Finger guard long gone. I’ve been mounding towards the hole also. I’ve had a .5° down bubble towards the hole to try and fix it.I've never had a hole over the auger where the pellets didn't feed. If I'm doing an overnight cook, I fill the hopper. I've never had the desire to change pellet wood type since there's very little if any difference in the end results with different woods, with the exception of unique ones like mesquite or something and if I really every wanted to change them, I'd just let it run low, them add the different flavor on top.
Tip: I put automotive paint ceramic coat on the walls of the hopper and the pellets just slide down easily, if not, open hopper, visual check and push them down with your hand if needed. I mound the pellets toward the cookbox side of the hopper.
Do you still have the auger finger guard in place, if so, that can inhibit proper pellet flow.
PS Your wife isn't going to be happy if you take her toy
I thought about doing a car wax, just wasn’t sure which kind to try. I use carnuba on my vehicles.
And most importantly… Happy wife, happy life! Which also means keeping her supplied with a good variety of smoked meats. Just finished a pulled chuck roast and 10 smoked spicy Italian sausages today after doing 6 reverse sear pork chops yesterday (sear kit for the win).
