Temperature incorrect

[caper11]

I did a Brisket for Xmas, I tried using the Ironwood L but I was not hitting my temp targets for the cook at a certain time. Ended up using the 885 to get the cook times back on track.

 

[The Visitor]

Have to say, it was cold outside. So I went to my Pit Boss. My Timberline XL did come with some kind of bluetooth probes. Now I can understand why. Still, I have not used them. Just goes against the grain somehow.

 

[ctanders]

I went through similar issues with an Ironwood XL. I noticed that my 3rd part probes were off and cook times were long. So, I ran a few experiments and measured that the area near the grill probe wase off. Setting of 225 for a grill temp gor a center cooking temp of about 190. 500 got around 400. I compensated for a few cooks and then started to tinker. An aluminum foil shield helped, but I still reached out to Traeger to see if something was off. According to tech support my grill was functioning correctly, but at startup was just at the edge of acceptable temperature accuracy. They sent me a new probe.

The new probe was a common part for timberline and ironwood and had a timberline mounting bracket. For the ironwood you reuse your existing mount. But, there were no instructions for positioning the probe. So, I asked tech support if this mattered. They informed me that it does. I relocated my existing probe a quarter inch higher similar to what the probe i received was mounted in the timberline probe. When I ran another check I got much more favorable results. 225 setting gave me 220 near the back right corner and 225 above the burner on the included probes and on my thermopro probes.

Hope this fixes things and maybe worth a check if you have an Ironwood or timberline

 

[caper11]

I went through similar issues with an Ironwood XL. I noticed that my 3rd part probes were off and cook times were long. So, I ran a few experiments and measured that the area near the grill probe wase off. Setting of 225 for a grill temp gor a center cooking temp of about 190. 500 got around 400. I compensated for a few cooks and then started to tinker. An aluminum foil shield helped, but I still reached out to Traeger to see if something was off. According to tech support my grill was functioning correctly, but at startup was just at the edge of acceptable temperature accuracy. They sent me a new probe.

The new probe was a common part for timberline and ironwood and had a timberline mounting bracket. For the ironwood you reuse your existing mount. But, there were no instructions for positioning the probe. So, I asked tech support if this mattered. They informed me that it does. I relocated my existing probe a quarter inch higher similar to what the probe i received was mounted in the timberline probe. When I ran another check I got much more favorable results. 225 setting gave me 220 near the back right corner and 225 above the burner on the included probes and on my thermopro probes.

Hope this fixes things and maybe worth a check if you have an Ironwood or timberline

Interesting, Do you have pics of the temp probe?

 

[RayClem]

I have an analog thermometer located in the lid of my Ironwood. It is in the center (left to right) and mounted so the tip is about 1" above the top grate.

This weekend, I was cooking cedar plank salmon and wanted a chamber temp 400F. I started the grill with a controller setting of 225F. I then observed the Traeger RTD thermocouple output and the analog thermometer as I increased the temperature to 400F. The Traeger temp always read higher than the analog thermometer by 25-50F. When the chamber temperature reached 400F as measured by the analog thermometer, the Traeger temperature varied between 450-460F.

Very hot air is rising from the firepot along the front, back and sides of the grill as the center is covered by the drip pan. The center of the grill never gets as hot as the side where the RTD thermocouple is located.

 

[ctanders]

Here are a couple of images. The new thermocouple, original adjusted, and installed.

 

[jacksonewwe]

I purchased my Timberline XL in Nov 2022. First 2 damaged in shipping. Third grill when cooking noticed cook times way off. 12 hr brisket took 18 hrs. Spatchcocked Turkey that normally takes 2 hr 40min took 5 hr 40 min and was ruined. If you went to buy a home in uk then also visit this site block management The grill temp reading reads and maintains temp on the screen but actual temps using an oven thermometer and wired temp probes on rack clips to keep in the air are 50* lower than desired temp. Customer Service is friendly but no help at all. They replaced probes, hotrod and thermal coupler. No change. They say the grill is correctly working…. Set to 350* but both “Third Party” thermometers read 50* lower. No calibration function on TXL grill I know about. Am I going to have to monitor temps myself or does anyone have a cure? I have a smaller Traeger 750 Pro and all thermometers are close to desired temp and all cooking times are what you would expect.

