Traeger Gril Temperature Problems [Solved]

The major Traeger grill temperature problems are the grill’s temperature is too high, the temperature too low, and the temperature keeps swinging.

When the temperature becomes too high, the WiFire-Enabled and AC grill starts running too hot, and the grill displays a HEr error message and high-temperature error. 

Again when the grill’s temperature is too low, it causes the grill to run too cool, the grill temperature dropping during start-up. Also, the grill starts displaying a Low Error Reading message and Low-Temperature Error. 

To fix the Traeger grill temperature trouble initially, you need to replace the damaged thermocouple and grill’s faulty internal components. Also, start up the grill correctly following the proper instructions, and ensure your grill’s firmware is up to date. 

To know more about the detailed causes and solutions of each of these factors, go through this troubleshooting guide. And you will definitely learn the A-Z details of your Traeger grill temp issues. 

Traeger Grill Temperature Problems

The major factors causing the temperature issues and their effective solutions are the following: 

1. Traeger Grill Temperature Too High

Several factors cause the too high temperature on your Traeger grill, including the defective RTD sensor or hot rod, dirty or poorly maintained grill components, faulty controller, and hot weather.

You can fix these problems by replacing the faulty RTD sensor and lousy controller and cleaning your grill’s internal components. 

But once these factors cause the too high temperature, then your grill can go through the following situations. Some of the aspects of too high Traeger Grill temperature are: 

i). WiFire-Enabled Grill Running Too Hot

The Traeger grill runs at an average temperature. This means the grill runs nearly at the set temperature with slight fluctuation (lower or higher temp).

However, if you experience your WiFire-Enabled grill running too hot consistently, the following factors may cause this issue. 

• The grill is running on outdated firmware, or the app is out of date 
• Grill’s improper start-up
• Repeatedly opening the lid 
• Hot weather
• During start-up, the grill’s firepot has excessive pellets 
• Improper installation of grill’s internal pieces (Firepot, drip tray, thermocouple, and heat baffle)
• Severely damaged internal pieces 
• Damaged or defective thermocouple 

Solution:

The easy ways to solve all these above troubles are 

• Ensure your WiFire-Enabled grill’s app is up-to-date and running on the latest firmware. Check your Traeger grill’s Start-up Guide and follow the proper procedure for running it. 
• Avoid frequently opening the lid. Using a grill in hot weather causes high temperatures. Thus don’t use your grill in hot weather or directly under the sunlight. 
• Before starting up your grill, check its firepot and remove the firepot’s excessive pellets. Ensure your grill’s internal part’s proper installation and functioning 
• Replace the severely damaged drip tray, fire pot, heat baffle, and defective thermocouple 

ii). AC Traeger Grill Temperature Keeps Rising

If your AC grill runs at too high a temperature than the set temperature or your grill temperature keeps rising, then you should focus on the following factors to identify the main culprit: 

• Damaged heat baffle, grease tray, fire pot, or grill grates 
• Drip trays or heat baffle’s brunt or rusted holes 
• Improper start-up 
• The Smoke setting temperature range is more than 225 degrees Fahrenheit 
• Using a grill in summer heat or hot weather 
• Improper P setting 
• Damaged RTD temperature sensor 

Solution:

The ways to get rid of the above troubles are:

• Check and replace the damaged heat baffle, fire pot, grease tray, or grill grates. Replace the rusted or brunt drip trays or heat baffle 
• Following the Start-up instructions, properly start your grill.
• Ensure the Smoke setting temperature is between 160 – 225 degrees. Avoid using your Traeger grill in excessively hot weather. 
• Use a paper clip to adjust the P setting by pressing the grill’s button in a small hole. Adjust the P setting to “P-4” if your grill runs hot continuously 
• Replace the damaged RTD temperature sensor 

iii). HEr Error Message (High Error Reading)

If your Traeger grill’s temperature becomes more than 550 degrees F, then the grill displays this error code and shuts off by itself. The main causes of it are: 

• Dirty grill or excessive grease and ash build up in the grill 
• Grill started incorrectly 
• Additional pellets remain in the grill’s firepot from the previous cook 
• At the previous cook, your grill received a LEr message (Low Error Reading) 
• Incorrect installation of heat baffle, drip tray, and grill grates 
• The grill is not reading the temperature correctly 
• Faulty or damaged RTD temperature sensor 

Solution:

Follow the ways below to fix these above-mentioned troubles:

• Properly clean your grill and remove its excessive grease or ash build-up 
• Start up your grill correctly, following the instructions 
• Check the firepot and make sure from the previous cook there remain no additional pellets 
• Ensure correct installation of your grill’s heat baffle, drip tray, and grill grates 
• Make sure your grill’s thermocouple is functioning perfectly and it is reading the correct temperature 
• Replace the defective or damaged RTD temperature sensor 

iv). Traeger Grill High-Temperature Error

When within a few minutes, your Traeger grill temperature is higher than the setting or reaches 550 degrees Fahrenheit temperature, it is called the high-temperature error. The causes of it are: 

• Grill’s improper start-up 
• Excessive ash or grease build-up in grill 

Solution:

To resolve the high-temperature error from your grill, properly clean your grill and remove the ash build-up from it.

