A Traeger pellet grill contains a simply fascinating grilling technology according to my usage experience.
It actually provides people the true wood-fired flavour without really having to build a wood fire pit.
Now, have you owned one of these for a couple of years now, nailing at Traegering and all of a sudden the heat isn’t just enough?
You might have just bought one to begin your Traegering journey and alas!
The beginning isn’t quite as hot as expected??
Well, the problem is your Traeger grill is not able to get to anywhere near 450 degrees F or even past 400 degrees F.
Am I right?
There could be quite a few reasons why that is happening.
The most common reasons behind this could be a deteriorated hot rod or poor airflow inside the grill.
There are plenty of other factors and situations that can lead to lowered temperatures in your Traeger grill.
A hot rod is the rod present below the fire pot that ignites the wood pellets and keeps the fire burning.
The poor airflow is caused by an ash build-up in the fire-pot.
It is crucial that we take care of and maintain our Traeger properly.
This means, you need to regularly clean and maintain your grill, at least on a weekly basis if you are grilling every weekend.
Firstly, you can check out any of the above-mentioned signs in your Traeger and clean it or replace it as per the grill’s requirement.
Then check again if the temperature is pitching up above 400 F.
To learn more about this topic, I highly recommend you to read this guide up to the end.
Table of Contents
- 7 Main Reasons Behind Traeger Grill not Reaching 450 F Temperature
- How Long Does It Take a Traeger to Get to 450?
- How Do You Fix a Low-Temperature Level on a Traeger Grill?
- Final Thoughts
7 Main Reasons Behind Traeger Grill not Reaching 450 F Temperature
This section is basically focused on how you can get your Traeger grill hotter.
Let’s see the major reasons why the Traeger grill does not reach 450 F temperature.
After that we will also find the best solutions to get your Traeger grill hotter again.
1. A Bad Hot Rod
Your Traeger is most likely not heating up as desired due to the malfunction in the hot rod.
A hot rod is the source of ignition that gives the constant spark to keep the pellets burning and the temperature high.
However, it is quite common for a Traeger hot rod to wear out after a couple of years of use.
If you happen to come across this issue, then you can quickly replace the old bad hot rod with the new one.
Click Here to Get a Replacement Hot Rod for Your Traeger Grill.
The hot rod can be replaced quite easily by the Traeger owner.
If you are not comfortable doing it, then you can take help of a Traeger customer service or any grill service professional to do the replacement on your behalf.
2. A Poor Airflow inside the Grill
Once you have checked and confirmed that the hot rod is not the issue, then the next thing to check is the quality of airflow inside the grill.
It is most probably related to the poor airflow within your Traeger grill.
Air is an important component to get the fire burning and have the temperatures risen.
A firepot is a part where the Traeger hardwood pellets are placed.
There are air inlets throughout the fire pot that make way for easy combustion of the pellets.
However, sometimes the airflow is restricted when excessive ash build-up happens inside the firepot.
For this reason, your Traeger grill must be cleaned and maintained properly on a regular basis.
Having a dirty grill can adversely affect the temperature and the overall performance of your Traeger.
You need to thoroughly clean all the ash out of the firepot.
Then check and see if it helps in getting your Traeger to burn hotter.
3. Rusted Holes in the Firepot
This is another barrier that impacts the temperature levels of your Traeger grill to get lower gradually.
This is again caused by poor maintenance of your grill.
Excess ash build-up can lead to rusted holes in the fire poet as well.
Check the inside of the fire-pot for any rusted holes.
In case there are rust holes then you will need to replace them.
Traeger fire pot replacements are easily available online.
You can either do-it-yourself and install the replacement with the help of a grill servicing professional.
Click Here to Get Traeger Fire Pot Replacement Parts Online.
4. A Weak Induction Fan
The role of the induction fan is to circulate the smoke throughout the grilling chamber.
It distributes the natural wood flavour and ensures the temperature remains consistent within the cooking chamber.
A failing or weak induction fan could mean inconsistent temperature because of poor circulation of air.
This can also be a reason for your Traeger’s low temperatures.
In this case, you will need replace your old induction fan which has malfunctioned already.
Or else you can get in touch with the Traeger customer service and get it replaced through a professional.
Click Here to Get Replacement Induction Fan for Your Traeger Grill.
