So my Jim Bowie is more like Jim BOO-ie.
A quick background:
1st pellet grill
Had the unit for 2 years.
It’s the SS WiFi w/ the 3 piece heat shield and 1 piece grease pan.
Always garage kept, as well as the pellets

My problem:
Since my first cook I’ve had sooty ash blowing all over my pit AND food. Everything pretty much turns black. So much so that my smoke stack cap started dripping black greasy soot onto the side shelf. It even drips (or leaks) from the seams of the “barrel” -  staining the xxxx out of my concrete. I now have to cook with 5 gal. buckets  between the legs under each end of the pit.

Things I’ve tried:
In the beginning, not knowing any better, I assumed  the soot was normal. But this CAN’T be normal?
I’ve tried many different types of pellets and still end up with the same results. I have my stack cap at least 2 finger widths open. I’ve even cooked with it completely off - helps with the dripping. Still ashy as heck. I think I read somewhere that someone (Bentley) only needed to clean their DB once or twice in a summer? In contrast I have an entire coating of ash covering  the entire bottom after just a single cook. Sometimes as much as a 1/4” of ash on the left side of burn box under where the auger is.
One thing I used to do was start the grill with the lid closed. I thought maybe that was causing the black sheet-like ash on the lid. So I cleaned the lid and started firing it up with the lid open until the fire has been established... same ol’ results.
I researched for a few months (on the other site) on which pit to get. Never seen anything about the ash or soot problems. For any pit for that matter.

My questions:
Has anyone else experienced this?
Is this a common problem?
Am I doing something wrong?
What is causing it to burn this way?
Are there any remedies? solutions? fixes?

Sorry for the long post/rant
The frustration is maddening. The disappointment is... disappointing.
Any information or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thx

What has GMG had to say about this?

I have a GMG DB, and thankfully have not had this problem.

I have heard of others having this problem to different degrees. The ones that have worked with GMG, usually end up replacing the combustion fan, controller or both. They have not always fixed the problem either.

I believe this may be a temp and airflow problem.

Look inside your smoker and make sure you don't have grease leaking past the drip tray, this could also cause some sooting.

I find I need to clean my GMG at least every 4 cooks, performance does degrade after that. The more ash in the firebox, the less smoke and more pellet use.

Keeping it clean is probable the best preventative.

I agree with Bar-B-Lew,contact GMG

Sorry about your troubles and I hope you find a solution.

Bill

What has GMG had to say about this?

+1 Have you called them?


If it started that way could be the controller. Up to date firmware version?
Combustion fan working OK?
Hopper lid closed tightly?
Could be that the fire pot is not sealed completely.
Do you foil drip pan? Some say the foil affects airflow.
Sawdust from the bottom of the bag could work it's way to the burn pot, built up on the bottom and there it just smolders.
Be certain the pit is at operating temperature for a bit before putting any food on.
Big jumps in temp could cause this. When going up or down go slowly or cover food.
High grease food like chicken skin at high temp will splatter and burn on drip tray causing soot.
Do a 500 burn off after cleaning your grill. Start at 350 and slowly raise to 500 so to not start fire. Let run until heavy smoke stops.(2-3hrs)

I would start by calling GMG.

Mudflap

I agree on the burn off.  I would do that and then call GMG.

What has GMG had to say about this?

Not much. When I contacted GMG a month or so after getting the grill via email about the dripping leaks they sent some high temp silicone to seal the seams. When I snipped the tip of tube and tried to squeeze it out, tube ended up bursting at the other end spurting already rubbery silicone everywhere 

The thing is it was hard to see the ash in the beginning especially on red meat or when my protein was rubbed. Chicken was a different story... [ Invalid Attachment ]
You can see the ash on the front edge. And even some of the first stains before I knew what was happening.
I’ve stopped foiling tray (too lazy) and I have been doing 500 degree burn offs for the last few months. I have to vacuum out before every cook or food is  almost inedible.
Surprisingly, the smoke seems to be rolling out thin & blueish.
Also, this last clean out I accidentally vacuumed out an inch or so of pellets out of the auger tube. I started the grill w/out the heat shield to see what was happening. I noticed when it started dropping pellets the first few inches were burnt ? I also notice when I lift the hopper there is smoke coming up from auger. Is this normal? Could this have something to do with the ash?

Soot is caused by incomplete combustion.  It might be remedied by improving airflow to the fire in the burn pot.  Previous posts have been good advice.

See GMG video on maintenance.

Does your dealer have any advice or act willing to come to your residence and observe?

have you tried different pellets

I actually bought it online from a place in Wisconsin. I’m in California. Don’t think that’s going to happen. (Although I might be able to entice them with our weather right now.)
At the time of purchase the nearest dealer didn’t sell the WiFi unit... which I have no idea why I thought I needed it...
 

Soot is caused by incomplete combustion.  It might be remedied by improving airflow to the fire in the burn pot.  Previous posts have been good advice.

See GMG video on maintenance.

Does your dealer have any advice or act willing to come to your residence and observe?

have you tried different pellets

Things I’ve tried:
In the beginning, not knowing any better, I assumed  the soot was normal. But this CAN’T be normal?
I’ve tried many different types of pellets and still end up with the same results.

When I say types I really mean brands. Lumberjack, cooking pellets, GMG, q’in pellets, Traeger, etc. I’m

is this one of the units with a multiple piece heat deflector

is this one of the units with a multiple piece heat deflector

Yes the center shield and two baffles.
I’ll try giving GMG a call Tuesday after the holiday.

I have my original non Wi-Fi controller from 2 1/2 years ago, I am more than happy to swap it out to see what happens. it is an older firmware, but it will instantly let us know if it is the controller.

Let me know, I am happy to make this happen.

Bill

is this one of the units with a multiple piece heat deflector

Yes the center shield and two baffles.
I’ll try giving GMG a call Tuesday after the holiday.

I don't have a GMG but from what I remember on PH site I think the baffle may not be set right and is causing the air flow issue creating the soot.  I wish someone who had a GMG could chime in to support this and provide a solution.