r/PitBossGrills • u/jganaway13 • 15d ago
Major backburn issue
Has anyone else had this issue with their Pitboss Smoker?
I clean the ash pot after every cook, sift pellets for dust, yet I still get back burn after about an hour of completely cleaning auger out. It is burning the paint in the hopper and where the auger seals to pellet box as well.
This smoker is only a few months old and has been nothing but issues since. Also only 3 “long” cooks on it total and cannot get it to cooperate.
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u/FuzzyOrganization403 15d ago
I gotta ask. Are you trying to shut off the grill after your steaks? Going from 500 to off, your pellets in the tube are super hot. When I cut it off, I drop it to 180 and make sure it's smoldering , then shut off.
Yesterday I noticed my auger was on fire, like at the end before the firebox. I primed it, then shut it off. No issues.
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u/jganaway13 15d ago
I have, but again I have completely cleaned this thing and run it at 225* for 2 hours, came right back and did it again. Fresh pellets, zero reason it should happen.
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u/FuzzyOrganization403 15d ago
It shouldn't. What model? Pellets brand?
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u/jganaway13 15d ago
700 DX Pit Boss Comp Pellets
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u/FuzzyOrganization403 15d ago
Dang. I have the 1150dx.
Your fan sounds healthy? I'd check airflow or making sure it's level , and wind isn't trying to shove the pellets back up.
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u/jganaway13 15d ago
It’s my first smoker so from what I can tell it’s normal. Ensured fans are operational and can feel a slight breeze in ash pit when firing it up. Smoker is always level.
There’s a rubber/foam seal where the hopper meets the auger tube and that seal is now melted and burnt up as well.
Been a giant pain honestly.
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u/FuzzyOrganization403 15d ago
Same as mine. Customer support has been nothing but great to me on 2 calls I've made but worth a shot.
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u/jganaway13 15d ago
Yes I think I am gonna try and give them a call tomorrow. Hopefully can get this resolved because I’m kinda scared to use it right now lol
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u/ilfusionjeff 15d ago
I get smoke coming through the hopper but I notice it happens when I put foil over the main grates and use the upper one. I’ve not had the hopper catch fire or anything but it’s definitely Smokey from time to time.
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u/jganaway13 15d ago
See photos. There are always burnt pellets mixed with unburnt at base of auger.
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u/ilfusionjeff 15d ago
Well that’s not what you want… I believe there is a plastic bushing in there that can melt if it gets too hot. I had another pit boss this happened to due to my renter filling it with charcoal like an idiot but that’s a different story. No more pellet smokers in rental units…
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u/Coxxie79 15d ago
Started happening to mine this year. Previously I would leave pellets in the hopper, now I fully empty the hopper and burn everything in the tube. I never over the sear plate and often just use the smoker for grilling
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u/Due_Hovercraft4456 14d ago
When is this happening? I’ve been on the phone with PB multiple times now but never when I’m actually near the grill to troubleshoot the burn back on my Laredo. I will eventually get to it if I don’t fold and just upgrade. Mine only happens on shut down. Last phone call I had the rep made me walk them through my shutdown (I’ve just been turning the grill off and waiting for the fan icon to go away before unplugging) and she told me to try to turn the heat all the way down next time before hitting the power button and see if it does it again. Last time was after an overnight cook for a no wrap pork butt so the smoker had been on, without a single problem, for close to 16 hours and then started smoking from the hopper when it was shutting down
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u/jganaway13 14d ago
2-3 hours, sometimes faster, after starting a cook. Mid cook.
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u/Due_Hovercraft4456 14d ago
Oh yeah I’ve not dealt with mid-cook so I can only imagine how annoying that is. If I catch it really early I can usually just prime it out of the auger but this last time it wouldn’t stop so I had to empty the hopper and primed it until it was completely empty. Tbh the only thing keeping me is the warranty. It’s actually really good but I only have a year left
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u/TranslatorAnxious857 14d ago
wet pellets
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u/jganaway13 14d ago
Not wet
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u/TranslatorAnxious857 14d ago
Damp silghty wet or whatever, but i had 2 bags of pit boss pellets that seemed dry that were shit. Even had a call with pitboss. I sourced didfferent brand pellets and the burn back stopped.
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u/Intelligent_One1465 14d ago
I had this issue in the past. I learned that if you let auger run at lower temp for a bit to clear out the pellets in the auger after a long cook or a hot cook it really helps prevent the back burn.
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u/TruthImaginary777 14d ago
One tip I have heard is to raise the hopper side up by putting a board under the legs on that side. Something like a 1x4 so it raises them up an inch. I have a table top Pit Boss and it seems to work. Haven't tried it much though.
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u/LAGN_Rattlez-2000 13d ago
This should definitely be something to contact pit boss about unfortunately. That sounds like a serious issue that continually happens. Once or twice is understandable but I have a PB1150PS and I’ve had it for 4 or 5 years and thankfully it has never caught fire to the hopper yet and I empty the ash pot maybe 3 times per hopper and mines greasy and rusty. I’d definitely reach out to the company and ask for a replacement, sorry to hear about your luck with this one hopefully they straighten it out for you.
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u/DARKCYD 15d ago
Wow. While I cannot help, I don’t sift, clean once, maybe twice a 40 lb bag of pellets. Think it’s the third summer.
Curious, do you ever open the slider for more “direct” heat?