Bullseye Found this in the hopper today.

[Panthar]

It rained 2 days ago and it was covered. The thing is only 2 weeks old and the auger is jammed, has anyone else had this problem?

Recteq tried to make it seem like this was common but I've never heard anyone that I know have this problem with a pellet smoker. I'm thinking it must be defective.

I really liked this smoker but I think I'm going to return it and try something else.

 

[NBK]

Opinion:

The wet pellets have nothing to do with the quality of the grill.

Give the grill a fair shot.

 

[Waterboy]

It’s interesting because the hopper is dry and has dust all over it. Did the pellets get wet in the bag?

Other folks have had their auger jam with wet pellets but I don’t recall anyone saying the grill leaked. If you need help with ideas regarding how to get the auger unstuck just search on “jammed auger”.

I agree with @NBK that you should give the grill a chance to show you what it can do.

 

[Panthar]

The pellets have been in the hopper for 3 or 4 days the hopper was half full that is just the bottom of the hopper after I removed the intact pellets. I keep them in the garage and they had no moisture when I put them in the hopper.

I have given this unit a chance I've cooked 6 times on it from thighs to a butt and ribs, it performed well. My problem with it is that it rained while covered and now the auger is stuck. I can't see how every time it rains the thing may jam up is ok.

 

[Jim6820]

The pellets have been in the hopper for 3 or 4 days the hopper was half full that is just the bottom of the hopper after I removed the intact pellets. I keep them in the garage and they had no moisture when I put them in the hopper.

I have given this unit a chance I've cooked 6 times on it from thighs to a butt and ribs, it performed well. My problem with it is that it rained while covered and now the auger is stuck. I can't see how every time it rains the thing may jam up is ok.

Let’s stop and think about this for a minute. It took a significant amount of water to get the pellets that wet. If the grill was covered, then the cover must have a leak in it. That’s not the grill’s fault. Was this a Recteq cover specifically designed for this grill, or was it something else.

I think you need to determine the water path that caused the pellets to get wet before deciding that the grill is at fault.

 

[Panthar]

Yes its the recteq bullseye cover. I purchased the $100 dollar bundle when I bought the grill.

I had plenty of dry pellets above this mess in the hopper and the fire pot was a bit of dry ash and the normal few pellets with compacted sawdust in the auger on the grill side.

 

[C. Keeper]

Yes its the recteq bullseye cover. I purchased the $100 dollar bundle when I bought the grill.

I had plenty of dry pellets above this mess in the hopper and the fire pot was a bit of dry ash and the normal few pellets with compacted sawdust in the auger on the grill side.

By all means, return the grill and get something you're happy with. The restocking fees aren't that bad

 

[Threadcutter]

By all means, return the grill and get something you're happy with. The restocking fees aren't that bad

Neither are the return freight costs or the dis-assembly/re-packaging to get it ready to send back.

 

[Jim6820]

Yes its the recteq bullseye cover. I purchased the $100 dollar bundle when I bought the grill.

I had plenty of dry pellets above this mess in the hopper and the fire pot was a bit of dry ash and the normal few pellets with compacted sawdust in the auger on the grill side.

So, exactly how wet was the stuff in the firepot? From the photo, it almost appears that it is just sawdust. What brand of pellets were you using? It looks like you may have had a dump of sawdust in the pellets. Sometimes, you get a bag of pellets with a lot of sawdust in it.

Still, for them to get wet requires a water source. Check the cover for tears, loose seams, etc.

Also, depending on the brand of pellets, you could have gotten some that were extra long and jammed the auger. I have had that happen with the Recteq Ultimate pellets which seem to have a lot of longer-than-normal “pellets.” As a result, I don’t use them any more. Seems like I’ve read of a few other brands (mostly off-brands, IIRC) with extra long pellets as well.

Sometimes, you need to look “outside the box” to figure out issues like this. Treat it as a murder mystery and do some super sleuthing Is my advice.

 

[Marcfyve11]

The pellets have been in the hopper for 3 or 4 days the hopper was half full that is just the bottom of the hopper after I removed the intact pellets. I keep them in the garage and they had no moisture when I put them in the hopper.

I have given this unit a chance I've cooked 6 times on it from thighs to a butt and ribs, it performed well. My problem with it is that it rained while covered and now the auger is stuck. I can't see how every time it rains the thing may jam up is ok.

From ribs to thighs, to a butt

Oh man, my puberty stages won’t let me grow up lol. Sorry I know this doesn’t help but I couldn’t resist as I’m still going through puberty lol

 

[kstone113]

I agree with Jim above. There has to be a source how the water got in. The fact you had it covered is puzzling. I've learned the hard way if it rains and I don't have my bullseye covered, water has gotten into the firepot and caused auger jams. The last one I had was a pain in the ass to get undone.

What did the inside of your grill look like? From your picture above, it looks like(can't tell without seeing it) water somehow got into the grill itself and moisture traveled its way up the auger into the hopper as there is some pellets in the hopper still dry. That tells me the water didn't get in through the hopper.

I hope you figure this out b/c as long as I have my cover on, the grill has been fine.

 

[sdynak]

Common problem based on a new unit with a new Recteq branded cover? I'd like to know how Recteq came to this being common if so. Something is missing here .

Yes, I guess it could be possible the cover has an issue even though it is new but, is it common to be faulty? I don't use covers since I keep mine indoors when not in use. Would like to hear the common issue here they speak of. Did you have them clarify that?

 

[ol' stonebreaker]

The OP said the ash in the firepot was dry so no water in there. I think there's a fact or two missing here.

 

[C. Keeper]

I'd take a water hose and rinse out that pellet dust

 

[Thor8594]

Use a wet/dry vac and vacuum out as much as you can from both ends then put the hose on the outlet side and blow in the auger tube with the hopper lid closed and vacuum out what it blows out, repeat as needed.

 

[Pacman]

then put the AIR hose on the outlet side...

Minor edit, but yes, I'd approach the same way as @Thor8594

 

[SmokeOCD]

It takes the dust out of the bin - or else it gets the hose again.....

 

[Greg Jones]

I resisted replying to this thread when I first saw it, because rarely do ’I don’t have those problems’ post help. I’ve decided to add this. My Bullseye is covered most of the time, but it also gets rained on without a cover a lot as it is my most used recteq and it needs time to cool off. Having said that, I’ve never had any moisture in my pellet hopper. I’m surprised that recteq would suggest this is not uncommon. I’d try speaking with a different CS rep there.

 

[Panthar]

It's recteq brand pellets.

I talked to another cs rep today told him what happened and all they had to say was a few tips on getting the auger unstuck. I'm having a hell of a time getting the auger unstuck, going on 5 hours of trying to fix a 2 week old grill...

 

[C. Keeper]

I talked to another cs rep today told him what happened and all they had to say was a few tips on getting the auger unstuck. I'm having a hell of a time getting the auger unstuck, going on 5 hours of trying to fix a 2 week old grill...

Does the auger motor run?