Also, following the grill’s instructions, start it correctly. In short, to fix the High-Temperature Error, do the following: 

• Properly clean the firepot. 
• Again place a few pellets back in the firepot. 
• Now restart your grill. 
• After restarting, if the grill still shows this error message notification, navigate to the grill’s controller < Menu < Settings < Clear. 

2. Traeger Grill Temperature Too Low

When your Traeger grill temperature becomes too low, your grill will experience the following situations. Let’s discuss the causes and solutions to each specific aspect. 

i). Grill Running Too Cool

When your Traeger grill temperature keeps dropping or your Traeger grill not getting up to temp, then the grill starts running at a too cool temperature.

When your grill is running too cool,  usually it leads to 2 situations, including the grill failing to ignite or stopping igniting, and within 20 minutes of running, the grill’s flame goes out. The accountable factors for it are: 

• Using a grill in cold weather 
• Outdated firmware version 
• Using a large pan prevents the proper airflow 
• Using incorrect drip tray liners
• Insufficient pellets in the hopper
• Dirty grill 
• The flame goes out due to an incorrect start up 
• Excessive ash accumulates on the grill due to improper shutdown in previous cooking 
• The gap in the lid 
• Faulty induction fan or the fan stops working 
• Thermocouple protective cover not removed 
• Damaged RTD temperature sensor 

Solution:

If your Traeger grill is losing temperature and running too cool, you should follow the solutions below to solve this trouble. 

• The cold weather doesn’t directly affect the grill’s temperature but increases the pellet’s consumption. Consuming pellets too fast affects the temperature. Thus avoid grilling in cold weather. 
• Update the firmware version 
• Make sure there is a 1-inch space at each side of the pan to ensure proper airflow. 
• Use the correct drip tray liners. Check the hopper and ensure sufficient fuel supply. Properly clean the grill.
• Correctly start up your grill following the instructions. 
• Properly shut down your grill at every cooking session to avoid excessive ash accumulation. Make sure there is 0 gap in the lid. 
• Before starting the grill, remove the thermocouple’s orange protective cover 
• Replace the damaged RTD temperature sensor 

ii). Traeger Grill Temperature Keeps Dropping During Start-Up

During start-up, your Traeger grill temperature going down or even becoming negative is another Traeger grill temp problem. Mainly the backward wired thermocouple causes this. 

Solution:

If you experience your Traeger grill temperature dropping, you should follow the steps below to fix it: 

• Remove your grill’s controller and check its thermocouple connection. 
• There will be a – and a + symbol on the connection. 
• Ensure the thermocouple’s correct installation (i.e. + is next to the +)
• If the connection is inserted incorrectly, then insert it correctly. 
• But when the grill is reading at an incorrect temperature even after the thermocouple’s correct insertion, you should contact customer service. 

iii). Low Error Reading or LEr Message

On your AC platform grill, you will see this LEr or Low Error Reading message, and it is another cause for which your Traeger grill won’t heat up.

For more than 10 minutes, if your grill’s temperature is below 125 degrees, your grill will display this message. The main factors responsible for it are: 

• Empty or too full firepot 
• Faulty RTD temperature sensor 
• Excessive chimney height 
• Cold ambient temperature 
• Poor quality pellet 
• Windy weather 
• Defective induction fan 
• Improper P-setting adjustment 

Solution:

Check your Traeger grill temperature settings and ensure your grill is not running below 125 degrees. The other easy fixing ways are:

• Add sufficient fuel to your grill’s hopper. Don’t keep it empty or don’t fill it with too many pellets 
• Replace the lousy RTD temperature sensor and faulty induction fan 
• Avoid running the grill in cold ambient temperatures or windy weather 

• Use high-quality and properly seasoned pellets 
• Properly adjust the P setting 

iv). Low-Temperature Error 

The WiFire-Enabled grill goes through this low-temperature error trouble, and its main reason is your Traeger grill temperature not going up.

