sporadic heating behavior

[notquitestr8t]

OK. The flurries/drizzle stopped and I cleaned out the burn pot and reseated everything. I fired up the grill and set temp to 600. Ambient temp 35 F.
12:47-12:57 steady rise to 430.
Up to 445 by 1:00 PM. Temp started to drop. I checked the burn pit at1:03 and it dropped to 425 since I opened the lid.
Back up to 4:40 by 1:05 where it remained steady until 1:10.
Between 1:10 and 1:19 it rose to 485.
It remained between 480 and 490 until 1:52. Low fuel warning then
Between 1:53 and 1:58 it actually hit 495 a few times.
Suddenly, between 1:58 and 2:02 it got up to 520.
Between 2:03 and 2:05 it got up to 600.
I lifted the lid and cleaned my grates. The temp reading did NOT change. Left the lid wide open for several minutes. Temps still reported 600.
All during this time the auger was feeding pellets. The hopper was a little more than 1/2 full when I started and it finally ran out 5 minutes after it reached temp. The grill continued to operate until I manually shut it down. I find it odd that it finally shot up when I was almost out of pellets.
I guess I will contact support. This appears to be a possible faulty thermostat.

 

[Goneincognito]

Have you done a factory reset on the controller?

 

[Goneincognito]

It was just a suggestion, to call Weber. Because we have such a wealth of information, the folks here have a lot of experience. And are very helpful. A side note; if by chance, there is an issue with your SmokeFire, I believe it would be prudent to have Weber in the loop. If by chance you need replacement parts. I have had certain parts sent to me free of charge. They have also sent me pellets free of charge. Just my two cents. With the SmokeFire not being a cheap thing, I dont think it would be a “waste of time” as much as I would like to I can’t “call if I want to.” because it’s not an issue I’m having.

But you say it would be a waste of tine and and a good test for CS. You have now changed your tune since a bigger issue has presented itself.

 

[bbqking]

Bro. Go back to being incognito. Someone has obviously put a but under your saddle. No tune has changed. From the start, I have said call Weber. You my friend are tone deaf.

 

[Goneincognito]

Bro?
Seriously?
I'm not your bro and we aren't in high school so don't try to sound cool.

 

[bbqking]

Enough already.

 

[Goneincognito]

My thoughts exactly.

 

[notquitestr8t]

I am very embarrassed to discover that I was not storing my pellets properly. A new bag of pellets came to temp (600) in about 10-15 minutes and held. I did not realize I needed to remove pellets from the hopper after a cook. Also, I left the pellets in the bag they came in. After further review I realized my improper storage, and the pellets left in the hopper during this wet spring is what caused my problem.
I was concerned that the temp did not drop when I opened the lid after it reached temp during my experiment but the behavior is designed that way. It will report the max desired temp until you change to an alternate lower temp.
Seems like common sense now that I've done some more research. I over-analyzed since it worked fine all these months until now.

New common sense rules for me.
1. Only fill hopper with what is needed for the cook.
2. Store pellets from open bags in a bin or 5 gallon bucket.

Thanks again for everyone's suggestions. Sorry for the hassle.

 

[MrPhilGrillTX]

New common sense rules for me.
1. Only fill hopper with what is needed for the cook.

Be generous with that. You can drain them into a bucket if you have leftovers, but if you run out, it causes more problems.

 

[JpsBBQ]

I am very embarrassed to discover that I was not storing my pellets properly. A new bag of pellets came to temp (600) in about 10-15 minutes and held. I did not realize I needed to remove pellets from the hopper after a cook. Also, I left the pellets in the bag they came in. After further review I realized my improper storage, and the pellets left in the hopper during this wet spring is what caused my problem.
I was concerned that the temp did not drop when I opened the lid after it reached temp during my experiment but the behavior is designed that way. It will report the max desired temp until you change to an alternate lower temp.
Seems like common sense now that I've done some more research. I over-analyzed since it worked fine all these months until now.

New common sense rules for me.
1. Only fill hopper with what is needed for the cook.
2. Store pellets from open bags in a bin or 5 gallon bucket.

Thanks again for everyone's suggestions. Sorry for the hassle.

The storage or hopper issue should only be if you aren’t using it regularly or there is a large weather event that allows water in the hopper. If you use the grill regularly and burn through you pellets in a reasonable period they will be fine. Happy grilling!!

 

[Dalwhinnie]

The storage or hopper issue should only be if you aren’t using it regularly or there is a large weather event that allows water in the hopper. If you use the grill regularly and burn through you pellets in a reasonable period they will be fine. Happy grilling!!

I've had my ex4 for a year now and live in eastern canada. I use my ex4 about 3 times a week even when temps are minus 25 celsius. I have only ever emptied the fuel hopper when cleaning the grill (roughly 6 cooks) I have never had a problem other than periodic bridging which is easily remedied

Hopper

 

[JpsBBQ]

I've had my ex4 for a year now and live in eastern canada. I use my ex4 about 3 times a week even when temps are minus 25 celsius. I have only ever emptied the fuel hopper when cleaning the grill (roughly 6 cooks) I have never had a problem other than periodic bridging which is easily remedied

Hopper

Yep, that’s what I was saying.

It is possible however to have a real bad storm with extremely high winds that could cause an unprotected unit to get water in the hopper. It’d be very rare and very bad weather, but it can happen.

 

[Goneincognito]

Glad you got it sorted.
I would still remove the finger guard to help reduce bridging.
If you use your SF often then emptying the hopper between uses isn't really necessary unless high humidity is an issue.
The 5 gallon buckets are the way to go for storing them.

Don't be embarrassed, it would have been worse.
You could have called Weber and done heaps of unnecessary troubleshooting to come to the same conclusion.
You now know what pellets act like when they are not stored correctly should any issues come up in the future.

 

[JpsBBQ]

Glad you got it sorted.
I would still remove the finger guard to help reduce bridging.
If you use your SF often then emptying the hopper between uses isn't really necessary unless high humidity is an issue.
The 5 gallon buckets are the way to go for storing them.

Don't be embarrassed, it would have been worse.
You could have called Weber and done heaps of unnecessary troubleshooting to come to the same conclusion.
You now know what pellets act like when they are not stored correctly should any issues come up in the future.

You’ve been locked in your house too long!

 

[bbqking]

I’ve only emptied my hopper completely 3 times in over a year. Too get rid of treager pellets, right after I bought it. To change out auger for the gen 2. And once to make clean out auger. Granted it always covered when not in use, and Phoenix it almost never rains….but I’m glad you figured out the issue. Good grilling/smoking adventures to you.