How to Fix a Jammed Auger Tube in Your Pellet Grill / Hopper Assembly

[@jamesjimbo2135]

You are a rockstar...I have been f****** with my stuck auger for about 3 hrs, ready to smash with excavator and start from scratch. Your video just made my day.

[@jefferycherrysr6568]

I saturated mine with olive oil and let it sit for an hour and it finally loosened up but it was a B to remove. I never left my grill until uncovered ever again

[@DaveMcLain]

A year ago I found a nice Oklahoma Joe's pellet grill at a scrap yard when I was hauling in some left over metal from a building we built. I loaded it up and brought home. It had stuck auger and it must have had a burn back that killed the motor and controller. If fixed it using parts from Smoke Daddy, high torque motor, new bushing and a PID controller. Since then it has been a fun and trouble free cooker that works great.

[@gagebrown2101]

The one in my Rectec Bullseye was stuck that bad. I bent the auger shaft removing it. I finally got it out though. Lol. Luckily, Rectec sent me a new auger shaft. Their customer service is amazing.

[@davidviau2522]

Thank you so much for sharing your expertise with us! This video saved my sanity and my smoker! It was jammed so hard I didn't know what to do. Smashing it like you did got the thing moving just enough so I could unscrew it! THANK YOU!!

[@PenguinOutdoors]

"I've never seen one that stuck". THANK YOU!! If you can believe it, my PB1000 was more jammed up than this one until I found your video. I have dealt with plenty of auger jams by ignoring your pro tip to not get the pellets wet lmao. This last one, it was a nightmare. I tried everything including a hammer drill, power washer, I mean you name it I tried it. I never thought to remove the entire box and floor strike it. You saved my sanity man.

[@PenguinOutdoors]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/g4mVfpp8d9ZrZ7M

[@petewood5653]

I followed the video instructions from Traeger, using the small pipe wrench and a small spray of liquid wrench. Took a little reefing but was able to get the auger out and put it back into the channel to get the wet crumbles out....vacuumed the rest out. I have to replace the auger motor though...

[@VerySleepy14]

Mine is stuck pretty good. My grill was knocked over during a storm while I was out of state and came back to a jammed auger. I removed the box and slammed it like you did, which helped a little getting some of the pellets out, but I ended up smashing the end where the igniter is and my auger is still jammed up in there pretty good. Traeger doesn't sell the box assembly either, so I might be shit out of luck, unfortunately. Thanks for the video though. It gave me a little hope.

[@camconvo]

Dude I needed this! But your "oh shit" then the look on your face with the "excuse me" killed me brother. Thanks for the info and the laughs, I struggle when Im filming all the time.

[@DennisCorrea]

I had never come across one that stuck but I got it Fn thing. out.

[@camconvo]

Lol. That’s hilarious, I’m trying to remove a damn screw from my auger housing so I can slide the unit out and do what you just did.

[@camconvo]

@@DennisCorrea I subscribed. Good stuff man, keep it coming.

[@frogfrogger6260]

I am in a Cement Jam, now. been trying a few ideas. Just today, got the torch 🔥and kept trying to burn on both ends. Got it hot and smoking. Started turning the Auger, it became a little loose, and broke about 4-6" in. Now this just became a bigger problem. Thanks for your , idea. I might give it a try. I haven't done that banging yet. Looks like hell/ damage to the unit. Not sure I like that.

[@brandyburch6003]

I hope this works! I was given a pellet grill that has wet pellets for 3 years! I am working on it

[@brettzenanko3895]

Great video!! Mine was stuck just as bad!! I would strongly recommend removing the blower fan before banging it out!! I'll remember to do it the next time this happens.

[@perceive8159]

Stuck as stuck can be! A ? What kind of clearance normally is there on the OD of the auger when it's installed in the tube? Thanks for the informative video 📹 😀

[@Smokedaddyinc]

There is typically at most a 1/16th of an inch if not a little less.

[@miscemail2901]

Have you tried to soak it and soften up the gunk that is keeping it stuck?

[@chrisdaruda9414]

ours caught on fire in the tube, was doused with water, then left ... not by me. Anyway, might as well have been concrete in there. wouldn't move at all and didn't want to wreck it by doing this smash on the floor. poured acetone into the auger tube and let it soak into the pellets and work on the glue, it eventually gave up and I could lever the auger out with no damage.

[@secondamazonprime-kv5xo]

The banging helped!! It definitely loosened the spring.

