Slicking up the hopper

[SoCalMan]

Abmet, thanks for the insight. I saw the trend that all the auger feed issues on YouTube and on the forums seem to be EX6 related. Don’t know if it’ll be an easy fix but one could chalk this up as a manufacturer’s defect which is covered under warranty.

 

[abmet]

Abmet, thanks for the insight. I saw the trend that all the auger feed issues on YouTube and on the forums seem to be EX6 related. Don’t know if it’ll be an easy fix but one could chalk this up as a manufacturer’s defect which is covered under warranty.

You're welcome. Hopefully they can come up with an easy fix. I've been tempted to remove the safety wire guard on mine but haven't done that yet.

 

[topkatt4518]

Afternoon All. Here is my other thought. I used cook-in pellets on my 9 hr burn with no clogging issue. I just received my Weber pellets and WOW what a difference in size. See the pic. The pellets at the top are the larger of the Weber Pellets (hickory, cherry, apple) and the ones on the bottom are the larger of the cook-in pellets. I could see the Weber ones jamming on the fence they installed on the entry to the chute. I am wondering if some of the issues were from the Weber pellets? Weber's primary wood is oak as the cook-in pellets are all the specified hardwoods. Just adding my 2 cents.

 

[depends]

Well, wax didn’t stop it from happening. On my initial burn it the hole developed and while pellets were still getting in, it didn’t seem to be enough to keep at 600. This was after an hour + at 600 starting with the hopper 1/2 full.

the grill is also sitting on a patio with a slight (5 degree) decline that should have also helped gravity.

its almost like the way the hole forms, the pellets end up stacking up and Preventing anything from sliding down the chute.

Anyway, I’ll keep trying.

 

[Billybo]

Afternoon All. Here is my other thought. I used cook-in pellets on my 9 hr burn with no clogging issue. I just received my Weber pellets and WOW what a difference in size. See the pic. The pellets at the top are the larger of the Weber Pellets (hickory, cherry, apple) and the ones on the bottom are the larger of the cook-in pellets. I could see the Weber ones jamming on the fence they installed on the entry to the chute. I am wondering if some of the issues were from the Weber pellets? Weber's primary wood is oak as the cook-in pellets are all the specified hardwoods. Just adding my 2 cents.

What you are saying here does make sense. Thanks for sharing.

Did you say that you were running with the wire guard over the auger or not? With the wire installed I can definitely imagine a pellet-jam at the auger entrance.

 

[GriLLMaRksRseXy]

What you are saying here does make sense. Thanks for sharing.

Did you say that you were running with the wire guard over the auger or not? With the wire installed I can definitely imagine a pellet-jam at the auger entrance.

Yes, I would like to know too if the wire guard was attached or not. Very important info IMHO.

 

[topkatt4518]

The wire guard is presently installed on my EX4. I purposely did not remove it as I want to try the Weber pellets next as I know the cook-in pellets work fine.

 

[GriLLMaRksRseXy]

The wire guard is presently installed on my EX4. I purposely did not remove it as I want to try the Weber pellets next as I know the cook-in pellets work fine.

Thank you so much for this information! Please let us know about pellets too. It was a good find on the pellet size. Im actually gonna burn in and cook with Traeger & Pit boss pellets. I have a few Traeger flavors I did not care for that I will use on the break in and to be honest my first cooks will probably be with Pitboss Competition or Traeger. Im probably gonna get roasted for this but I use the Pittboss all the time from Walmart. Why? If you actually look at their info all of the wood is legit with nothing extra added. Yes they are like most and use "other" hardwoods in their flavored woods though....

Since I use them all the time it is one less variable I have to worry about or second guess on the new grill! It that scientist education I still have in me I guess!

 

[FredSC]

I‘ll cut Weber a little slack here. This seems to be a somewhat common issue with other manufacturers including Yoder, Mak, etc. I hope a solution can be found.

That's good to know. The EX6 is my first pellet grill.

 

[Karen R.]

I am curious if the hopper issue is limited to the EX6, or is it being seen on the EX4 as well?
The analytical side of me expects the hopper on the EX4 to be 6” shorter (half the added width) and taller to hold the 22 lbs of pellets, thus requiring a steeper slope.

