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The beauty of a Traeger pellet grill is in its consistency and its versatility.
You can go low and slow for barbecue one day and sear some ribeye steaks the next.
You need control over those temperatures, and sometimes your grill doesn’t give you that extra heat.
No one wants steak off the grill that doesn’t have that seared look with grill marks, so don’t be that grill master.
Why is my Traeger grill not getting hot enough?
There are multiple reasons your grill is not getting hot enough to sear that ribeye.
You could have bad or not enough pellets, your grill could be dirty, or your induction fan could be working improperly.
Pellets are the fuel that drives your Traeger, and putting in bad or not enough fuel can prevent your grill from getting hot enough.
If you haven’t been cleaning out your grill consistently, ash and grease buildup can impede airflow, restricting how hot your Traeger can get.
The induction fan serves the dual purpose of drawing air into the firepot and circulating the heat and smoke through the cooking chamber.
How do I make my Traeger grill hotter?
You give your grill the best possible fuel, the cleanest area for burning that fuel, and the best oxygen flow for the burn.
Keeping your Traeger clean will allow for the best airflow.
That means keeping the grease and ash cleaned out as best as possible while also ensuring the induction fan turns easily and doesn’t get stuck.
The best pellets will cause less mess and they will burn hotter as well.
How long does it take a Traeger to heat up to 450?
If you are trying to achieve grill marks on burgers, hot dogs, or steaks, expect to wait about 15-20 minutes before you can start cooking.
How do you fix a low temp on a Traeger?
If you’ve been consistent with your cleaning (every 20 cooking hours at a minimum per Traeger) and you’re using the best possible pellets, make sure you are starting your grill properly.
WiFire-enabled grills need to be started with a closed lid, otherwise, you could be dealing with temperature problems until the grill is turned off and restarted.
How do you fix a high temp error on a Traeger?
A high temp error is caused by the grill running outside its designed temperature range for an extended period of time.
Typically, this is caused by a grill fire due to either grease build-up or too many pellets in the firepot at startup.
You can fix the problem by keeping up with consistent, quality maintenance and following the proper shutdown and startup procedures.
If you don’t shut down your grill properly, there could be extra pellets left behind to cause that temperature spike at startup.
If you have been completing your maintenance regularly, make sure you are replacing the internal components that you may have removed.
The drip tray and heat baffle help manage the temperature inside the cooking chamber, so if you start the grill with those removed, you can get the necessary temperature reading to trigger the error.
How to tell if Traeger hot rod is bad
The hot rod is the component that ignites the wood pellets on your grill.
If it’s not working properly, your grill will not be burning pellets effectively for your cook.
The simplest way to check is to remove the internal components to get to the hot rod and start a cook cycle and see if it heats up properly.
If it’s defective, you need to reach out to Traeger Customer Service.
Traeger temperature probe problems
One of the oddest problems you can encounter on a Traeger is watching the temperature readings drop during the startup process and even reach negative temperatures when you are expecting your grill to be heating up for a cook.
If you encounter this problem, the thermocouple may have been installed backward.
Verify that the positive and negative markings are lined up.
The thermocouple can also get bent or damaged, leading to false readings.
The best way to verify that it is working properly is by getting an ambient temperature reading with the grill cooled off and checking it against an accurate exterior ambient temperature from another device.
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.