UPDATE (REPLACEMENT SMOKEFIRE CONTROLLER FROZE): Total Melt Down Of Weber SmokeFire EX6 Bottom Tray! Watch the Video!!!

[JmanOhioBBQ]

Sorry for the delay in everyone's responses. I was pretty disheartened and this was my first weekend off in a long time so I just gave up on everything yesterday that had to do with the grill.
Here are some updates. I will post some more pics and videos today.
1. After discussing it with my girl and looking at the ash tray we found several burned pellets. She told me when she helped me clean out the pellets after the 2nd E6 code the night before that when she was pulling the grill apart while I went and got the shop vac that when she pulled up on the the heat plate that she knocked down the flavorizer bar holder in the back and when she went to lift up on the pellet chute she lifted the whole thing up and pellets fell out. I remember the pellets in grill housing but some mist have fell into the ash box. I am sure this is what caused the fire. I am not sure how many pellets fell down there because I failed to check the ash box before attempting to start the grill yesterday because I "knew" we hadn't done any cooks and "thought" it was still totally clean.
2. No the tray was shut all the way. The heat pushed it out and I could not close it until it cooled down.
3. I did not contact Weber about it yet because I had just emailed them the night before to check on my ticket i had put in 4 days ago because i had not heard from them and i wanted to add the two E6 errors to my ticket.
3. Weber has actually contacted me directly to my mailbox here as of this morning wanting to make things right and find out what happened. I will repsond to them and let them know what happened today and let you know what is being done.

Overall, me and the misses as users of the grill have some blame to put on ourselves. However I am very shocked that the amount of pellets we think could have fell down there behind the pan could have caused so much havoc.

I think you should take off the metal part that holds the drawer and look at the metal part that is below the burn pot to see if it came loose or what might of happened. The first video looks like flames coming from the top, hopefully that part wasn’t loosened up somehow. If pellets are dropping through the burn pot they should go to the back. Anyway I will add a pic from the assembly of the metal part I am talking about.

 

[GriLLMaRksRseXy]

I hope Weber just replaces your grill. The burned paint is such a bummer.

In all actuality one of the issues I wanted Weber to replace when I put in my initial ticket was the front shelf the ash box slides into. Both of my top corners had cracked and chipped paint. I was concerned with rusting.

I'm going to call them today. They did have a user on our forum that emailed me through the forum about it but I still.havent seen anything in my actual email box from Weber. I appreciate them being on the forum though and for him ronreaxh out to me on here.

 

[RSchiers]

In all actuality one of the issues I wanted Weber to replace when I put in my initial ticket was the front shelf the ash box slides into. Both of my top corners had cracked and chipped paint. I was concerned with rusting.

I'm going to call them today. They did have a user on our forum that emailed me through the forum about it but I still.havent seen anything in my actual email box from Weber. I appreciate them being on the forum though and for him ronreaxh out to me on here.

I still vividly remember my first grease fire on my Treager a few years ago. Sitting there watching the paint buble up and melt off. It straight up sucks. I am sorry.

 

[GriLLMaRksRseXy]

I think you should take off the metal part that holds the drawer and look at the metal part that is below the burn pot to see if it came loose or what might of happened. The first video looks like flames coming from the top, hopefully that part wasn’t loosened up somehow. If pellets are dropping through the burn pot they should go to the back. Anyway I will add a pic from the assembly of the metal part I am talking about. View attachment 331

I will definitely look at this. I'm going to call weber first though before I do anything else. I hoped they would have emailed by now because I hate being on the phone but i obviously hate not having a working grill more!

 

[abmet]

Appreciate the update and your thoughts on what happened. I hope Weber takes care of you. I’ll make sure to check ash drawer before each cook now. I have had a few pellets sitting on top of the burn pot cover when I’ve cleaned my grill but only a fe usually. I wonder if when your auger is having issues it dumped pellets down there? Curious, does your pellet chute sit on top of or behind the flavorizer shelf? I just changed mine to have the chute on top based posts I saw.

 

[GriLLMaRksRseXy]

Appreciate the update and your thoughts on what happened. I hope Weber takes care of you. I’ll make sure to check ash drawer before each cook now. I have had a few pellets sitting on top of the burn pot cover when I’ve cleaned my grill but only a fe usually. I wonder if when your auger is having issues it dumped pellets down there? Curious, does your pellet chute sit on top of or behind the flavorizer shelf? I just changed mine to have the chute on top based posts I saw.

