Stampede Controller Dead After 10 Months

[PushermanVA]

Hello again. I am in my first year of use with the RT-590 and I honestly love the grill. Some of the stuff I've made has been wonderful.

That being said after 10 months the controller on my grill died. I went thru all the troubleshooting required by the support team including replacing the fuse etc. I used an electricity meter to check the outlet and the connection to the controller board. Both are good.

On the phone they said "sometimes they get wet."

I live in Virginia by the bay, which during the summer is basically like living in a rain forest it's so humid.

Long story short, yes it is covered by the warranty and they are sending me a new one.

Anyone else heard of these thing's going bad often? Once outside of warranty if it dies they are $200 a pop. I am not interested in buying a new one each year after they aren't free anymore.

 

[RHEINLEIN]

Definitely not the most desirable but I keep my pellet grill in the garage and roll it out onto the driveway when I use it. (The neighbors can drool).
I do keep the gasser and the charcoal grill on the deck since they're non-electric.

 

[PushermanVA]

Definitely not the most desirable but I keep my pellet grill in the garage and roll it out onto the driveway when I use it. (The neighbors can drool).
I do keep the gasser and the charcoal grill on the deck since they're non-electric.

Thx for reply. No garage here...own a townhouse. I do keep it covered tho

 

[Dr.Floyd]

Do you keep your grill on a pad or is it sitting on concrete? With really high humidity you could have condensation building up inside the cover if sitting on concrete. A vented cover or setting on a grill pad may help.

 

[Threadcutter]

Do you keep your grill on a pad or is it sitting on concrete? With really high humidity you could have condensation building up inside the cover if sitting on concrete. A vented cover or setting on a grill pad may help.

Excellent point.

For high humidity/salt air/nasty environments, sometimes manufacturers will "Conformal Coat" printed circuit boards. But, it's labor intensive and hard to keep the coating off of connector pins. I've seen as many problems created as have been solved with conformal coating. It's a shame, because the concept is good. But, applying it seems to be a bit of an art form (and it really shouldn't be).

I don't anticipate that RT will be CC'ing PCBA's anytime soon.

 

[Burq57]

Hello again. I am in my first year of use with the RT-590 and I honestly love the grill. Some of the stuff I've made has been wonderful.

That being said after 10 months the controller on my grill died. I went thru all the troubleshooting required by the support team including replacing the fuse etc. I used an electricity meter to check the outlet and the connection to the controller board. Both are good.

On the phone they said "sometimes they get wet."

I live in Virginia by the bay, which during the summer is basically like living in a rain forest it's so humid.

Long story short, yes it is covered by the warranty and they are sending me a new one.

Anyone else heard of these thing's going bad often? Once outside of warranty if it dies they are $200 a pop. I am not interested in buying a new one each year after they aren't free anymore.

View attachment 19605

Hello again. I am in my first year of use with the RT-590 and I honestly love the grill. Some of the stuff I've made has been wonderful.

That being said after 10 months the controller on my grill died. I went thru all the troubleshooting required by the support team including replacing the fuse etc. I used an electricity meter to check the outlet and the connection to the controller board. Both are good.

On the phone they said "sometimes they get wet."

I live in Virginia by the bay, which during the summer is basically like living in a rain forest it's so humid.

Long story short, yes it is covered by the warranty and they are sending me a new one.

Anyone else heard of these thing's going bad often? Once outside of warranty if it dies they are $200 a pop. I am not interested in buying a new one each year after they aren't free anymore.

View attachment 19605

I have had mine for 8+ years now. Lived in Spokane WA with cold winters, lived in Lk Havasu City AZ with nothing but heat and sun, now in Hilton Head SC going on three years. Hot and humid. Always outside under a covered porch until SC. Now outside with only a fabric cover. I have never had any issues.