[@RomeoGSP]

I had one like that & it would not budge. Luckily I am a welder by trade so I cut the auger tube out, found a similar tube on our rack at shop, ordered a new auger & bushing for $37 and made a new one. Works great now. Keep grill covered or in garage

[@0dark35]

Ohhhh yeah that did it and probably took a bit longer than yours and I had to remove all my electronics. All the fire boxes are basically the same mine is a Cuisinart twin peaks.. could have used needle nose vice grips instead of regular but all good. Thanks for the tip!

[@jamienoll2633]

You can attach power drill to the shaft and bAck it out in two seconds.

[@rogerdjs]

I tried that initially with a Milwaukee and a Dewalt but it wouldn't even budge. Small mallet and a SS Skewer did the trick.

[@webcrawler3332]

I wonder if you just stick your garden hose in there and get them wet again. That should soft them up to remove auger. Then just dry it all

[@morganfletcher9907]

I literally have one just as bad. Bought the grill for 60. It blew the fuse and blew up the auger motor when I fixed it. I figured out why cause I got the grill without the pellet cover. What happens is the rain swells the pellets in the grill and then it becomes stuck. The pellet cover is important and I never knew it until it rained and it swelled the pellets

[@cynthiawoods7967]

We have one thats the same way 😩. I love the grill but that arguer is awful. We paid so much for this grill. Thank you for sharing.

[@openrange4999]

If you paid so much for the grill why not take care of the damn thing, this is 100% negligence on your part, keep hopper empty and use a cover🙄

[@051658]

I own a pit boss pellet grill that was left outside, and I have not been able to loose up , where are you at can I send you mine, and how much do you charge I thank you before hand and hope to hear from you Carlos

[@Smokedaddyinc]

Give us a call at [phone] and we can definitely help you out! We are based out of Gurnee, IL just an hour north of Chicago

[@YDVDL]

Excellent work...what do you when it is cleaned and everything is reinstalled you run it empty and it keeps jamming..mine was plugged more than your in a video..I soaked with water and heated auger tube with torch and got it all removed.. But any little load on auger and I can hear motor spins with sound of overload and shuts off.. Could it be motor is toasted or gearbox is compromised ?

[@Smokedaddyinc]

That would be the first thing I would check, if the fan blade on the back of the motor is spinning and the auger corkscrew isn't spinning, then I would check the gearbox

[@brandyburch6003]

Got mine fixed thank you so much!

[@4ween4]

mines more stuck than that!...I think the auger welded itself to the casing...that puppy won't budge!

[@frogfrogger6260]

Came up with an idea, to help stop moisture. But haven't tried it yet. The door on bottom, when draining pellets out. Put Silicone/ rubber band of rubber seal around door, and on lid. I believe these parts don't get hot. Besides using a cover when cooled down. Just a idea. That's my next plan. Or just empty it .

[@victornava2692]

You are rock star….. you save my grill 👍💪💪💪👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@Frogcreek1938]

Could you burn them out .

[@Aaliyah.Ali.786]

Thank you for your time!

[@tylerclark2446]

Started beating it on the ground like this guy it started to bend and I realized it was a bad idea. I did figure out though that my dewalt drill chucks right up to the end after you remove the little white piece so do with that what you will

[@brianp5958]

Exactly how my green mountain was and I kept a cover on it when not in use. Moisture would still get in there somehow. Wish I would’ve seen this video sooner. It would have saved me some time. The grill now stays in the garage when not in use. Pain in the @$$ but better than having to take it apart every other month.

[@12babyapes59]

Couldn't you have run some cooking oil down the shaft and waited a day and see if would come out easier other than damaging the box?

[@Smokedaddyinc]

We have not tried that, the next one we get in we'll have to test that theory to see if it works

[@rogerdjs]

I purchased a brand new smoker from the owner for dirt cheap, just because they left it out in the rain and the pellets swelled up in the auger chamber and it turn into cement. Needless to say they couldn't get to work and they sold it to me for one 10th of price. I tried to remove the auger but it would not budge, so I decided to use a SS Kabob Skewer and a small mallet and chipped away at the pellet cement wall. Within about 15 minutes I was removing clumps of hardened Pellets and was able to turn the auger and remove what was left of the pellets. Now she works like a champ!

[@Tstorm-il5ih]

Thanks

[@drewdrewson1384]

but how did you get the auger totally off the grill?

[@Smokedaddyinc]

To disconnect the hopper off of the grill you unscrew the four screws from the inside of the smoker, then pull it out. To remove the hopper assembly from the auger you can remove the four small screws, two in the front or two in the back and that will remove the hopper box from the auger arm.

