My pit boss just exploded on video!

[Hoss]

Pellet poopers,. That's all....... Glad it wasn't worse.

[guero_gordo]

It's those damned graphite tips on the control rods....

[Shadowdog500]

I rolled the pit boss into my shop last night and started to clean and inspect.

The pot had about a half inch of ash in it.

The ash around the bottom of the pit seemed normal.

There was a slight peppering of about a couple dozen pellets or so scattered around the rim of the pot (possibly from the flash)

The pellets in the auger tube were completely charred inside about 4” up the auger tube and the top of the auger tube housing had burnt paint and discoloration that far back as well.

The auger was not jammed and I cleared the pellets by running it in smoke mode and sucking the pellets out with a shop vac as they dropped into the pot.

All of the systems seem to be working fine. Not sure why this happened a couple hours into the cook. Im going to switch back to the pit boss pellets, which are bigger in diameter and seem to be less dense than the lumberjack pellets, and will give it a try again. But I will never trust the smoker to run while sleeping.

Chris

[Shadowdog500]

Originally Posted by guero_gordo

It's those damned graphite tips on the control rods....

You must have one of those nuclear cookers!
Chris

[RCAlan]

Originally Posted by Shadowdog500

I rolled the pit boss into my shop last night and started to clean and inspect.

The pot had about a half inch of ash in it.

The ash around the bottom of the pit seemed normal.

There was a slight peppering of about a couple dozen pellets or so scattered around the rim of the pot (possibly from the flash)

The pellets in the auger tube were completely charred inside about 4” up the auger tube and the top of the auger tube housing had burnt paint and discoloration that far back as well.

The auger was not jammed and I cleared the pellets by running it in smoke mode and sucking the pellets out with a shop vac as they dropped into the pot.

All of the systems seem to be working fine. Not sure why this happened a couple hours into the cook. Im going to switch back to the pit boss pellets, which are bigger in diameter and seem to be less dense than the lumberjack pellets, and will give it a try again. But I will never trust the smoker to run while sleeping.

Chris

I mostly use Lumberjack Pellets because they are made of 100% of the flavored wood and they produce the best smoke profile of any pellets I have tried... That being said, when my grill suffered its flame out last year, I was using Lumberjack pellets as well. A few things to consider is 1. like You posted is switching back to PB Pellets. They are not that bad and You can find them at any Walmart Store. 2. If You do decide to stick with the Lumberjack pellets and they are very good, is to go through the bag and break in half any extremely long pellets and also check for excessive sawdust... 3. You might want to consider changing your grills Auger Motor to a Heavy Duty 30Watt – 2RPM Auger Motor. They’re only about $40-45.00 dollars and they have the torque to turn and push the pellets through the Auger Tube without having the pellets getting hung up by a weaker Auger motor that’s used in the PB Pellet Grills. 4. There are many grill thermometers on the market that have alarms that You can program and apps that you can add to your Smartphone. If You have to leave your grill for any extended amount of time or you have to grab that nap, it will warn you of any flame outs or wild temp swings. Good Luck.

[Shadowdog500]

Originally Posted by RCAlan

I mostly use Lumberjack Pellets because they are made of 100% of the flavored wood and they produce the best smoke profile of any pellets I have tried... That being said, when my grill suffered its flame out last year, I was using Lumberjack pellets as well. A few things to consider is 1. like You posted is switching back to PB Pellets. They are not that bad and You can find them at any Walmart Store. 2. If You do decide to stick with the Lumberjack pellets and they are very good, is to go through the bag and break in half any extremely long pellets and also check for excessive sawdust... 3. You might want to consider changing your grills Auger Motor to a Heavy Duty 30Watt – 2RPM Auger Motor. They’re only about $40-45.00 dollars and they have the torque to turn and push the pellets through the Auger Tube without having the pellets getting hung up by a weaker Auger motor that’s used in the PB Pellet Grills. 4. There are many grill thermometers on the market that have alarms that You can program and apps that you can add to your Smartphone. If You have to leave your grill for any extended amount of time or you have to grab that nap, it will warn you of any flame outs or wild temp swings. Good Luck.

