Denny Wheeler wrote:

<snip>
> Strikes me that your (potential) reaction is a bit overmuch. You
> state that the dealer's going to find what happened and resolve the
> problem.
>
> (a) shit happens.
>
> (b) Traeger does have enough control system that something potentially
> could go wrong--that's inherent in such a device.
>
> Q: isn't the auger electrically powered? And wouldn't the fire likely
> go out if one way or another the power flow to it were down for ___?
> (fill in blank with suitable time--I doubt a 1-minute outage would
> have an effect, but a 1-hour one?)
>
> My thinking is that the real test here is seeing just how Traeger's
> reps (in this case, dealer & distributor) get it fixed.
>
> -denny-

Thanks for your reply, Denny,

Yes, I admit I was pretty ****ed when I wrote the post. And, I agree that a)
shit happens and b) something could go wrong with any device, including
Traeger's control system. As far as the electricity is concerned, no, there
was no power outtage overnight. Actually, if there had been a power outtage,
it would have restarted the Traeger, since the glow plug kicks on for 4
minutes when the switch is first thrown.

I spent a great deal of the day yesterday online researching. I also posted
a similar email message to the traegergrills group on Yahoo, and received
this reply (below the *******). Apparently, I am not the only one who has
had this problem.

If it is true that, out of the box, the Traeger cannot operate at the
"smoke" setting without going out, and a digital thermostat is needed to
make a Traeger work properly, then the Traeger company should either provide
such a thermostat with every grill sold, or at the very least send one to
every customer who experiences this problem. I spent over a thousand bucks
on this grill, by the time I bought the suggested cover, and after taxes,
etc. I bought it to do overnight, unattended smokes. If it is true that I
now have to spend another $189 plus tax plus shipping and spend several
hours of my own time installing a thermostat that should have been there in
the first place, I'll have little respect for the Traeger company in
general.

I just read another reply to my email message from a fellow who says
"The 3-position thermostat is not reliable. I used to have similar
experiences to yours and ultimately switched over to the digital controller.
While there are plenty of issues with the digital controller it is much more
consistent because you can fine tune the temperature.

At this point I'm not sure why Traeger doesn't include the digital
controller in all units."



Anyway, I have sent email to the Traeger company as well. We'll see what
happens-I don't yet have a reply from them. As far as the Original Poster is
concerned, I would ask your Traeger dealer about these problems, and get him
to put down in writing what he will do if you experience these problems,
before you put your money down.



EZ

************************

Sorry to hear about your misadventures with your new 075. I also bought an
075 last August with the standard 3 position switch. On the smoke setting,
the unit quit three times in the middle of smoking meats. While I don't do
overnight smoking, preferring to start early in the morning, I've had this
reliability issue as well. Same thing as your situation, but after it quit
each time (I would guess around the 4-5 hour mark), I took out the grill
racks and base pan to clean out the unused pellets that had accumulated in
the chamber (since the auger doesn't "know" when the fire has gone out),
then restarted the unit. Thankfully, I caught the temp issue every time
since I also use a remote digital probe thermostat and keep a pretty close
eye on things. I really resent having to "babysit" my Traeger, since the
whole idea of getting it was to do hassle free smoked meats. I'd be pretty
torked if I had a $100 standing rib on there and it got trashed by this
problem, so I've stuck with cheaper cuts of meat such as boston butt, baby
back ribs, beef round roasts and brisket for now. When I do a sirloin tip,
I really watch the unit closely.

The unit is protected on two sides by a deck, so I doubt that wind is an
issue. I use only Trager pellets and shop vac out the pellet chamber and
bottom of the grill after every smoke job, as I've heard that ash
accumulation can cause this problem. A month ago, I switched over to the
digital thermostat and so far haven't had any "going out" issues, using the
unit three times since. One thing to note about the digital thermostat is
that the installation "directions" that come with it are completely useless;
there's only a wiring diagram as a guide, and they don't tell you to remove
the two screws and plate on the front of the pellet hopper to make accessing
the wires and Molex connectors much easier. I learned only by calling them
for installation instructions, and while not a complete electrical idiot, I
would have spent a lot more time than necessary installing it had I not
called. It also didn't help that the self drilling sheet metal screws they
used to affix the three position switch plate were stripped when installed,
so drilling out the old screws made the job even more of a pain.

With the digital unit, the lowest setting smokes between 170 and 185, while
the second setting cooks between 215 and 240 (with outdoor temps in the high
50's - low 60s). I was hoping for a little more consistency with the heat
range while smoking by spending the extra $189. I can't say definitively
yet that the digital thermostat has solved this "flameout" issue
permanently; perhaps the folks at Traeger or one of the pros on this board
can shed some light on things, but you're definitely not alone in having
this problem.