First time use of Pit Boss Pellets. Using in 6 year old Traeger Grill. Wife started grill as usual. After ten minutes she checked and no heat. I pulled components out to expose the burn box. There was a pile of pellets overflowing the box. When I vacuumed this overflow down to the level of the starter there were big hard chunks of what looked like Lava in the fire box. They could be crumbled with some effort but otherwise they were preventing the pellets from reaching the starter. Normally I use Traeger pellets and I've never seen this in all these years. Almost looks like carbonized sugar. What gives?
Foreign material in burn box
- Thread starter stevieb
- Start date
biffhero
Member
Could it be some foreign material got into the pellets?
Are the pellets super dusty?
Would this have happened if there was a lot of dust in the pellets, and it got carried to the hot end, and then insulated the hot end, keeping it from burning the pellets?
Are the pellets super dusty?
Would this have happened if there was a lot of dust in the pellets, and it got carried to the hot end, and then insulated the hot end, keeping it from burning the pellets?
Instead of saying this was a first time use I probably should have noted that we've been using these Pit Boss pellets for a couple of weeks. It is the first time we've switched to Pit Boss though and the first clean up I've done since using them. Has any body else found these strange accretions in their fire box? Only thing I've ever found in my firebox is ash on a clean up.
DaveXDm9
Retired Moderator
I have never found anything like this in my burned pot so I believe something got in the bag or there was some clump of pellets that was improperly done during the process.
I always sift my pellets before pouring them in to make sure no crud gets in the hopper.
https://www.pitbossforum.com/threads/what-do-you-use.84/#post-657
https://www.pitbossforum.com/threads/what-do-you-use.84/#post-657
I used Pit Boss pellets for the first few times and I always get too much ash and the ash in the fire box is hard and chunky.
Last week I used Weber pit master blend and less ash and it was not chunky.
But I always have to clean out the fire box every time I use it, 5 - 10 pounds ( or about 5 hours) of pellets and the ash covers the ignitor.
Last week I used Weber pit master blend and less ash and it was not chunky.
But I always have to clean out the fire box every time I use it, 5 - 10 pounds ( or about 5 hours) of pellets and the ash covers the ignitor.
Srminosky
Member
Have gone thru about 80lbs (not a lot I know) of pit bosses competition blend and haven’t had any of the described issues or residue. Clean out after every use and have done about 12 cooks. Possible contamination in packaging is what I think. Hate to hear this is happening to you.
tealsmoke57
New member
Same here using pit boss competition pellets with no problems.
what competition blend are you using?
the ones from Walmart or Lowes? I have learned they are different blends, one has cherry and one has apple
Srminosky
Member
Lowe’s