Thanks. Yes I definitely think us as the user has some thing to do with it. Cant see how a table spoon or so of pellets falling in there could be the only thing going on though and in totally surprised the box couldn't take the heat with just that going on. I think the auger or something maybe a culprit too.

I can assure you that I will do the same once they fix it or replace it! I'm checking it everytime now. Also, the issue would have easily been preventable as far as us dropping pellets down there if the chute and fire pot assembly was secured with screws or bolts.

Honestly, until the E6 errors occured the chute was sitting under the bar because when you assemble it following the directions that is how it's going to end up because one of the last steps is the flavorizer bar attachments. When we put it back together the chute was above the bars as someone(s) had recommended since as I stated earlier she did accidentally lift the assembly up some when disassembling and reassembling it after the E6 error the second time. I think either way it would work but on top does give it a steeper slope.

 

[FredSC]

Thanks. Yes I definitely think us as the user has some thing to do with it. Cant see how a table spoon or so of pellets falling in there could be the only thing going on though and in totally surprised the box couldn't take the heat with just that going on. I think the auger or something maybe a culprit too.

I can assure you that I will do the same once they fix it or replace it! I'm checking it everytime now. Also, the issue would have easily been preventable as far as us dropping pellets down there if the chute and fire pot assembly was secured with screws or bolts.

Honestly, until the E6 errors occured the chute was sitting under the bar because when you assemble it following the directions that is how it's going to end up because one of the last steps is the flavorizer bar attachments. When we put it back together the chute was above the bars as someone(s) had recommended since as I stated earlier she did accidentally lift the assembly up some when disassembling and reassembling it after the E6 error the second time. I think either way it would work but on top does give it a steeper slope.

Thanks for the updates. I don't know if leaving the pellets in the ash trap would have caused your issue. It will be interesting to hear Weber's feedback on this. I would like to think once they see your videos, that might want to send a team of engineers to look your EX6 over or have it shipped back and replace just from an analysis point of view. Where I work, we would want to tear it apart and try and determine what happened.

 

[GriLLMaRksRseXy]

Thanks for the updates. I don't know if leaving the pellets in the ash trap would have caused your issue. It will be interesting to hear Weber's feedback on this. I would like to think once they see your videos, that might want to send a team of engineers to look your EX6 over or have it shipped back and replace just from an analysis point of view. Where I work, we would want to tear it apart and try and determine what happened.

I do not know if that was the total issue either. I just wanted to give as much information as I could and be as honest and straightforward as I possibly could. While I am sure it exacerbated what ever happened I would think that it would have been designed to handle something like that if it was just that. I mean there are always a few pellets that fall down there burning anyways that some how slipped through in the past. Not sure if others have had that happen but I have seen them actually burning and saw the pitting at the back behind the drip tray from them.

I will be glad to let Weber do either of those if they want to. I do want to say that the contact I had from Weber in our Forum email is one of their Executive Directors of Product Development. I did not want to just blurt that out there but they told me it was ok to do so. I appreciate him and Weber for getting involved on our Forum and listening. I am just going to quote what he said because he said it best and honestly I believe him and Weber when he said:

"Feel free to let the group know that we at Weber is working day and night to help with each consumer's concerns, issues and answer any questions. As you mentioned, we are looking at this forum and all other social sites for advice and inspiration from our consumers. Listening to our consumers is how we are able to develop products that matter."

He also stated that he would have their product support team reach out to me ASAP. I will let you know what they decide to do.

 

[abmet]

Good to know, thanks for sharing that Weber is contacting you and providing all those details. Many people may not have been as open. Even with some pellets dropping in the drawer there must be something else going on to cause such a fire.

 

[Poundhound]

I am glad they are paying attention to the people on a website “weberpelletgrills.com”!
I know Weber is not a fly by night company. That’s why I really am shocked they sent this product out.
So far I am receiving a new controller, a new auger assembly and an insert for the pellet hopper.
It just seems like way too much hassle for us and then.
I hope you get a new grill and you are happy in the long run!

 

[Brian Vallotton]

I am glad they are paying attention to the people on a website “weberpelletgrills.com”!
I know Weber is not a fly by night company. That’s why I really am shocked they sent this product out.
So far I am receiving a new controller, a new auger assembly and an insert for the pellet hopper.
It just seems like way too much hassle for us and then.
I hope you get a new grill and you are happy in the long run!

