HELP! Pitboss Fire!

[Clayberd]

Hello Pit Boss Forum Community,

I hope this message finds you all well. I am reaching out today with a pressing issue that I recently encountered while using my Pit Boss smoker, and I'm in desperate need of your expertise and guidance.

Here's what happened: I turned on my smoker and stepped away for approximately 20-30 minutes to prepare the meat. To my shock, when I returned, I discovered that the smoker had caught fire and caused significant damage and the temperature control computer was reading "ErH", indicating the smoker was too hot. The paint on both the inside and outside has peeled off.

I have had this smoker for 2 years and have never had an issue with it and thoroughly clean it at the start and end of every season.
There was very minimal grease built up on the inside so I find it hard to believe it was a grease fire, but that seems to be the most likely cause after doing some research.

At this point, I've accepted what has happened and am looking for guidance on what my next steps should be.

Would the smoker be considered ruined?
There is a very strong chemical smell coming from inside.

Would I be able to pressure wash the inside and outside and continue using it?
I would of course harshly scrub the interior to guarantee there wouldn't be a chance of paint ending up on the food and to get rid of the chemical smell.


Thank you so much in advance for your support.
(my heart is broken)

 

[Cowboy1955]

Should clean up ok
I wouldn’t pressure wash it though.
Just use a grate cleaner then vacuum it out.
You don’t need water around the controller
Then spray it with olive oil
Hopefully didn’t get the controller
I clean my 820 after each use including the temperature sensor
Hopefully this helps you

 

[J Walker]

I had a grease fire and fortunately caught it before the paint was ruined. It read 550 deg. I scrape the grease off of the grill several times each season. I suspect that my fire was caused in part by my run away grill temp problem I was having during that period. I have no way to know if the temp was running away before the grease fire started. Accumulated grease was the other part of the problem. I found my startup procedure was wrong and I needed to keep it on Smoke longer, until the igniter dots at the bottom of the LCD screen disappeared. I also bought a wireless temp probe and keep a closer watch on the grill temp, one of the four probes can be used to monitor the grill temp. I would be interested to learn what the chance of a fire would be if normal at grill temps