When for more than 10 minutes your grill’s temperature runs below 120 degrees Fahrenheit, the grill shows this error. The concerning causes of it are: 

• Grill’s incorrect start-up 
• Outdated firmware versions 
• Low-quality pellets 
• Ash build-up in the firepot 
• Dirty grill 

Solution:

All these above causes affect your grill’s heat efficiency, and as a result, your grill shows the Low-Temperature Error. To get rid of this, follow the ways below: 

• Correctly start up your grill 
• Make sure your grill’s firmware is up-to-date 
• Use high-quality pellets 
• Remove the firepot’s ash or grease build-up 
• Properly clean and maintain your grill 

3. Traeger Grill Temperature Swings

Temperature swings mean your Traeger grill temperature goes up and down on an extreme level to the set temperature.

When the grill temperature suddenly reverts in the opposite direction to the set temperature or rises above it, it is called the Traeger grill temperature fluctuations. 

Your Traeger grill is not holding temperature, and it is causing a swing. The other causes of it are: 

• Blocked airflow or insufficient air circulation 
• Instead of drip tray liner using heavy-duty foil 
• Damaged or incorrectly placed drip tray and heat baffle 
• Frequently opening the lid 
• Improper start-up and shutdown 
• Using an old or low-quality pellet 
• Excessive dust build-up in the hopper and dirty firepot 
• Frequently changing the grill’s temperature during cooking 
• Defective thermocouple 

Solution:

Your Traeger grill temperature jumping all over the place; it’s quite annoying. If you experience your Traeger grill temperature going up and down suddenly, you should follow the solutions below to fix it: 

• Ensure sufficient air circulation in the grill and remove the airflow blockage 
• Use the correct size drip tray liner 
• Replace and correctly place the drip tray and heat baffle 
• Avoid opening your grill’s lid frequently 
• Follow the Traeger grill manual or guidelines to properly start-up and shut down your grill 
• Use high-quality, dry, and properly seasoned pellets 
• Remove the hopper and firepot’s dirt and excessive dust build-up 
• During the cooking session, don’t change the temperature frequently 
• Replace the faulty thermocouple or RTD sensor 

Traeger Grill P-Setting Details

The pause Setting is shortly called the P-Setting. This P-setting monitors the grill’s temperature when you use your Traeger grill in extremely hot or cold temperatures. Thus it is highly related to your Traeger grill temperature issues. 

The auger cycles feed pellets to your grill’s firepot, and the P-setting controls the auger cycle’s pause length. Thus it affects the temperature. 

The Standard P-Setting Functionality Table

P – 1	Auger On 15 Seconds	55 Seconds Pause
P – 2	Auger On 15 Seconds	65 Seconds Pause
P – 3	Auger On 15 Seconds	75 Seconds Pause
P – 4	Auger On 15 Seconds	85 Seconds Pause
P – 5	Auger On 15 Seconds	95 Seconds Pause

The grill’s controller’s front face contains a button inside its hole. To change your Traeger grill’s P-setting, press this button. However, sometimes you may find the button on the small black sticker behind. 

How To Change Traeger Grill Temperature Units? – Fahrenheit/Celsius

To change your grill’s temperature unit, follow the easy steps below: 

• Plug your grill into the electrical outlet and turn it on 
• On the grill’s controller, select the Menu option 
• Go to Setting and press the grill’s knob 
• Now go to your grill’s Temperature units and then press the knob 
• Finally, press the knob once again by selecting Fahrenheit or Celsius 

How To Check The Damaged Thermocouple

A damaged thermocouple in your Traeger grill is responsible for almost every temperature-related problem.

Thus if your Traeger grill temperature is off or creating any other issue, you should first check and test the thermocouple to see whether it is damaged or not. 

To verify whether your grill’s thermocouple is damaged or not, do the following: 

• Inspect whether the RTD sensor is bent or in the grill inside it is touching anything. 
• If you find the RTD sensor is chipped, bent, or broken, test whether it reads the grill’s temperature accurately or not. 
• Reading the temperature accurately by the thermocouple means it is functioning perfectly, and you can certainly continue grilling.

FAQ:

How accurate is Traegers’ temperature?

Accurately the Traeger thermometer measures the temperature range from -58 to 572 degrees F. The thermometer reads temperature accurately within the displayed reading’s one percent. 

How do you test a Traeger thermometer?

Go to your grill’s Menu < Settings and then to Probe calibration. 1 minute gently stir by placing the probe calibration in an ice bath. It will ensure accurate temperature reading. The probe calibration should read only 32 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Where is the RTD probe on Traeger?

The RTD probe on Traeger is located inside the grill barrel and, more specifically, on the hopper’s side. In the grill inside a 2″ – 7″ vertical rod is the RTD probe. 

Conclusion

Optimistically, now you know all the major Traeger grill temperature problems and their simple solutions. If you face any of these troubles, you will not detect and resolve them by yourself. 

However, comment in the comment section if you have any further queries. We will help you ASAP.