Traeger Temp won't go over 385

[tassmannn]

Only owned it for about 6 months and use to be able to cook steaks when I set it to 450. Now it never gets over 385. Any suggestions? I cleaned it, changedout pellets thinking they could be bad, opened firebox nd cleaned it to.

 

[sharkbait094]

I had an issue with the curved metal piece (stopper?) that keeps the grill lid hinges from hyperextending (attached under the right side of the lid) getting in the way of the lid closing. I'm guessing it got bumped, because it was not loose, but was hitting the back of the barrel and preventing the lid from completely closing (was not a problem when I first got the grill). I noticed the temperatures not getting as hot for a while and thought it was going to be a warranty issue again. They actually sent me a new lid and hinges the first time it happened and I replaced the whole door and hinges, which came with a new stopper. Well, it happened again and the second time, somebody smarter was helping me on the phone and asked me to check, which is when I noticed little marks on the back of the grill barrel. Hoping this helps you (or someone else in their interweb search in the future). My solution before figuring it out was to preheat the grill with a cast iron skillet in there and then cook steaks on the skillet, which helped with the searing also (different than the reverse sear that many use, both work). Don't mind the super dirty grill. I have a cover and wipe it down often and it still gets like that so fast in this high-desert horse town.

 

[RemE]

Nice find! That makes sense to me, leaking heat so the grill struggles to get hot. I couldn't think of anything else that would prevent a grill from achieving a high temp besides a leak of some sort.

 

[Timmy]

Might want to check actual grill temp with a 3rd party themometer. Thrermopro or Fireboard type. My grill runs on average of 20f cooler than what the grill says.

 

[sharkbait094]

I have also heard from an extended family member/Traeger Rep, that cleaning the internal temp probes can help with the accuracy of the grill temp. I think they used degreaser, but warned to be careful, as they can break if handled too rough. Let us know how it turns out.

 

[tassmannn]

Thanks, I will check the door later. I did clean the probe. I will post my findings.