Do you have a link to that 30w motor? I may give it a try. Last night was the first time I looked up under the hopper and was surprised at how small the auger motor was. I was also thinking of getting a pid controller to help reduce the temp swings. Thanks

[travismagee]

wife - "Hey hun, did you hear a gunshot?"

husband - "That was just another pellet smoker explosion. Go back to sleep my dear."

lol

[thunter]

OMG!! I’m glad no one got hurt! [emoji1488][emoji33]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[RCAlan]

Originally Posted by Shadowdog500

Do you have a link to that 30w motor? I may give it a try. Last night was the first time I looked up under the hopper and was surprised at how small the auger motor was. I was also thinking of getting a pid controller to help reduce the temp swings. Thanks

https://smokedaddyinc.com/product/2r...-motor-0-4amp/

[Porcine Aviator]

This phenomenon is essentially the same as a " flash-over" that occurs in building structural fires— usually with tragic results. The trapped gases generated by the smoldering fuel eventually reach ignition temperature within the enclosure with explosive results.

Note to manufacturers:

Never, never, never introduce any product that can cause bodily injury or property damage in normal working conditions. This is a design flaw, and a very dangerous one at that. A redundant fail safe system is required to prevent such an event. A manufacturer cannot rely on the consumer to assume responsibility for safety failures that are inherent in the design of the product. You can see that that the possibility exists whereby a user could start this device, leave their house for a couple hours, and return to a raging inferno. What if a child was standing in front of the unit (as curious as they are) when the flash-over took place? There are sensors that can be designed into the unit to prevent such a catastrophe and should included in every unit. It is hard for me to believe that this unit has a UL listing (or other pertinent required labeling), and if it does not, it is illegal to sell in many states.

[SmittyJonz]

Porcine Aviator - it’s Relatively Common - some brands more than others......

Originally Posted by SmittyJonz

Which Brands Explode the Best.?

https://m.youtube.com/results?q=plet...0explodes&sm=3
.

https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/s...259047&page=17

[SmittyJonz]

Originally Posted by Yiplong

Which fuel type do you feel is safer? I will be in a townhouse complex. They ban charcoal but plenty of people use propane. I assume pellet would be fine as well, since IMO it's safer than propane. I wouldn't want to use anything that's unsafe near a building anyway. I see a lot of people using their propane grill under the balcony, which I think is crazy! Apparently, that's okay!

Pellet won't suffer from leakage and potentially explode like propane. The fire is also better controlled. The grill will maintain a certain pre-set temperature, whereas with propane, if you set it to preheat and forget about it, the fire will burn until the propane runs out or the grill melts. Pellets also runs at lower temperature and most cooks indirect, hence less chance of grease catching fire or flare-ups. What do you think?

Originally Posted by SmittyJonz

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roc1tHUn0pM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEkWUmqXSvI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5pVbHo2oFM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMs2-9Ti8WY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaJvsyv-Kys

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJITiu2fadY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blJ6SMwDnOg

https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/s...d.php?t=270569

[Happy Hapgood]

I don't have a dog in this hunt as I do not own a pellet grill but I'm a retired HVAC guy and do know combustion principles.


Taking a step back from all the explosions and vids talking about what's happening, I have to question the condition of the fuel used. The OP states his location as On The Shore. My theory is that humidity could be the culprit slowing the combustion of pellets just as it does with charcoal or wood. Not wet but here in Louisiana once I open a bag of KBB, I keep it indoors. This coupled with the ignition process PG's use could keep them from igniting until flashpoint is reached.


Just my .02 and be safe.

[luv2smoke]

Originally Posted by SmittyJonz

Porcine Aviator - it’s Relatively Common - some brands more than others......

That's good to know that this is a relatively common problem. It sure puts my mind at ease in regards to the arbitrary explosions these pellet cookers are having. If guess if most of them do it I'm good to go and nothing to worry about?

[SmittyJonz]

Originally Posted by luv2smoke

That's good to know that this is a relatively common problem. It sure puts my mind at ease in regards to the arbitrary explosions these pellet cookers are having. If guess if most of them do it I'm good to go and nothing to worry about?

Exactly. Smoke On. In a Non-Flammable environment.............