I didn’t come on here to get their attention, was just curious if I was the only having issues getting them to respond.
I have been through all of this with recteq on the phone. I’ve taken it to 1.5 and still nothing.
I have told them numerous times, the problem is with the fan. It never shuts off. They need to change the programing to pulse the fan. Mine runs continuously.
Early last year, I posted my take on what’s causing these high temps that some people are experiencing. I’ve had one person disagree with my theory of what’s happening. So you can take this info with a grain of salt or see if it works for you.
Here goes…
If you start your grill, with the lid open as many of us do (and prefer), I recommend you close your grill’s lid right after the fire in the firebox “catches” and the heavy smoke you’ll typically see during startup subsides. You’ll also know by the sound from the firebox…somewhat like a small jet engine. After closing the lid, set your cooking temperature and allow around 15 minutes or so to get up to temp. Use that time to finish up your prep for whatever you’re cooking.
If you should leave your grill’s lid open for a period of time after the fire catches, the chamber temp cannot achieve whatever temperature setting you set when you first powered on…even a low 180 or 200F. The heat is escaping past the open lid. The controller will do its job by attempting to make the fire hotter and hotter to achieve the set temperature. But the lid is open so it never achieves the set temperature but keeps trying. After some time, there’s a roaring fire in the fire pot by time you close the lid…hence the really high temperature reading you will see registered on the controller for the cooking chamber’s ambient temperature.
What should occur once the lid is closed and the chamber temp sensor passes along to the controller that it’s several hundred degrees in the cooking chamber, the fan will turn on and off and the auger will reduce its feeding rate to the fire pot in an effort to get the chamber temp down to the temperature you set your grill at. This is what the controller is supposed to do to reduce the cooking chamber’s temperature…whether it’s an overheating situation or you are simply lowering the chamber temperature for cooking purposes or in preparation to shutdown. That could take a half-hour or more. So be mindful of this “phenomenon” when starting your grill and before you put your food on to cook. Best advice is to close your lid after the fire catches in the firepot and the heavy smoke subsides.
Note: This sky high temperature reading is not some faulty controller or firmware upgrade issue…at least that should not be your first consideration. The controller’s logic is doing exactly what it’s programmed to do.
CAUTION: If your cooking chamber temp is extremely high or you have a fire, DO NOT UNPLUG THE GRILL. Close the lid, turn the temperature setting to its lowest setting, and let it die down on its own.
EXCEPTION: IF LIFE OR PROPERTY ARE AT RISK, USE A PROPERLY RATED FIRE EXTINGUISHER TO SECURE THE FIRE AND/OR TAKE ANY ACTIONS NECESSARY TO PRESERVE LIFE AND PROPERTY. None of my advice on dealing with a grill that overheated precludes you from making your personal safety (life and property) the most important factor in the action(s) you take.