I must say this is all beyond a reasonable experience for the average user. I am sorry to hear about all this. How many other products out there would have their users being so kind? Weber is a huge company with a long and well built reputation, but good will quickly evaporates with ongoing situations like this... and like grief goes from denial to anger... and then what? Where is the resolution in this process? I am angry. I refused shipment on mine, but I am angry to hear these kind of ridiculous stories.

 

[GriLLMaRksRseXy]

I just got off the phone with Weber Support. It was almost 9PM EST when they called me and I answered the phone. My thoughts on the call are a little hesitant overall but we will see how everything plays out. Before they called I did receive a phone call @ 7:04PM ESTand missed it because I was at my door dealing with a food delivery driver. When I tried to call back it was from Weber IGrill support and the VM said it was after hours and leave a message. I did and I also texted the number telling them what had happened and they could call me at anytime.

I then received an email from Weber support at 8:20 that stated they had tried to call me twice today and wanted to know a good number to reach me at. This was disturbing to me as I had only missed one phone call from them (or anyone else today since this phone is used for business and I keep it pretty much by my side 24/7) so I responded to them that same info and told them they could call me at anytime. I definitely did not have but one missed call and did a screen shot of my recent calls just in case.

Anyways, I did receive a call from support at 8:53PM EST. The CSR was very nice and asked me several questions. Many of the questions were already answered in the last email I sent them today with the included videos. There was not any mention of my previous issues that I had emailed in on Tuesday. As I answered her questions, I walked her though exactly what happened in detail since Friday afternoon (the last time the grill functioned mostly properly) and Saturday evening when we had the melt down. After everything she said she had sent me an email and would need me to follow the instructions of the email and take pictures that were requested. When I asked her if she had sent the email already she said she did but I didn't get it. She then asked me if my email address was an email I had never heard of and I said no (It was clearly another customers email) and she then took my email address and sent it to me.

Here is what they have requested:

Dear Caller,

Thank you for contacting Weber. Per our discussion today, please reply to this email with the following photos attached to the reply:

• A photo of the entire grill
• A photo of the serial number sticker on the inside of the hopper lid
• A photo of the controller firmware & software version screen. This information can be found by selecting the following on the controller of the SmokeFire grill: menu/about screen/ scroll knob to locate information
• A photo of the inside of the hopper
• A photo of the inside of the cookbox with the grates and flavorizer bars removed
• A photo of the inside of the burn pot with the heat diffuser plate placed over the burn pot removed
• A photo of the entire grease tray assembly removed from the grill
• A photo of all damaged parts

Photos must be sent as an attachment. Please do not send links to photo hosting websites due to security reasons.

Once your photos have been received, a customer care specialist will contact you by phone or email within 72 hours.

Thank you,

Weber Consumer Care Team
Weber-Stephen Products LLC
Tel: 877-960-2246
Hours: Monday through Saturday, 8am-7pm CST


As I was reading this on the phone with her I explained that the serial number is not located inside the hopper but that I could take a picture of one of the serial number stickers that came with my grill. She told me that was fine. I also asked about "pictures of damaged parts" an explained I have not tore the grill down completely but was concerned their may be damage in the assembly under the cooker beyond the burned gasket that can be seen in the video I sent them with the email. I wanted to know if I needed to disassemble more of the grill for pictures. She said she did not think so at this time and I should send the photos requested and a specialist would go from there. When I asked her about my concerns with the grill from the original email before I had this meltdown she told me to send in the info requested and the specialist would go from there and review everything.

Overall I am glad Weber got the ball rolling on my ticket but I definitely did not miss two calls today from them, I hate having to repeat myself, I am unsure if I should make the innards of the grill become "exerds" and take pics of everything and am a little concerned over the botched email address issue. All that and the fact that I will have to come home tomorrow and do all this just to send it all in and wait is a little frustrating. I just want a working grill. I work for a huge company much bigger than Weber so I understand the song and dance and the hula hoops but I just want my grill fixed or replaced as fast as possible so I can get back to enjoying using the grill and the family life I have enjoyed around my cooking on the grill.

I am sure Weber will make it right in the long run. I know they will. I would have just loved to have them call and say "Hey, we saw everything and read everything. Here is what we are going to do." Instead I have to answer more questions, provide more pics and wait for the specialist.

 

[RSchiers]

I just got off the phone with Weber Support. It was almost 9PM EST when they called me and I answered the phone. My thoughts on the call are a little hesitant overall but we will see how everything plays out. Before they called I did receive a phone call @ 7:04PM ESTand missed it because I was at my door dealing with a food delivery driver. When I tried to call back it was from Weber IGrill support and the VM said it was after hours and leave a message. I did and I also texted the number telling them what had happened and they could call me at anytime.

