Bit disappointed...E3 and then a temp overshoot. :-(

[FRM]

New member and having the same exact issues as SCTwist. Flameouts, non starts, temp overshoots, I’ve had them all, and I have only used it about a dozen times. My gen 2 EX4 is going back or, if they don’t refund me my money, it will be hitting the marketplace. Time to cut my losses and the aggravation.

What was supposed to be a relaxing activity is anything but, and I did not sign up to be part of Weber’s beta testing. If this grill were a car, it’d be a lemon. No more Weber brand loyalty when it comes to pellet grills.

 

[SCTwist]

Unfortunately, I've come to the same conclusion. Rather relaxing me, it was aggravating me. So, it's going back.

I still don't think it's a design issue. In my case I believe the grill was dropped, because it didn't align properly and had some cosmetic damage. Weber CS has been great and sent out a new lid and skirt. Unfortunately, when the more technical issues arose, and were not fixed by a new glow plug, I started to think that more must've been jostled. A new controller may fix it, but it may not. Or what if it does, but another issue pops up after the 100 days are over? @FRM: if you're within the first 100 days - not to worry. Even with the return Weber CS has been spot on as usual.

I'll probably be back as i loved the week when it ran perfect. I just need to figure out a way to make sure that I'm not getting one that's been dropped, or built on a Monday after Superbowl.

Gentlemen, I've enjoyed my brief time with you and bid you adieu for now.

New member and having the same exact issues as SCTwist. Flameouts, non starts, temp overshoots, I’ve had them all, and I have only used it about a dozen times. My gen 2 EX4 is going back or, if they don’t refund me my money, it will be hitting the marketplace. Time to cut my losses and the aggravation.

What was supposed to be a relaxing activity is anything but, and I did not sign up to be part of Weber’s beta testing. If this grill were a car, it’d be a lemon. No more Weber brand loyalty when it comes to pellet grills.

 

[FRM]

Haha mine might have been built on a Friday before a holiday weekend but it sure wasn’t dropped. No alignment issues at all. It’s all software and maybe glowplug contact issues as fat as I can tell.

 

[Goneincognito]

Unfortunately, I've come to the same conclusion. Rather relaxing me, it was aggravating me. So, it's going back.

I still don't think it's a design issue. In my case I believe the grill was dropped, because it didn't align properly and had some cosmetic damage. Weber CS has been great and sent out a new lid and skirt. Unfortunately, when the more technical issues arose, and were not fixed by a new glow plug, I started to think that more must've been jostled. A new controller may fix it, but it may not. Or what if it does, but another issue pops up after the 100 days are over? @FRM: if you're within the first 100 days - not to worry. Even with the return Weber CS has been spot on as usual.

I'll probably be back as i loved the week when it ran perfect. I just need to figure out a way to make sure that I'm not getting one that's been dropped, or built on a Monday after Superbowl.

Gentlemen, I've enjoyed my brief time with you and bid you adieu for now.

Have you used and had success with Weber pellets or pellets of the same diameter?
It has been identified that these are not Weber pellets and may be the cause.
The question was asked previously and has not been answered.

If you have the same issue with Weber pellets fine.
If you have not tried them and still want to get rid of it then cya later alligator.

 

[Bruno]

Well, swapped out the glow plug and verified everything was installed and aligned correctly.

Restarted and set to 200. Lid open. Lots of smoke and things went well. After 15 minutes set to 600 and went inside to get some steaks to sear. Grill was at 125 and temp dropping. Now, 10 minutes later, pellets are still dropping, temp at 100 and no error displayed? Will it dump all pellets into the smoker? I will see if it does.

Lifelong Weber fan, but this is really disappointing. Good thing I’m still in the first 100 days. Pellet pic was yesterday’s mess, and I expect todays to be worse.

That sucks!! I would be pissed!! I do agree 200 is low and most of us have given up on smokeboost.

 

[abmet]

Can’t blame you for returning it. Good luck.

 

[Brad S]

Before you return it, try removing the heat deflectors over the burn pot and watching it. See if you can narrow it down to a glow plug issue, or over-dumping of pellets. Also verify the installation as some people have experienced this issue from a burn pot that was not quite installed right. A third possible issue is air flow. Before starting the grill did you make sure to know away any ash that accumulates in the burn pot potentially blocking air flow?

 

[Goneincognito]

Before you return it, try removing the heat deflectors over the burn pot and watching it. See if you can narrow it down to a glow plug issue, or over-dumping of pellets. Also verify the installation as some people have experienced this issue from a burn pot that was not quite installed right. A third possible issue is air flow. Before starting the grill did you make sure to know away any ash that accumulates in the burn pot potentially blocking air flow?

I would just forget about it. They wont even tell us what pellets they are using and if they have had success with Weber pellets so I doubt they will be willing to do anything else.
I would say their mind is made up.

