480 fired right up this morning. Set at 300 after it came to temp. About 45 minutes in screen went blank. Did a hard reset. Came back on and went to 360 and settled in. Then dropped to 260, back to 330, and has been see sawing back and forth for 4 hours. Any ideas?
Do you leave the cooker plugged in when not in use?
What is the serial number and build date from the door plate?
What is the firmware version?
When the screen went blank, were the fans still running, and was the blue power light on?
Did the fire go out?
When you started it back up, you said that you did a hard reset, which means you unplugged it, but, did you empty the burn grate of the ash and the potential unburned pellets? if not, this could explain the spike and the temp swings.
i did not Herb. I had just started the 480 45 minutes earlier. I was so flustered with the blank screen I just pulled plug and did hard reset. My mistake. I've only had it a month, purchased from Tim Massey, and had been working perfectly. I've been diligent about vacuuming out burn pot, inside and below. Tim is thinking maybe i need to reseal around burn pot as maybe there was a leak , causing the temp fluctuation. I was able to complete cook but was fluctuating between 260 and 330 all day (9-1/2 hours). I'm more concerned about screen going blank. I had a good learning experience and will know what to look for if it happens again. I'll re read all of the trouble shooting and maint information this week. I'll be checking out seals when I clean out today.Yoder_Herb wrote:Do you leave the cooker plugged in when not in use? no. I keep it unplugged and in garage.
What is the serial number and build date from the door plate? 17974. 12/2/2014
What is the firmware version? R34
When the screen went blank, were the fans still running, and was the blue power light on? Yes
Did the fire go out? I don't know. I didn't remove grates or diffuser plate
When you started it back up, you said that you did a hard reset, which means you unplugged it, but, did you empty the burn grate of the ash and the potential unburned pellets? if not, this could explain the spike and the temp swings.
I've also noticed upon start up that temperature goes up to almost 500 degrees before settling in to 350. Is this normal? This happens every time I start up. I always vacuum out entire bottom area and burn pot, above and below, and clean out any grease that has ended up below diffuser plate as well as scrape off anything on diffuser plate. I try to keep very clean and make sure everything is in place before starting up.
I think that you had a power anomaly that cause the screen to go blank. Either the power was cut, the cord wasn't completely seated in the cooker, power brown out, etc.
The fluctuations were more than likely caused by the excess ash in the burn grate from the unburned pellets when you restarted it without checking the burn grate.
You need to make sure that the burn grate fits tightly in the firepot, and that the silicone seals are not compromised.
I do not think that you have anything to worry about at all.
Thanks Herb. Cords were tight. It must have been a fluke. Another guy on the Facebook page had the same power issue as well yesterday. One of the guys told me take a picture of diffuser plate. He says it looks warped. As mentioned above, when I start up, it goes to almost 500 before settling back down.
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=338
The first 30 minutes after you push the START button is the cookers heat up and normalize time. What matters is what it does after the first 30 minutes. It sounds as though your cooker is acting normally for an H3 heat up mode overshoot. After you verify the fire has started, close the lid and walk away for 30 minutes, and let the cooker do it's thing. Here is the best practice: download/Best%20Practice%20and%20how%20to/Recommend%20procedure%20for%20starting%20up%20a%20Yoder%20pellet%20cooker.pdf
That's exactly what I do Herb. I got that part down 
. Should diffuser plate stay out and then put in after start up and temp has settled down?
No. The higher temp for the overshoot at startup should not be a problem.
If you put the bar in above the diffuser, problem solved.
I got the 1/4 inch rod installed. I'm a little confused on H settings. You mention H3. Mine is set on H1.
Yoder Smokers manuals: viewtopic.php?f=49&t=153
The cooker will change to the higher H modes as it needs to during the initial startup and anytime required during a heat up mode. This is automatic, you do not need to change the H mode. From what you stated, I know the cooker is switching to a higher H mode, which is why I said that the overshoot during the first 30 minutes is entirely normal. The best advice I can give you is to verify the fire has started and walk away for 30 minutes, or put a piece of tape over the display. The cooker is working as it should be, trust it to do what it was made to do.
I added the like to the manuals, as the H modes are explained in detail, as well as the other inner workings of the cooker.
I do start up and walk away. The only reason I brought it up was a couple of people questioned the overshoot. I'm going to run it tomorrow for a while and will let you know if I have any other temp fluctuations during cook. Thanks Herb.
- Disclaimer :
- The views and comments entered in these forums are personal and are not necessarily those of the management of this board.