I have an analog thermometer located in the lid of my Ironwood. It is in the center (left to right) and mounted so the tip is about 1" above the top grate.

 

[Yoda]

I purchased my Timberline XL in Nov 2022. First 2 damaged in shipping. Third grill when cooking noticed cook times way off. 12 hr brisket took 18 hrs. Spatchcocked Turkey that normally takes 2 hr 40min took 5 hr 40 min and was ruined. The grill temp reading reads and maintains temp on the screen but actual temps using an oven thermometer and wired temp probes on rack clips to keep in the air are 50* lower than desired temp. Customer Service is friendly but no help at all. They replaced probes, hotrod and thermal coupler. No change. They say the grill is correctly working…. Set to 350* but both “Third Party” thermometers read 50* lower. No calibration function on TXL grill I know about. Am I going to have to monitor temps myself or does anyone have a cure? I have a smaller Traeger 750 Pro and all thermometers are close to desired temp and all cooking times are what you would expect.

 

[Yoda]

I have a 575, bought in 23. Definitely not impressed with the quality in tragers calibration of their temperature controls. Have replaced ALL COMPONENTS. Grill grate temp probe, firepower igniter, and controller. Still a 25° temp variation HIGHER OR LOWER THAN SET TEMP! WHY DO YOU HAVE TO HAVE A THERMOWORKS TEMP PROBE WITHIN INCHES OF GRATE TEMP PROBE AND HAVE OVER 25 DEGREE VARIATION? WHEN YOU SEE A VIDEO OF TESLAS GOING UP IN FLAMES TH E RE SHOULD BE A TRAGER NEXT TO THEM!

 

[RayClem]

I have a 575, bought in 23. Definitely not impressed with the quality in tragers calibration of their temperature controls. Have replaced ALL COMPONENTS. Grill grate temp probe, firepower igniter, and controller. Still a 25° temp variation HIGHER OR LOWER THAN SET TEMP! WHY DO YOU HAVE TO HAVE A THERMOWORKS TEMP PROBE WITHIN INCHES OF GRATE TEMP PROBE AND HAVE OVER 25 DEGREE VARIATION? WHEN YOU SEE A VIDEO OF TESLAS GOING UP IN FLAMES TH E RE SHOULD BE A TRAGER NEXT TO THEM!

Who are you SHOUTING AT? This is not a forum operated by Traeger. It is a collection of Traeger owners who have learned to produce tasty foods on their Traeger smokers in spite of the deficiencies in the temperature calibration. Traeger reps will never see your rant.

By the way, replacing the temp probe, hot rod and controller will have little impact on the temperature calibration. You wasted your money.

If you are not happy with your Traeger grill, sell it and get yourself a wood fired offset smoker. That does not come with a temperature controller of any kind. YOU become the one to control the temperature.

I like the ease of operation of the Traeger smoker, in spite the temperature calibration issue. I have an analog thermometer in the lid of my smoker. I set the controller as needed to get the temperature I desire on the analog thermometer.

 

[Manannan]

I set the controller as needed to get the temperature I desire on the analog thermometer.

Good advice, by using a third party ambient temperature thermometer you can generally work out what temperature to set the Traeger controller at on your particular unit, there are other posts on the forum that also allude to this. The problem is therefore not unmanageable unless the unit is inherently faulty which I suspect would apply in a minority of cases.

Yes Traeger's could be better in this respect but I would suggest that if you continually monitored a kitchen oven there would be more variation than you might imagine.

Also see:

https://support.traeger.com/hc/en-us/articles/4407213012379-Temperature-Swings

 

[Like Smoke]

I like RayClem have an analog thermometer in the lid which is about four inches from the stack. Between that and my ThermPro, one in the protien and one mounted next to it, I adjust the controller to achieve the temp I am trying to achieve using my aftermarket readouts. I don't worry about the Traeger readout, due to the location of the thermocouple it will never be accurate. I have considered trying to find a thermocouple with a longer wire that would be the same out put and connection as the original and relocating it to center of the rack where the protien is being smoked. I think this would allow the controller to be more accurate. Now if the temp is showing a difference between my aftermarket readouts, I just click the controller up or down and don't worry what the Traeger screen shows. Works for me.