 

[bbqking]

I just had a thought. I put a small hose clamp on the glow plug contact area, and haven’t had a single issue with it not lighting pellets after I did that.You guys might want to try that. It may just be that the contact right there isn’t very good.

 

[Differentdrummer]

This is my first week with the EX4 and up to this point I was thrilled.
Made the best pulled pork I ever made on it. Things were going well until last night.
.
Threw some filets on at 200 for a reverse sear. After about 30 minutes i check and see that the grill is set to 200 and temp displayed is 200, but my secondary air temp probe reads 104. Hmmmm. Cool to the touch. Was about to go further when I get the E3 error. Since everything was cool, it was an easy clean out, but the burn pot and chute were absolutely overflowing with pellets. As I had cleaned it the night before, cleanup was also fast and easy - just dump them into the drawer and toss. Quick vacuum of the burn pot and we were back in business.

Rinse and repeat: 200, steaks on, probes in. Next check on the grill, It's at 325 yet set at 200.

Steaks were good, but I'm definitely disappointed that I'm having two issues within the first full week of using it.

Weber says I should swap out the glow plug. Will do that later on and then see how it goes. I hope that was a fluke, as I'm really liking this grill. I like the little things too, like how the top rack stores under the front table.

Remove the auger and all of the sawdust. Suspect fuel is breaking down. What are you burning and did you sift?

 

[Differentdrummer]

I just had a thought. I put a small hose clamp on the glow plug contact area, and haven’t had a single issue with it not lighting pellets after I did that.You guys might want to try that. It may just be that the contact right there isn’t very good.View attachment 4619

GP is turned off after ignition, and does not glow again until next power up cycle. If it reached 200° it is can not be the glow plug as the cause. Suspect packed auger, pellet void at high feed rates.

 

[bbqking]

I’ve never sifted any pellets. When I replaced the auger with the upgraded one there was pellet dust VERY compacted in the bottom of the auger. I’m somewhat worried it may happen again. So I need to take it apart and check it. I just don’t want to…lol.

 

[Largesensfan]

This is my first week with the EX4 and up to this point I was thrilled.
Made the best pulled pork I ever made on it. Things were going well until last night.
.
Threw some filets on at 200 for a reverse sear. After about 30 minutes i check and see that the grill is set to 200 and temp displayed is 200, but my secondary air temp probe reads 104. Hmmmm. Cool to the touch. Was about to go further when I get the E3 error. Since everything was cool, it was an easy clean out, but the burn pot and chute were absolutely overflowing with pellets. As I had cleaned it the night before, cleanup was also fast and easy - just dump them into the drawer and toss. Quick vacuum of the burn pot and we were back in business.

Rinse and repeat: 200, steaks on, probes in. Next check on the grill, It's at 325 yet set at 200.

Steaks were good, but I'm definitely disappointed that I'm having two issues within the first full week of using it.

Weber says I should swap out the glow plug. Will do that later on and then see how it goes. I hope that was a fluke, as I'm really liking this grill. I like the little things too, like how the top rack stores under the front table.

Do yourself a favour and return it ASAP before it’s too late I had the same issues and they tried the same BS and now I’m stuck with a paperweight

 

[SCTwist]

I would just forget about it. They wont even tell us what pellets they are using and if they have had success with Weber pellets so I doubt they will be willing to do anything else.
I would say their mind is made up.

Ok, I did not respond to the pellet question as it was evident that your mind was made up when it came to Weber pellets. Unless I was using weber pellets, I should GTFO - of course I paraphrase/assume.

But let me just poke the bear:
1) Initial seasoning was with Traeger pellets I had taken out of my GMG. No sense in wasting "good pellets" to burn off the oil and paint. No problems.
2) I used (mostly) Weber pellets, but also Cuisinart pellets and Traeger pellets for the next week. No issues.
3) I used Pit Boss pellets as those were the only Apple flavor I had to smoke a salmon. That's when the issues started. I don't think the pellet brand caused this because it was a run of the mill cook. Personally, I don't think pellet choice should matter UNLESS: a) they don't feed due to diameter/length [no issues here] or b) upper end of the temp range is required [I was not trying to reach 600F here].

I observed:
- pellets were feeding fine - no bridging, no voids, no problems.
- pellets were lighting - no issues reaching 600F, no issues when going down to 450F, no issues when going down to 350F.
- pellets didn't want to stay at set temp of 225F.

I tried the Weber troubleshooting of glow plug swap (honestly I don't think they really thought it was a glow plug going bad after a week, but more of an exercise to make sure it was properly seated/grounded. [it was].
I also followed Weber's direction to make sure all components were installed correctly. [They were!] Actually, that's why I ordered directly from Weber so I can put it together correctly rather than some flunky at Ace'sLowesDepot...

I verified, reset, restarted four times over 2 days to make sure that it was not operator error, but the EX-4 would not stay lit at temps lower than 250F.

At that point I gave up.