5. A Tightened Chimney Cap
If you are out grilling on a good weather day and have found out that none of the above-mentioned reasons is causing the lowered temperature, then check the chimney cap once.
A chimney cap is a threaded rod that is screwed on top of the grill.
The lower it is, the more tightened the cap is.
A tightened chimney cap restricts airflow into the Traeger grill and leads to lower heat production within the grill.
Generally, the chimney cap should be as loose or as high as possible, which allows ample air into the Traeger.
It should only be tightened when there is a significantly high wind outside.
6. Use of Non-Branded and Poor-Quality Wood Pellets
Using a non-Traeger brand or off-brand wood pellets is also said to affect the temperature fluctuations.
Traeger brand pellets are using 100% naturally sourced hardwood.
It is highly recommended to use the same brand pellets while using Traeger for a better experience.
Their pellets are available in quite a few varieties of wood types and unique flavors.
Also, take a closer look at your wood pellets.
If they have acquired any amount of moisture or feels crumbly then do not use them.
Because, poor quality and moist pellets can also reduce the heat production or cause low temperature inside the grill.
Always ensure that you have enough pellets in stock to finish your cooking before you start.
Running out of wood pellets mid-way can be a real problem that can be avoided with a little planning.
Always use fresh Traeger hardwood pellets for a seamless grilling experience.
7. A Damaged RTD Probe
After a long usage, sometimes the Traeger grill’s temperature probe gets damaged and it needs a replacement.
The damaged RTD probe in the grill or if it is leaning towards the grill’s body inside, then this may affect the heat temperature level inside the grill.
Check for the performance of RTD probe and you can replace it if required.
Click Here to Get the New Replacement RTD Probe for Your Traeger Grill.
Recommended Articles for You:
8 Simple Fixes to Solve Traeger Low Temperature Issues
6 Steps to Clean Traeger Grill Grates Quickly
5 Steps to Clean Grease Trap of Your Traeger Grill
How Long Does It Take a Traeger to Get to 450?
On the pre-heating process, typically a Traeger grill will take somewhere around 20 to 30 minutes to get to 350° F.
Always remember you need to preheat your Traeger before setting the cooking temperature.
The pre-heating should be done correctly with the lid shut, especially for a WiFire enabled grill.
Then set it on the HIGH setting to get to 45o° Fahrenheit in around 10 minutes.
How Do You Fix a Low-Temperature Level on a Traeger Grill?
If you are getting a Low Temp Error on your Traeger then the best solution is to restart your grill properly.
Usually, a Wi-Fire enabled Traeger grill needs a closed-lid startup.
That means you should be preheating the grill with the lid closed.
When done correctly it should prevent the temperature irregularities that occur during the cooking process.
Low temperatures levels can also be caused when you cook with the lid open.
If you are cooking something that requires a high temperature then make sure that the lid is closed.
Open it only when absolutely needed.
This way the heat circulated within the cooking chamber does not escape.
And it also prevents the cool down of the grill.
Final Thoughts
So far, I have discussed all the common reasons behind not getting your Traeger to 450 degrees F temperature and I have also provided few easy solutions for them.
From my experience, I can say that sometimes it can be really difficult to repair and maintain Traeger grill if you lack the knowledge of how the technology and the grill work.
But worry not!
Traeger has provided plenty of troubleshooting as well maintenance training videos on their YouTube Channel that you can view and learn.
They have also various study guides available online to make your life with Traeger easier.
Traeger by far is the best performance grill for delivering hard-wood smoke flavour to your food without actually having to build a wood fire.
However, with some years of use, your Traeger can encounter a small heat-up issue.
Even if you have just started out with your new Traeger, at times things may go a little hard.
You can go through the complete checklist provided above and find the root problem that causes the Traeger to not able to reach 450 F temperature level.
Firstly, check condition of the hot rod and once you have determined that it is not the cause then move on to the next one down the list.
Cleaning of the ash build-up, checking the induction fan and loosening the chimney cap can be some important fixes in this journey.
Traeger also does have very good customer service that you can reach out to and solve your temperature related issues quickly.
References:
https://www.traegerforum.com/threads/pro-575-not-getting-above-400.570/
https://dev01-us-traegergrills.demandware.net/s/DRTVCA/faqs.html
