Bull 700 issue

Buttah Butts

Well-known member
Messages
178
Location
Reidsville NC
Grill(s) owned
  1. Bull
Hello guys. Hoping I can some advise from you all. I have had the 700 for a week or 2 now and have done about 5 or 6 cooks on it without issue. This morning I put brisket on at 4:30 am at 240 degrees. All went well around 11 am it hit 165 so I wrapped it in butcher paper. Around 1:30 I noticed that it was smoking excessively so I went over and the temp was climbing rapidly to 325 degrees. I opened lid and removed brisket pulled grates and the fire was shooting out under the deflector. I shut grill down and let it burn out. There was a lot of smoke coming from hopper as well. I have cleaned it twice since new so it’s not dirty. Any ideas what could of caused it to burn out of control? I called Rec Tec and will wait to see what they say. It ran flawless until 1:20 according to graph. Thanks
 
On a rendering piece of fatty meat, you need to ensure the grill is dead level, front to back as well as side to side. Side to side, you could favor the drain side to be lower, but not visa versa. The grease will tend to run along the grates to the front or back, if there's a tilt, then run under the drip tray/deflector. Also, if the drip tray doesn't have enough slope to it, grease will accumulate in the wrinkles of the foil you put on the tray. Several people have had grease fires early in their using the grill. I'm working on adding leveling pads to my RT-700 comp cart so I can level it on my wonky patio. One member reported that his heat deflector distorts enough to raise the drip pan. I didn't notice that on mine.
 
On a rendering piece of fatty meat, you need to ensure the grill is dead level, front to back as well as side to side. Side to side, you could favor the drain side to be lower, but not visa versa. The grease will tend to run along the grates to the front or back, if there's a tilt, then run under the drip tray/deflector. Also, if the drip tray doesn't have enough slope to it, grease will accumulate in the wrinkles of the foil you put on the tray. Several people have had grease fires early in their using the grill. I'm working on adding leveling pads to my RT-700 comp cart so I can level it on my wonky patio. One member reported that his heat deflector distorts enough to raise the drip pan. I didn't notice that on mine.
It wasn’t a grease fire. The fire pot was full of flames and it was actually burning back into the tube. The grill is dead level and the grease tray was installed properly. I thought maybe the auger wasn’t shutting down and just dumping pellets in non stop. Very strange.
 
Your data graph didn't show any changes in settings?...just a gradual increase on temperature?
 
Yes that is correct. It ran spot on at 240 for hours then the graph shows it took a nose dive to about 170 then it began to climb rapidly. I’m not sure if the fire went out then reignited and there was an abundance of pellets to burn.
 
I wonder if it was a "fan issue".... Meaning it quit. And then the fire died out basically. While the auger kept feeding pellets, until the fan came back on causing them all to ignite?..that's my guess.
 
I wonder if it was a "fan issue".... Meaning it quit. And then the fire died out basically. While the auger kept feeding pellets, until the fan came back on causing them all to ignite?..that's my guess.
I ended up finishing the brisket in the oven. Tomorrow I will fire it up and be out on the patio with it and I’ll monitor it closely to see if the fan cuts out or if I notice any other indicators. Thanks for your help.
 
Somewhere on this forum, there was something about auger fires caused by too much pellet dust.

When I first filled mine with RecTec Ult Blend, there was a noticeable amount of dust at the bottom of the bag. When I changed out the 1/4 full hopper later, I saw a noticeable amount of dust as well. I removed as much of the pellets as I could scoop with a little container and my hands, then just shop vac'd out the remaining debris and pellets in the auger and pot. I don't know if dust is the culprit, but if it is, that means cleaning the bottom of the hopper and in the auger more often. I saw a design where the auger screw exit was well above the pot and just had a chute for the pellets to fall down into the pot. They must have been trying to solve auger fires. I think it was a Camp Chef design.
 
Well I spoke to Rec Tec today and they think it was a flame out which isn’t to common from what I’ve read. I am traveling this week but when I return I’ll call them and they said that they can run some diagnostics to make sure the fan and auger is working properly. I must say there customer service is pretty impressive
 
I'd say a "flame out" would be caused by no airflow or wet pellets or a void in pellet supply....?
 
I'd say a "flame out" would be caused by no airflow or wet pellets or a void in pellet supply....?
The only thing I would say it could be was a void in pellet supply. (That’s what Rec tec was mostly the cause) The pellets were a new bag of GMG brand pellets which I’ve used for the past year. I will have them look into it when I get back home. Thanks
 

Create an account or login to comment

You must be a member in order to leave a comment

Create account

Create an account on our community. It's easy!

Log in

Already have an account? Log in here.

Latest posts

Back
Top