of 4.4.

 

[SeidlBrewingAndBBQ]

Idk if the steel is of lesser quality, but certainly possible. I’ve read several complaints from people with the Costco lineup......but then again I’ve read a ton of people loving them too. But based on all I’ve read I’d stick with one of the ones offered directly from Traeger. Fwiw they’re all made in China now.

i will say if you look at the reviews on Traeger side your grill has 3.4 stars out of 5. The Pro575 which is the bare bonesish model they offer on there has a rating of 4.4.

I will say I love everything about this grill when using it. It's just when I pull the heat shield out to vacuum and have to look at the rust that bums me out. I will see what Traeger has to say. Either way, I plan to cook with this thing as long as it will possibly live! Just hoping to extend that life.

 

[Don C]

Idk if the steel is of lesser quality, but certainly possible. I’ve read several complaints from people with the Costco lineup......but then again I’ve read a ton of people loving them too. But based on all I’ve read I’d stick with one of the ones offered directly from Traeger. Fwiw they’re all made in China now.

i will say if you look at the reviews on Traeger side your grill has 3.4 stars out of 5. The Pro575 which is the bare bonesish model they offer on there has a rating of 4.4.

In my experience, products made exclusively for Costco are usually of a higher quality (or at least more options included).
Costco holds the manufacturers to very strict standards for any product made exclusively for Costco

And of course the Costco return policy is extremely excellent & much better than that of any Traeger authorized dealer.

The lower rating of the Silverton 620 on the Traeger website is due to (in order of the # of negative reviews):
Temperatures not accurate (which applies to every Traeger Model)
Connecting to WiFi

Without those negative reviews, the overall rating would be much higher.

The overall rating of the 620 on the Costco website is 4.3
Negative reviews there are also mostly about the temperatures not being accurate (which again applies to every Traeger Model)

Not saying the Silverton 620 does not have problems.
But, so do all the Traeger Models.

 

[CMTiger]

Maybe it’s just the wheels that make it cheap in comparison to the brands sold directly through Traeger (and elsewhere)

 

[Slimpicker]

I agree with Slimpicker that maybe I clean it too much. I wanted to make sure I took the best care of it since these things aren't cheap!

I understand that, but as the owner of many many smokers in my life, the best protector is smoke and grease.

I own an Ugly Drum Smoker, 55gal metal drum, thin metal, once I started using it, I almost never thought about cleaning it... with any water soluble stuff... the outside rusted, but not the inside.

 

[CMTiger]

Maybe it’s just the wheels that make it cheap in comparison to the brands sold directly through Traeger (and elsewhere)

This came out wrong. The wheels are wobbly. Idk why Traeger made the Costco models with tiny wheels

 

[KraZ440]

I understand that, but as the owner of many many smokers in my life, the best protector is smoke and grease.

I own an Ugly Drum Smoker, 55gal metal drum, thin metal, once I started using it, I almost never thought about cleaning it... with any water soluble stuff... the outside rusted, but not the inside.

I haven't done extensive research, but it seems there is a notable difference between the pellet community and the offset community when it comes to rust. In the pellet community, if the paint starts to flake or rust forms, there is the reaction to send the unit back to the manufacturer for replacement because it must be defective. In the offset community, it seems like they accept paint flaking and rust as inevitable, so just "season" the inside/outside with oil/grease to protect the metal to prevent the rust from happening.

 

[repietrafesa]

I haven't done extensive research, but it seems there is a notable difference between the pellet community and the offset community when it comes to rust. In the pellet community, if the paint starts to flake or rust forms, there is the reaction to send the unit back to the manufacturer for replacement because it must be defective. In the offset community, it seems like they accept paint flaking and rust as inevitable, so just "season" the inside/outside with oil/grease to protect the metal to prevent the rust from happening.

Maybe it’s just the wheels that make it cheap in comparison to the brands sold directly through Traeger (and elsewhere)

My experience is that Traeger models sold at Costco are cheaper in every way. Older, left over parts, and built to a price point. Wouldn’t touch a Silverton.