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Costco Traeger Problems
The Traeger wood pellet grills sold at Costco are made with the same material build quality and exacting standards as all the other grills in their line. This means you can get a great grill like the Traeger Silverton 620 for far less than the Traeger Pro 575 it is based on.
The Costco Traeger Silverton 620 draws two common complaints in that it can have temperature control issues and low smoke density. Though you can easily compensate for this by covering the Silverton 620 with a grill blanket and then giving it an extra 15 minutes at 165 to 180-degrees to let the smoke build up inside.
Other Traeger problems you might encounter include auger jams, burn back issues, and error codes with the WiFIRE app. You can prevent jam and burn back issues by always sifting your Traeger pellets before adding them to the hopper and making sure to purge them after every cook.
Error issues can be addressed by powering the grill down and turning it off for a minute or two. Any components or probes need to be cleaned, and you can restart the Traeger grill to correct the problem.
Can You Return a Traeger to Costco?
Costco backs a lot of its appliances with a satisfaction guarantee. This includes a 90-day window where you can return a Traeger wood pellet grill to Costco.
Of course, you need to have purchased it from that warehouse store. You also need to have all the parts, packaging and the original sales slip for Costco Member Service to honor the return.
Do Traegers Usually Have a lot of Problems?
Traeger wood pellet grills are made with high-quality materials following exacting standards. However, they do have more moving parts than a lot of other grills, which can lead to a few common problems.
Traeger Auger Jams
Auger jams are one of the more common problems you can run into with a Traeger grill. They are caused by loose wood fibers building up in the bottom of the hopper and auger shaft.
The best way to prevent auger jams is to always sift your wood pellets through a coarse sieve before adding them to the hopper. Then empty the hopper and purge the auger shaft after every use, and store the wood pellets in an air-tight container.
For a more severe auger jam, you will need to take the hopper off and clear the auger shaft manually. This isn’t as hard as it might sound and can be done in under half an hour with simple household tools.
Traeger Burn Backs
Burn backs are also caused by loose food fibers and dust in the auger shaft and pellet hopper. Throughout a long smoking session, the heat of the firepot can cause the wood fibers to smolder and burn.
Here again, you can reduce the risk of a burn back by sifting your pellets before adding them to the hopper and purging the pellets afterward.
Temperature Control
Traeger wood pellet grills do a good job of controlling the internal temperature within 10 degrees of the target. Though some of the older Traeger grills and models that don’t feature double-wall construction can have more significant temperature control issues in cold, wet, or windy weather.
One easy way to get around this is to cover your Traeger grill with a grill blanket. You might want to also focus on newer Traeger grills like the Century 885, the Ironwood, or the Timberline that have double-walled construction and the WiFIRE temperature monitoring app.
Fan & Airflow Problems
Traeger wood pellet grills have one or more internal fans that help feed oxygen to the firepot for more efficient burning as well as helping to move the smoke and heat through the primary cooking chamber. Grease and ash can sometimes build up on a fan, causing it to fail.
Thoughtful cleaning and maintenance is the best way to prevent fan and airflow problems in a Traeger grill. This includes cleaning the ash and grease out after every use as well as giving your Traeger grill a thorough deep cleaning after every 20-hours of use.
If your fan does start sticking, you might be able to spin it by hand a few times to get the electric motor moving again. If it still won’t run of its own accord, you should contact Traeger customer service.
Traeger Smoke Density Issues
Some Traeger wood pellet grills draw the criticism for not producing a lot of dense smoke. One way that Traeger has dealt with this complaint is to engineer models that have a “Super Smoke” feature to pump up the smoke density early in the preheating process.
If you have a model like the Traeger Silverton 620 that doesn’t have the Super Smoke feature, you can still increase the overall smoke density with careful preheating. This calls for setting the grill to a temperature of 165 to 180 degrees for 15 minutes.
Traeger wood pellet grills naturally make more smoke at lower temperatures. You can maximize this effect by also covering your Traeger with an insulating grill blanket.
Are Traegers from Costco Good Quality?
The Traeger wood pellet grills sold at Costco have the same material build quality and exacting engineering standards you expect from a high-end grill manufacturer like Traeger.
All Traeger grills come with at least a three-year warranty, and some come with the additional limited liability protection of 5 to 7 years. Costco Traegers are also backed by Costco’s satisfaction guarantee, which lets you return the wood pellet grill within 90-days of the original purchase.
Is The Traeger Silverton 620 at Costco Worth It?
The Traeger Silverton 620 sold exclusively at Costco is a great value compared to the Traeger Ironwood 650 that it’s based on. The only appreciable difference is that the Traeger Silverton 620 has a different shaped lid and doesn’t feature double-walled construction like the Ironwood 650.
Though this is a minor difference that only affects the grills’ performance in cold, wet, or rainy weather. It is certainly offset by the fact that the Silverton 620 can be found $500 to $600 cheaper than the Ironwood 650!
Costco Silverton 620 Issues
The Costco Traeger Silverton 620 tends to draw two common complaints. Though both are relatively easy to deal with.
The Silverton 620’s single-walled construction can lead to temperature control issues in cold, wet, or windy conditions. You can get around this by covering your Silverton with an insulating grill blanket.
The Silverton 620 also doesn’t have a Super Smoke feature, which can lead to below-average smoke density. You can get around this again by using an insulating grill blanket, then preheating the grill at 165 to 180 degrees to increase the smoke density inside the cooking chamber.
Traeger Pro 575 Issues
Many of the common complaints associated with the Traeger Pro 575 are associated with the WiFIRE app. It’s designed to monitor the temperature of the grill and let you adjust it, but it also tends to throw a lot of confusing error codes.
If you see an HER or LER error code, the Traeger is running too hot or at too low of a temperature. You can correct this by turning off the grill, unplugging it, and waiting for a minute or two for the internal software to reset.
If you get an ERR, ER1, or ER2 mode it is likely associated with the temperature probe. Cleaning any grease or soot off the probe and resetting the grill by powering it down for a full minute should reset it.
If you continue to have problems with your Traeger Pro 575, you should contact Traeger customer service. The Pro 575 comes with a three-year standard warranty and extended limited liability coverage on other components.
Final Thoughts
The Costco Traeger grill is all made with the same high-quality components and exacting quality standards as all the other grills in their line. This means you can buy a Traeger Silverton 620 much cheaper than the Traeger Pro 575 it is based on.
Though some people complain that the Costco Traeger Silverton 620 can be prone to temperature control problems and often suffers from low smoke density. However, you can deal with these problems by covering the Silverton 620 with a grill blanket and then giving it an extra 15 minutes at 165 to 180-degrees to let the smoke build-up in the primary smoking chamber.
Traeger grills in general can be prone to other issues such as auger jams, burn back issues, and error codes on the WiFIRE-enabled models. Making sure to sift your wood pellets before adding them to the hopper and purging the hopper will help prevent jams and burn back problems.
A lot of error code issues can be corrected by turning the Traeger grill off for a minute or two. Then lean the probe or sensor before restarting your Traeger grill.
If you still have problems with your Traeger, you can always call Traeger customer service at 1-800-TRAEGER. All of their wood pellet grills come with at least 3-years of warranty coverage and some of the WiFIRE grills even have extended coverage.
Robert is a certified Pitmaster, with over a decade of experience in smoking the best meats you’ll ever feast upon. He also has a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Texas at San Antonio. When he’s not researching technical topics, he’s most likely barbecuing in his backyard.