I then received an email from Weber support at 8:20 that stated they had tried to call me twice today and wanted to know a good number to reach me at. This was disturbing to me as I had only missed one phone call from them (or anyone else today since this phone is used for business and I keep it pretty much by my side 24/7) so I responded to them that same info and told them they could call me at anytime. I definitely did not have but one missed call and did a screen shot of my recent calls just in case.

Anyways, I did receive a call from support at 8:53PM EST. The CSR was very nice and asked me several questions. Many of the questions were already answered in the last email I sent them today with the included videos. There was not any mention of my previous issues that I had emailed in on Tuesday. As I answered her questions, I walked her though exactly what happened in detail since Friday afternoon (the last time the grill functioned mostly properly) and Saturday evening when we had the melt down. After everything she said she had sent me an email and would need me to follow the instructions of the email and take pictures that were requested. When I asked her if she had sent the email already she said she did but I didn't get it. She then asked me if my email address was an email I had never heard of and I said no (It was clearly another customers email) and she then took my email address and sent it to me.

Here is what they have requested:

Dear Caller,

Thank you for contacting Weber. Per our discussion today, please reply to this email with the following photos attached to the reply:

• A photo of the entire grill
• A photo of the serial number sticker on the inside of the hopper lid
• A photo of the controller firmware & software version screen. This information can be found by selecting the following on the controller of the SmokeFire grill: menu/about screen/ scroll knob to locate information
• A photo of the inside of the hopper
• A photo of the inside of the cookbox with the grates and flavorizer bars removed
• A photo of the inside of the burn pot with the heat diffuser plate placed over the burn pot removed
• A photo of the entire grease tray assembly removed from the grill
• A photo of all damaged parts

Photos must be sent as an attachment. Please do not send links to photo hosting websites due to security reasons.

Once your photos have been received, a customer care specialist will contact you by phone or email within 72 hours.

Thank you,

Weber Consumer Care Team
Weber-Stephen Products LLC
Tel: 877-960-2246
Hours: Monday through Saturday, 8am-7pm CST


As I was reading this on the phone with her I explained that the serial number is not located inside the hopper but that I could take a picture of one of the serial number stickers that came with my grill. She told me that was fine. I also asked about "pictures of damaged parts" an explained I have not tore the grill down completely but was concerned their may be damage in the assembly under the cooker beyond the burned gasket that can be seen in the video I sent them with the email. I wanted to know if I needed to disassemble more of the grill for pictures. She said she did not think so at this time and I should send the photos requested and a specialist would go from there. When I asked her about my concerns with the grill from the original email before I had this meltdown she told me to send in the info requested and the specialist would go from there and review everything.

Overall I am glad Weber got the ball rolling on my ticket but I definitely did not miss two calls today from them, I hate having to repeat myself, I am unsure if I should make the innards of the grill become "exerds" and take pics of everything and am a little concerned over the botched email address issue. All that and the fact that I will have to come home tomorrow and do all this just to send it all in and wait is a little frustrating. I just want a working grill. I work for a huge company much bigger than Weber so I understand the song and dance and the hula hoops but I just want my grill fixed or replaced as fast as possible so I can get back to enjoying using the grill and the family life I have enjoyed around my cooking on the grill.

I am sure Weber will make it right in the long run. I know they will. I would have just loved to have them call and say "Hey, we saw everything and read everything. Here is what we are going to do." Instead I have to answer more questions, provide more pics and wait for the specialist.

I know it's frustrating, but do keep in mind those poor dudes/gals are swimming in issues right now. I can't believe they make calls so late must have 2 shifts of customer service.

 

[Dadhastoomanygrills]

Wow...amazing and honestly scary issue. I am anxiously awaiting your updates on this. I have to admit I was nervous about my long cook today with all that is going on with this grill I made sure to put it in the middle of my patio away from the house or anything else that might catch fire. I had a successful cook, but to then log in and see your video with flames shooting out the drawer!!!! I’ve been concerned with the amount of ash and embers that blow around in there and sometimes out between the cracks in the drawer area. Never thought I’d see flames coming out though.

 

[Poundhound]

Everything in business is all about CYA!
I think Weber will make this right... but... I could always be wrong.... Look at the grill I bought....
I could be wrong...