Did I swap in Weber pellets? No!
I needed to smoke a salmon for my friend that just started Chemo and apple smoked salmon is what she likes.
She said that she could not stomach any other food besides "my" salmon. Of course I told her: "No problem, I got you!"
Did I have tunnel vision? Absolutely!
Really, I was embarrassed that I could not fulfill her simple request for a smoked salmon with my fancy new smoker after two days.
On day three I dragged the old GMG off the recycling/donation pile to provide her with that salmon. Pretty embarrassing, wouldn't you say?

As someone else pointed out, this whole smoking/cooking thing is supposed to be relaxing. I love entertaining. I love cooking, I love eating. I have a high stress job and cooking is my Zen - I do not want to troubleshoot.

As I said before, the Smokefire was AWESOME during the week it worked as it should. I loved the fact i could smoke low and slow, sear and even fry. But when it became temperamental, that's when I took a pause and did not want to troubleshoot. I know a lot of you will disagree...and that's fine!!!

It really is! I work in the automotive industry and I can draw this parallel: for me,
1) the Smokefire was like a Ferrari - all the carbs had to be dialed in juuuuuuuuuuuuust right for it to work correctly, but when it did, it was AWESOME!!!
It's a sports car that requires pampering.
But it appears that I want...
2) A tractor! I turn it on and it works!

Anyways, the TLR is: yes, I gave up! The EX-4 is getting picked up on Friday....

 

[Goneincognito]

Ok, I did not respond to the pellet question as it was evident that your mind was made up when it came to Weber pellets. Unless I was using weber pellets, I should GTFO - of course I paraphrase/assume.

But let me just poke the bear:
1) Initial seasoning was with Traeger pellets I had taken out of my GMG. No sense in wasting "good pellets" to burn off the oil and paint. No problems.
2) I used (mostly) Weber pellets, but also Cuisinart pellets and Traeger pellets for the next week. No issues.
3) I used Pit Boss pellets as those were the only Apple flavor I had to smoke a salmon. That's when the issues started. I don't think the pellet brand caused this because it was a run of the mill cook. Personally, I don't think pellet choice should matter UNLESS: a) they don't feed due to diameter/length [no issues here] or b) upper end of the temp range is required [I was not trying to reach 600F here].

I observed:
- pellets were feeding fine - no bridging, no voids, no problems.
- pellets were lighting - no issues reaching 600F, no issues when going down to 450F, no issues when going down to 350F.
- pellets didn't want to stay at set temp of 225F.

I tried the Weber troubleshooting of glow plug swap (honestly I don't think they really thought it was a glow plug going bad after a week, but more of an exercise to make sure it was properly seated/grounded. [it was].
I also followed Weber's direction to make sure all components were installed correctly. [They were!] Actually, that's why I ordered directly from Weber so I can put it together correctly rather than some flunky at Ace'sLowesDepot...

I verified, reset, restarted four times over 2 days to make sure that it was not operator error, but the EX-4 would not stay lit at temps lower than 250F.

At that point I gave up.

Did I swap in Weber pellets? No!
I needed to smoke a salmon for my friend that just started Chemo and apple smoked salmon is what she likes.
She said that she could not stomach any other food besides "my" salmon. Of course I told her: "No problem, I got you!"
Did I have tunnel vision? Absolutely!
Really, I was embarrassed that I could not fulfill her simple request for a smoked salmon with my fancy new smoker after two days.
On day three I dragged the old GMG off the recycling/donation pile to provide her with that salmon. Pretty embarrassing, wouldn't you say?

As someone else pointed out, this whole smoking/cooking thing is supposed to be relaxing. I love entertaining. I love cooking, I love eating. I have a high stress job and cooking is my Zen - I do not want to troubleshoot.

As I said before, the Smokefire was AWESOME during the week it worked as it should. I loved the fact i could smoke low and slow, sear and even fry. But when it became temperamental, that's when I took a pause and did not want to troubleshoot. I know a lot of you will disagree...and that's fine!!!

It really is! I work in the automotive industry and I can draw this parallel: for me,
1) the Smokefire was like a Ferrari - all the carbs had to be dialed in juuuuuuuuuuuuust right for it to work correctly, but when it did, it was AWESOME!!!
It's a sports car that requires pampering.
But it appears that I want...
2) A tractor! I turn it on and it works!

Anyways, the TLR is: yes, I gave up! The EX-4 is getting picked up on Friday....

My mind wasn't made up but it is now. You know now the rest goes.

My exact question was this....

"Have you had success with these pellets before?
Its not a case of only Weber pellets working, it's a case of using pellets of a similar diameter to Weber pellets because that's what it's designed to use. There are many out there that fit this category. Larger (and inferior) pellets can work but they can also present issues such as this."

At no point did I say you had to use "Weber" pellets
The more important part was have you had previous success with the pellets you were using?

You just answered that question with a no so I would say the pellets were the cause.

Either way you have given up and arranged to send it back so that's that.
Best of luck in finding a "tractor".