I just performed the seasoning on my EX4. It ran great for about a half hour, then the temperature started dropping. I stirred up the pellets in the hopper and it went back up to 600 degrees. Evidently the pellets were no longer feeding. There were plenty of pellets in the hopper so my problem wasn't about pellets not sliding down. The pellets seem to get jammed up in the opening to the auger. I am using the Weber pellets. Some people on this forum suggested removing the wire guard over the auger opening. I think I will try to remove it and see if that solves the problem.

 

[GriLLMaRksRseXy]

I just performed the seasoning on my EX4. It ran great for about a half hour, then the temperature started dropping. I stirred up the pellets in the hopper and it went back up to 600 degrees. Evidently the pellets were no longer feeding. There were plenty of pellets in the hopper so my problem wasn't about pellets not sliding down. The pellets seem to get jammed up in the opening to the auger. I am using the Weber pellets. Some people on this forum suggested removing the wire guard over the auger opening. I think I will try to remove it and see if that solves the problem.

Karen, Thanks for the info. While on the cook temp of 600 degrees, how much did the temp drop before you stirred the pellets? I only ask because PID controllers will cycle some between a higher and lower temp than what is set as the cook temp for some short time periods. Though at 600 degrees I highly doubt that was an issue. I have just seen several posts that said during a long cook the temperature dropped so they stirred the pellets and temp went back up. There are too many variables doing this and it could have been the normal cycle of the PID or the fact that opening the pellet hopper and stirring the pellets created a chimney effect through the auger chute and up the pellet hopper opening, etc..

 

[UGator]

Thank you so much for this information! Please let us know about pellets too. It was a good find on the pellet size. Im actually gonna burn in and cook with Traeger & Pit boss pellets. I have a few Traeger flavors I did not care for that I will use on the break in and to be honest my first cooks will probably be with Pitboss Competition or Traeger. Im probably gonna get roasted for this but I use the Pittboss all the time from Walmart. Why? If you actually look at their info all of the wood is legit with nothing extra added. Yes they are like most and use "other" hardwoods in their flavored woods though....

Since I use them all the time it is one less variable I have to worry about or second guess on the new grill! It that scientist education I still have in me I guess!

I've been using Pitboss competition pellets since getting the smoker and haven't had any issues with the hopper sticking on my EX6. My local Lowe's was out of the Weber pellets so I've ordered from BBQ Guys. Should have them later this week and will report back as soon as they come in...

 

[MechEngr]

I am receiving my EX6 on Wednesday, plan on assembly on Saturday. Will try without modifying first. If I have problems with pellets sliding down incline I plan to add a teflon tape surface. Not sure if something like that is available at a Lowe's or Home Depot, probably not. At work i purchase from an industrial type supply site called McMaster Carr. Excellent company, anyone can sign up an use a credit card. If anyone else is interested here is a link to their site and the teflon tape https://www.mcmaster.com/ptfe-fastening-tape

 

[Frank Neher]

Has anyone that was having pellet bridging/feeding issues tried doing anything to slick up the hopper? I've read that several other manufacturers (like Yoder) recommend using car wax on the hopper surfaces and polishing. I have also seen in some forums where folks have had luck putting down foil tape (like is used in HVAC applications). I'm curious if anyone has tried these with the Smokefires yet? Mine is coming tomorrow and I will probably try the wax idea.

try wiping it down with furniture polish.

 

[GreyMouser]

Yeah. There are definitely issues with pellets sticking... That metal is seriously rough. They should have enameled or powder coated the inside of the hopper.

Here's a picture of a stack of pellets on the long incline of my new ex6. I just wanted to see how much friction there is, after I started filling the hopper from that side and the pellets wouldn't flow down. (Second picture) These are fresh lumberjack pellets. Note how high above the edge I could stack the pellets without any cascading. Pulling pellets from the bottom of the pile, emulating the auger, didn't cause the pile to cascade down either.

Basically, the hopper, at least on the ex6, is terrible. The slope is way too shallow, combined with rough, unfinished metal. No wonder we're having feed problems.