[@codybryant8458]

A pressure washer sprayed into the tube clears old pellets way faster and with no damage to cylinder or auger! This was by far the worst way of removing a clogged auger tube/cylinder!

[@johnnycampbell3422]

A brazomatic burns that stuff up pretty good. Do let it dry first. Pull it appart and wire brush.

[@kevinlandaverde8524]

Thats how i fix junk too Just slam it around a little bit and go from there 😂

[@ramellin]

There should be a reverse mode for the auger

[@Smokedaddyinc]

With the Ac voltage of the motor it is actually impossible to have a reverse function on the motor. It would also be counter-productive to use the reverse mode if there is a jam, since there is nowhere for the pellets to go to, it would make the jam worse.

[@DuncanHerr]

One I did just today was much worse, I definitely don’t recommend this. What worked best was running warm water down the auger to loosen the pellets and soften the material then slowly twist the auger while pulling out and “unscrew” the auger and just go in with a wire brush to remove the old debris. Banging it like that will damage the housing or even damage the igniter

[@monkebusiness7794]

You sound like John goodman

[@brianbachmann9831]

Now I don’t feel so guilty about my jammed auger !

[@ericander2108]

Not the best advice! I used your technique and damage my auger box. Bad advice. Another video showed using a torch to burn though though tube was non destructive. Live and learn.

[@kyleensley5354]

Soak it with water for a day or so and it’ll all turn to mush…it getting wet and DRYING is what made it like concrete.

[@DadsGetDubs]

I literally have my auger housing with the stuck auger in it soaking in a big storage tub from costco. If this doesn't get it unstuck IDK what will.

[@ajgaffey5117]

Sadly, MY OWN fault did this to mine, and it looks a lot worse than this one. Doesn't help I live in Washington state either will be pulling mine apart to get the clog cleared up and hopefully cooking again. EDIT*** Instead of beating it on the ground. I got it down to where you see here and took a pry bar and pried against it like he did with the channel locks, it freed up and then took two prybars and moved it back and forth, it came apart pretty easy! Good luck and make sure to empty the hopper lol!

[@Smokedaddyinc]

Unfortunately, we've all been in this boat. Being based out of Gurnee, an hour between Milwaukee and Chicago, we get all different kinds of weather and without the proper maintenance or coverage this can easily happen in a weekend. We try to empty out the hopper if we know we're not going to be using for a couple of days or if a storm is coming through town.

[@kenberscheit948]

the best thing about a pellet grill is that I dont own one!!!

[@shawnmahan316]

pressure wash 1st

[@Son_Of_Q]

I disagree you shouldn’t have to be like that if you find something the vibrate it the vibration and frequency well and keep it vertical the vibration will loosen it up has to particle by particle leaving it for 10 minutes an hour or overnight but tap vibration will eventually loosen it all up put it someplace dry and warm let that try to dry out and keep it vibrating

[@PenguinOutdoors]

Not always!!

[@ButlerOTKing]

Man.....what a mess!

[@davidlevy4487]

Just a very bad example, he bend the whole fire box and then he want to use aluminum tape 😂😂 No Good my friend No No

[@DennisCorrea]

In my 15 years of helping people with pellets hoppers this one by far was the worst I've ever encountered. Before throwing it in the garbage I thought I'd give this a try. It was a little brutal but I finally got it out.

[@williampenrose696]

That was HORRIBLE.. I've cleared plenty of these and would NEVER recommend doing what you just did

[@davidviau2522]

Worked fine for me 🤷‍♂️

[@matthewselvitella7456]

Yeah, I agree… can’t imagine that much force to the the burn box can be good for it - did you see how warped the frame was at the end of the video? Lol

[@souljamac1953]

@@matthewselvitella7456 I’d rather have a warped frame than pay for a brand new grill 🤷🏾‍♂️

[@MrOffshore]

If you don’t do what he did, you’re throwing the smoker away…there is NO other way to clear out the tunnel/auger if the pellets have broken down and become “concrete”. So it’s obvious you lack experience with this situation and you’re talking out your @$$. This guys been doing this for a long time…leave it to the pro to tell us how to fix the problem…you can go back to bed.

[@kyleensley5354]

@@MrOffshoreot true at all. I took the motor off and just soaked the stuck pellets with water for a day and it all turned to mush and came right out. You don’t have to beat the crap out of it. The wood getting wet and it then drying is what caused this. Wetting it again is just logical sense.