I just took delivery on a new YS1500. I have not had any problems with it until yesterday. Plugged it in, hit the on button and then hit the start button. I set the temp to 400 (I know I probably should have left it at 350 till warmed up. I did not clean the fire grate out but had done it prior to the previous short cook. 5 mins later, thick smoke was rolling out of the smoker. looked in the fire box and the auger had dumped a large amount of pellets. I would say at least a pint size jar of them. I have emptied the hopper and vaccumed out the fire grate. Any ideas on what would have caused the auger to dump the pellets like it did? I would really appreciate any advice.
Not cleaning the ash from the cooker burn grate prior to each cook causes a number of things to happen:
1. The ash around the igniter insulates it, causing it to potentially overheat and shorten its lifespan.
2. The ash prevents the newly introduced unburned pellets from coming in direct contact with the igniter, causing slow or failed ignition after pushing start.
3. Ash left in the burn grate hinders the performance and efficiency of the cooker.
4. See this for more information: viewtopic.php?f=36&t=454
The amount of pellets you describe is not excessive, given the timeframe you specify, considering under normal conditions that there should be flames within approximately 3 minutes after pushing start.
If you have a failed ignition, or power outage, NEVER attempt to start the cooker without first checking for unburned pellets in the burn grate. If this procedure is not followed, there is a risk of damage to the cooker from the extensive fire this situation potentially creates.
Thanks for the help! I cleaned it out and restarted. Everything appears to be working fine. Another quick question if you don't mind? Should I clean the fire box out after each use in addition to the fire grate? if so, is there an easier way to access the fire box area than having to take the auger cover off in order to get the fire/burn grate out? Thanks again for your help!!!
- Joined: May 10th, 2014, 12:33 pm
- Posts: 576
- Location: Sitting Near a Yoder Smoker, Smelling Sweet Blue
The auger cover doesn't need to be removed the clean the burn grate. Lift the burn grate up and tilt it out to remove it from under the auger cover.
Yoder_Kirby wrote:The auger cover doesn't need to be removed the clean the burn grate. Lift the burn grate up and tilt it out to remove it from under the auger cover.
I try take off the burn grate but I can't do this if I don't remove the auger cover.
Fausto
Do NOT remove the auger guard to remove the burn grate.
Here is a short video on how to remove the burn grate from a YS1500 (you will need QuickTime viewer installed to view the video):
Yoder
Is it possible for u to shoot that video so we can watch it via ipad/phone im struggling as well with getting that burn plate out, hehehe would love to see that trick u got.
The video was taken on an iPhone. There is absolutely no secret or trick to the process. I actually do it one handed by reaching through the HMS plate hole.
Removing the burn grate from a YS1500
I love the background sounds in the Quicktime movie of what sounds like massive hydraulic machinery cranking out Yoder Smokers haha. Fantastic.
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