Freakin Treager..

[Bossmanbbq]

Went to smoke four butts this afternoon and started up the Treager, came out 2o minutes later and it was cold and no smoke:shock: Thought maybe the pellets overflowed and put out the fire, took everything out and found NO PELLETS in the fire pit. Went to check on the pellets and found the top half of the pellets in the hopper just fine, BUT found the bottom half of the pellets had turned to sawdust:eusa_clap

Stuff was packed into the augur like cement. Long story short took me three hours to clean up this mess and then try to free up the auger, in the process I sheared the auger pin in half trying to free up the auger. THANK GOODNESS my wife found a pin with a washer nut that just fit on the chamber and behold the auger works again and the pit is smokin:-D

Never had this problem before and not sure how this happend. Dont get me wrong I love the Treager, but after cussing and messing with this pit all afternoon, I was even more sure that I want a Spicewine or Stump's Smoker!

 

[Plowboy]

Went to smoke four butts this afternoon and started up the Treager, came out 2o minutes later and it was cold and no smoke:shock: Thought maybe the pellets overflowed and put out the fire, took everything out and found NO PELLETS in the fire pit. Went to check on the pellets and found the top half of the pellets in the hopper just fine, BUT found the bottom half of the pellets had turned to sawdust:eusa_clap

Stuff was packed into the augur like cement. Long story short took me three hours to clean up this mess and then try to free up the auger, in the process I sheared the auger pin in half trying to free up the auger. THANK GOODNESS my wife found a pin with a washer nut that just fit on the chamber and behold the auger works again and the pit is smokin:-D

Never had this problem before and not sure how this happend. Dont get me wrong I love the Treager, but after cussing and messing with this pit all afternoon, I was even more sure that I want a Spicewine or Stump's Smoker!

Sounds like the pellets got wet.

 

[Norcoredneck]

Did all the work leave you enough time for cook or was it pizza nite?

 

[Puppyboy]

Sounds like the pellets got wet.

That's what I was thinking.
Glad you got her all fixed up.

 

[G$]

.....
Never had this problem before and not sure how this happend. Dont get me wrong I love the Treager, but after cussing and messing with this pit all afternoon, I was even more sure that I want a Spicewine or Stump's Smoker!

Pellets? Augers? Pins? T

That is why I keep it simple: Smokebox & Firebox!

Seriously though, glad you got it going.

 

[kickassbbq]

I live on Auger Avenue. Ain't kiddin'!!! Up here we pronounce it O'Jay (French).
And that's ALL I know about Auger!!!!!!!!
Stick Burners Rule!!!!
Sorry, I freaked out. I am back now.
Glad you got her fixed.
Smoke On!!!!!

 

[Bossmanbbq]

Sounds like the pellets got wet.

Yep the bottom half of the pellets got wet and the sawdust set up and had to be chipped away. I have four butts and 10lb brisket on since 530am and it seems to be working fine.
Technology is awesome until it goes south on you :redface:

 

[keale]

How did it turn out? This pellet thing sounds interesting.....hhhmmmmmmm

 

[drbbq]

It's known as pelletcrete, it sucks and most folks only do it once.

 

[RevZiLLa]

Would it have dissolved if you poured hot water into it and let it soak a few hours?

 

[Plowboy]

Would it have dissolved if you poured hot water into it and let it soak a few hours?

I don't want water anywhere near my pellet hopper. Chipping it out is the way to go.

 

[HoDeDo]

Would it have dissolved if you poured hot water into it and let it soak a few hours?

You dont want to introduce any more fluids into that chamber if you dont have to.... you wouldnt be able to run pellets back through it until you had all that moisture erradicated.

 

[HoDeDo]

Any moisture or even really high humidity can make those pellets swell. Once they break apart, they will pack together as dust, and eventually, if not caught - you will get the pelletcrete goin. All you can do is painstaking back that auger out, and from then on, you will usually run your cooker out of pellets, or cover well before you have to suffer through that again. We spent a good 3 hours getting the auger out of an old FE-100 (pre-cookshack). It is a bear.

That is one thing I like about the Country Smoker I have now.... It uses a hard rubber paddle wheel, so it just drops the pellets. No auger to jam.

 

[Jeff_in_KC]

Andy, we've totally lost you, haven't we? I remember the days when you'd show up to comps with the big red rotisserie Kingfisher... no tree turds in sight. You've changed, Andy. I don't know you anymore. :lol:

 

[SP]

As a useer of a Treager for 15 years, I can clean out that auger in a few minutes. Those humid summer months kill the pellet cookers. Get your self a small shop vac that you can suck out the unused pellets after you are done cooking. Just make sure you dont use the vac for anything else.

 

[itschris]

I think I'll stick with chunks. I gave some thought to a Treager as a 2nd smoker, but I think I'll go another route. One episode like that and I'd lose my mind. I don't have the patience for things like that at all.

Glad you got it worked out though.

 

[Papa Tom]

That's strange I've been using a Traeger well over ten years and have never had a moisture problem. I have had auger jams but they were caused by other things (lignin hot glue syndrom). I have always kept the pit covered but never clean out the hopper. Maybe I should post a picture of the setup.
On the other hand I have had a >24 hr cook on a single hopper of pellets, only checking or adding meat during the cook.

 

[qman]

Papa Tom, are you in the humid part of Tex-ass, or the part that is just hot? [mapquest says Peters Colony Texas does not exist:twisted: ]

Here in the great state of Florida, I have found that I have to seal my pellets up against moisture real well-inside a plastic container, inside a closed storage garage-or they will go south real fast.

 

[Papa Tom]

Well it depends on the year I guess but this is a super wet year here in the Dallas area. I keep my pellets in a plastic food grade 55 gal. barrel in my garage. But I have two 075s and the hoppers are generally half full of pellets. One of them is in an enclosure I built the other is covered with a plastic cover. No problems with pellet swell.
BTW Peters Colony if you google it is an old land grant of a large area north of Dallas.