Mine is long gone and never had a problem with sticking pellets, bridging or otherwise plugging the feed to the auger.
I just did a 2 hour cook and received a warning that I was low on pellets. I think it was the caving issue bc there was a ton in there, it was just the one side above the auger that was low. No problem bc I just pushed them around but I’m wondering about an overnight pork butt cook. I would prefer to not have to babysit it. What should I expect? Ramp and finger guard are removed.
I have left my ex4 unattended smoking overnight at 210-215F for up to 8 hours on several occasions with only one early morning check around 3 am. The only time I had an issue was the single time I forgot to fill the hopper before retiring for the evening and received a low pellet warning
...my bad. My ex 4 uses about 1# to 1.5# per hour at this low temperature.I am going back to beat an old dead horse. All pellets will bridge (at times). However, larger diameter pellets do not flow as well as the smaller pellets (Weber, Cabelas, Lumber Jack). Yes, I have used all of the larger ones also. But since Lowe's half price sale, I have had much better runs using the smaller pellets. Check your pellet size and see if it makes a difference.
I’m using Weber pellets. I’m going to roll with the overnight and see how it goes.
I use Weber exclusively. I used a couple other brands early on and had mixed results. It may have been coincidence that the software issues were getting fixed and I changed out my auger, but I went that route to eliminate a variable and have never looked back. I like. the Weber pellets and have no complaints
Understood. The Weber price is in line with most premium brands. Right or wrong, I avoid the bargain brands. That’s just me though.
In case you are still wondering about removing all three screws, here's a great video that shows exactly what those three screws are connected to. Go to the 5:50 mark.
I recently took my ramp out and I’m still undecided on if I’ll keep it out. Seems to be working fine. Also took the finger guard out and that’s definitely staying out. However I do still get bridging without it.
Pellets bridge. Period. Usually it’s not an issue for low and slow cooks because the usage rate is so low. Not saying it can never happen , but not as likely at grilling temps. The good thing is that you usually aren’t away too long when grilling. The ironic thing is that the SF kinda get a bad rep for the bridging, but I feel it has a lot to do with how well it grills. People do way more high heat stuff on their SF as compared with some other pellet cookers. The results are phenomenal. Just my theory anyway.
always a good idea. Another common procedure is to stuff a rag in the space. Glad you finally got er done. Albeit with a little extra frustration.
A rag would've been a fine idea. The good part is I am now very familiar with how to remove the auger should I ever need to.
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