Using Traeger pellet grills can be a little tricky, especially when you have a BBQ event planned for your family and friends.
It gets even trickier when you just purchased it for the first time and you don’t even know how to properly use it for the same occasion.
When you are the first timer, then you don’t know a lot of things about how to efficiently operate the pellet grill.
In this article, I am specifically going to talk about how you can effectively charge the auger of your Traeger grill.
The simple way to charge the auger on your Traeger is to first make sure the temperature dial is turned to “Off”.
There will be a metal lid on the Traeger’s wood pellet hopper and you’ll find it to the left side of the grill.
Once you find it, you should raise the lid and put the wood pellets inside the chamber.
And just like that, you’re done.
Now all that’s left to do is to set the temperature dial to “High”.
After that, the Traeger auger will start rotating and pushing the pellets into the fire pot to charge the Traeger grill for cooking.
If you want to know more detailed information about how to properly prime the Traeger auger, then I highly recommend to read this article till the end.
Do You Have to Prime the Auger on a Traeger Every Time?
As far as priming the Traeger Auger is concerned, if you are using it for the first time, then you will have to do it for sure.
However, once you have primed the Auger the first time, then there is no need to do it again.
You will only have to repeat the priming of the Traeger auger in case you have thoroughly cleaned the Auger tube before the next use.
An important thing to note when priming the Auger is that you’ll probably be using different types of wood pellets for different meat.
An already primed Auger is fine if you’re planning to cook and smoke your meat using the same wood pellets you previously used.
However, if you’re planning to use different wood pellets for your next smoke, then you’ll have to burn out the ones that are already in the grill.
Once the pellet chamber and fire pot are empty, you can throw in the new pellets.
In this case, you will have to prime the Traeger Auger one more time.
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5 Main Reasons Why Your Traeger Pellet Box Smokes Too Much
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How Do You Prime a Traeger Auger?
Since the Traeger has an electric element to provide enough heat and burn the wood pellets, the first thing you need to do is to plug it into an outlet.
If you’re using it at your home, let’s say the home backyard, then you’ll have no issue in finding a socket for it.
For longer distance, you can even connect the grill to the power source through an extension cord.
However, if you’re bringing it with you to for outdoor purpose, then you will need a portable power station.
A good portable power station for this purpose would be the NEXPOW 296Wh Portable Power Station.
This portable power station has multiple charging outputs.
It also offers around 80000 mAh power with 300W continuous power capacity.
It also comes with triple rechargeable modes solar generator which is useful for outdoor battery charging.
Click Here to Get NEXPOW 296Wh Portable Power Station for Your Traeger Grill.
Now that we can power the grill up, the next thing to do is to open up the pellet chamber and throw in your wood pellets you’ll be using for the session.
Once that’s done, the rest process is pretty simple.
You will have to use the controller and on it, you need to find and choose the “Select Auger” option.
Over there, you will find the “Prime Auger” option.
After running this function, the Auger will run for a full cycle and it will gradually push the wood pellets on to the fire pot.
Once the pellets begin falling into the fire pot, you will have to turn it off after you have enough pellets for burning.
To do this, you will have to go back to the controller and over there, select the “Done” function and that’s it, the Auger is now primed.
When you use new wood pellets, you will have to repeat this process to prime the auger one more time.
One useful tip that I would like to share for cleaning the chamber if it still has some pellets is to burn them for about 20 minutes and then clean it out.
What Are Traeger Initial Firing Instructions?
You probably know that Traeger grills have variety of different pellet grill models such as Traeger Pro 22, Traeger Pro 575, and Traeger Ironwood 885 and few others.
Even though there are different models of Traeger grills available in the market, the basic instructions for initial firing of these Traeger grills are almost the same.
Those initial firing instructions for Traeger grill are mentioned as follows.
1. Access the inside of the grill and remove the Porcelain Grill, Drain Pan and Heat Baffle.
2. Double check that the dial is set to OFF and then plug it into the power outlet.
3. Check if there isn’t anything in the pellet chamber and set the dial to ON status and then check if the Auger is turning.
4. make sure if there is any air flow by placing your fingers above the fire pot.
Also ensure the hot rod is heating and then switch the dial to OFF.
5. Now, put the wood pellets into the chamber and set the dial to ON with temperature dial on High.
Once the pellets start falling in the fire pot, turn the dial to OFF.
6. After this, set the dial to ON and the temperature dial to Smoke.
Once you see flames in the fire pot, turn it off again and let it cool down.
7. Keep the lid of the grill open and turn it on and set the temperature to SMOKE.
Once you see a faint white smoke is appeared, close the door and set the temperature dial to whatever preset you want to cook your meat.
8. If you’re using a Traeger grill for the first time before cooking, then you can set the temperature dial to High and close the door.
Keep it running for at least 45 minutes before cooking.
9. Now, whenever you cook on the Traeger grill, pre-heat it with the door closed for about 10 minutes.
What is the Exact Process to Charge the Traeger Auger?
The following steps will clearly explain how you can charge the Traeger Auger.
1. The very first thing you have to do is to make sure the grill’s dial is set to OFF position.
2. Then, open the lid of the pellet chamber and the door of the grill.
3. Put the wood pellets inside the pellet chamber and close the lid.
4. Now, set the temperature dial to High.
The auger will start turning and gradually pushing the pellets in the fire pot.
5. Finally, set the temperature dial to Smoke.
Once smoke comes out, then you can set the dial to whatever preset you want to use to cook the meat.
What to Do if Traeger Auger is Not Turning?
Most of the times, the main culprit behind the issue of Traeger auger not turning is that the Traeger grill is not receiving power.
Make sure it is connected to a working power outlet and see if the controller LED is lighting up properly.
If power isn’t the issue, check if the Auger motor pin is not broken or missing.
To check this, shake it gently to see if it is loose.
If the pin is missing, check the surroundings of the grill to see if it didn’t fall out during assembly.
If the pin is broken or lost, replace it with the new one.
Sometimes, the Traeger Auger might get jammed.
To check this issue, take out the Traeger grates, drip pan, heat shield, and hopper lid to access the auger and manually try to rotate it.
There might be pellets stuck inside it which in this case causes the auger to not turn properly.
If it isn’t jammed, then the Auger motor itself might be damaged.
Check for any signs of cracks or visible damage to the motor.
If it is damaged, you need to replace the motor or have it repaired.
Click Here to Get a New Replacement Auger Motor for Your Traeger Grill if it is Damaged.
References:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2s3bFEXqz8Y
https://www.hunker.com/13409287/how-to-charge-a-traeger
https://www.traegerforum.com/threads/difference-between-priming-auger-an-starting-up.2076/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Traeger/comments/d73g6f/changing_pellets_for_my_next_smoke_how_do_i_get/
https://www.manualslib.com/manual/811232/Traeger-Bbq055.html?page=6
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