Trailblazer Wild temp swings

[Mikeg7460]

Just purchased a RT 340 last weekend. Only did a couple quick things just to get the feel of it.
I put a butt on last night about 9:30 and set at 200. It seemed fine but when I got up this morning I noticed huge temp swings...150-300. I see on forum this may be a common problem. Any quick fixes or plan on contacting support and figuring it out. I love the grill so far but I can't tolerate the temp swing.

 

[BillsCamino]

What brand pellets ?

 

[Mikeg7460]

What brand pellets ?

Bought 5 bags at RecTeq when I purchased grill last Saturday

 

[Waterboy]

You might try adjusting the minimum feed rate. If your feed rate is set to high the grill can have a hard time holding steady at low temps. If you decide to adjust it search YouTube for “RecTec minimum feed rate adjustment” and they show you how.

 

[Mikeg7460]

You might try adjusting the minimum feed rate. If your feed rate is set to high the grill can have a hard time holding steady at low temps. If you decide to adjust it search YouTube for “RecTec minimum feed rate adjustment” and they show you how.

Thanks, i called support and they're on it. I hope it's just an adjustment and not a part

 

[Jim6820]

For what it’s worth, I have not had great luck with the Recteq Ultimate pellets. They vary widely in pellet length (from 1/2” to 1-1/2” and have a propensity to interrupt or completely jam the auger feed.

I have used Kingsford Hickory, Bear Mountain Hickory and Lumberjack Hickory (OK…so I like hickory ) without a problem, but the RT Ultimates periodically cause the temp swing issue. Try another brand of pellets and see if that solves your problem.

 

[Buckeye1]

Set minimum feed rate to lowest setting. make sure temp probe is not touching the side wall. Also make sure you don't have a smoke tube next to the temp probe.

 

[Inscrutable]

For what it’s worth, I have not had great luck with the Recteq Ultimate pellets. They vary widely in pellet length (from 1/2” to 1-1/2” and have a propensity to interrupt or completely jam the auger feed.

I have used Kingsford Hickory, Bear Mountain Hickory and Lumberjack Hickory (OK…so I like hickory ) without a problem, but the RT Ultimates periodically cause the temp swing issue. Try another brand of pellets and see if that solves your problem.

Interesting …. Haven’t has a jam yet

 

[poppybill]

This post is a bit old, but I thought I'd add my recent experience. I've had my 340 for a couple of months now and have been pleased with how the temp seems to stay quite close to the set temp.

Late yesterday afternoon I put on a nice looking Boston Butt (7.69#) at 200*. The first thing I noticed was that the temp was doing almost exactly what the OP described; going up to nearly 300*, and falling back to below 150*. I chose to let the smoker do its thing and see what happens. At 3:30 this morning the probe temp alarm went off; the Butt had already hit an IT of 205*. I took it off, let it rest a while, and pulled it. The meat was tender and tasty, but as you can imagine it wasn't as good as I was expecting.

Later this morning I took out the grate,drip pan, and heat diffuser expecting to see a buildup of ash or grease, but it was relatively clear. I cleaned it out anyway, and also took some time to wipe off the temp probe, including a vigorous scrubbing with steel wool.

After reassembly I put on a couple of small items I had originally intended to smoke, and again set the temp to 200*. This time, after about 20 minutes of warm up the 340 stayed within about 20* of the set temp for the entire three hour cook.

I'm assuming that maybe the buildup on the probe was the problem.