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[dk117]

You'd think after near 10 year with pellets I'd have this down.  My Smoke Daddy/Gator combo is a champ.  But last 6 or so cooks I've had trouble at startup.  Does anyone recall how long the hot rod stays hot upon startup?  4 minutes was my recollection.  I'm not getting combustion until about minute 10.  Meaning I have to run for 5 mins, see no smoke, then shut down (which entails physically unplugging the controller), immediately start back up to get a second hot rod cycle, then I have too many pellets in the burn pot, nasty smoldering combustion and then finally I'm up and running.

I'm thinking I have either a) wet pellets, very possibly in the Pacific Northwest, but I run through a lot of pellets so I'm somewhat discounting this or b) my hot rod is at end of life.  This being my second hot rod in 18 months. 

I've got two backup hot rods and it's not a huge inconvenience, just wondering if anyone has insight or suggestions.  Thanks.

[Bentley]

4 minutes is what my old Traeger's were, never paid attention to the GMG or Memphis...You might scratch it up with some sandpaper, but that is a real stretch.

[yorkdude]

Never timed it but I am thinking 3-4. I have had igniters last 5 years and others fail less than a year old? Not much help here. I just always have spares.

[hughver]

My experience is that most Calrod elements fail from an open or a short. I've not encountered one that gradually failed.

[Canadian John]

 If it were damp pellets, there would be a problem achieving high or max temperatures.  Are all other aspects of the pit normal?

 Is hot rod in place? With the thermal changes they can become loose.

 If you or someone you know has a power consumption meter, use it to monitor power consumption. @ startup that should be ~ 300 to 400 Watts. After the startup when the hot rod is turned off, the power

consumption will be the controller, combustion fan and auger. If the pit is still heating. That should be ~ 70 Watts. Hot rods consume ~ 200 to 300 Watts.Generally, hot rod on times are 4 Min.

[Bar-B-Lew]

I measured my MAK amp usage a few years ago to ensure I could run it and other electrical items on the same breaker at the same time.  Here were my results.

Startup with ignitor on - 2.6 amps = 312 watts
Auger and fan only - 0.6 amps = 72 watts
Fan only - 0.2 amps = 24 watts

Controller running in all scenarios.

Kinda baffles me why more than one grill starting up on the same breaker would trip a breaker as some have reported and I may have even experienced.

[hughver]

I run both of my grills off of the same breaker all of the time. If a breaker pops when a second grill is started, it probably means that there are other loads on the breaker (other than the first grill) and the addition of a second grill exceeded the breaker limits.

[Bar-B-Lew]

I run both of my grills off of the same breaker all of the time. If a breaker pops when a second grill is started, it probably means that there are other loads on the breaker (other than the first grill) and the addition of a second grill exceeded the breaker limits.

At 2.6 amps x 2, that is not a lot for even a 15 amp breaker.  Granted, I know virtually nothing about electricity.  I wish I had know more before I had my house built and would have had more 20 amp breakers than 15 amp breakers.  The 15 amp ones are problems when using a steam table and something else or using multiple dehydrators and something else.  I've resorted to extension cords throughout the garage running things from separate breakers (i.e. garage lights, garage door opener outlets, different garage outlets on different breakers, etc.).

[hughver]

An individual breaker typically serves many outlets (code varies with different locals), but if the other outlets that are one the same 15A breaker as the grill are drawing 11A, and your first grill is drawing 2.6A, then the addition of a second grill at 2.6A will trip the breaker. 20A circuits are wired with #12 wire and 15A circuits are wired with #14 wire, so it is not advisable to just install a 20A breaker to solve the problem. 

[Bar-B-Lew]

An individual breaker typically serves many outlets (code varies with different locals), but if the other outlets that are one the same 15A breaker as the grill are drawing 11A, and your first grill is drawing 2.6A, then the addition of a second grill at 2.6A will trip the breaker. 20A circuits are wired with #12 wire and 15A circuits are wired with #14 wire, so it is not advisable to just install a 20A breaker to solve the problem. 

Yeah, I get all of that stuff which is why I wish I knew what I know now back when I was building the home and would have had more 20A with the proper wiring into it.  But, thanks for clarifying my limited understanding of electricity so at least I can speak about what little I do know with more confidence.  I think it may have been Bentley that showed a pic of the outlet meter to test all of that stuff.  I actually have two of those now to use when I think there is a problem with overload and tripping a breaker or after I do trip it.  I have enough extension cords to work around the issue now as I know which breaker most of the outlets run into so I work around that now.  Probably cheaper than wiring the whole house with 20A breakers originally 

[hughver]

The home that I bought here in AZ had the same problem. The only outlet on my back deck was paralleled with the bathroom and garage GFI/breaker circuits. Every time my wife used her old hair dryer I'd lose power on the deck (grills). I solved this problem in the garage by finding an outlet in another room that shared a wall with the garage and installed a GFI outlet on the other side of the wall that shared its circuit with a group of outlets (nook in my case) that were not heavily used.  For the deck, I simply added two 20A breakers to the main house panel (normally lots of vacant slots), ran conduit up the wall into the attic, across the attic and down to several new GFI outlets on the deck.

[BigDave83]

I got all excited when I saw the title "Hot Rod Timing" and thought we were going to talk engines.

[Canadian John]

I got all excited when I saw the title "Hot Rod Timing" and thought we were going to talk engines.

Naw, just plain old pit stuff.

[dk117]

ok we can close the thread, problem solved!

Thanks to hughver, you're right, gradual failure didn't make sense.

Thanks to Canadian John, you're also right, the hot rod was not in place, it had been pushed back into the tube so I had none of the hot rod actually in the burn pot (it was about flush).  A 5 minute adjustment of the hot rod and burn pot, and the Gator fired right up no problems at all.

Thank you all!

[ZCZ]

I got all excited when I saw the title "Hot Rod Timing" and thought we were going to talk engines.

Same here. Having spent countless times putting in new points then setting the timing with the white chalk and the timing light!
Z