Damp Pellets in the Hopper

Damp pellets don't just burn badly. They can stop the grill from feeding at all. The fix starts with the maker's manual for your model, not this page.

What happens

The hopper is the box that holds pellets. At its bottom, a screw called the auger carries them to the fire pot. Everything passes through that one path, so any moisture in the hopper ends up in the feed tube too.

Z Grills' support page says wet pellets, and wood dust in particular, can gradually set like wood concrete. The trigger is any moisture that gets down into the feed tube¹. It describes two stages. While pellets are still wet they are soft and can be pushed out by the auger rotating. Once dry they can bind up the auger shaft¹.

Traeger makes a related point. Crumbly pellets can clog the auger, it says, and may fail to ignite². The temperature and the smoke suffer even before a jam: Z Grills says the temperature will be thrown off³. [fig:hopper-path]

Why the hopper is the weak spot

Pit Boss says unused pellets left in the hopper can rot, since they're exposed to the elements of the outdoor environment⁴. Its fix is to empty the hopper after use and keep the leftovers in a sealed bucket. That can also help stop the auger jamming⁴. The question of leaving pellets in or taking them out is taken up on the between-cooks page.

What the manual says

Every maker words this differently, and the steps depend on your model's design. Look in your owner's manual for sections named something like "auger jam", "clearing the auger" or "emptying the hopper". Pit Boss notes that most of its grills have a hopper clean-out feature⁴.

As one example, Z Grills' support page for a stuck auger starts with two steps, in this order¹:

1. Unplug the power.
2. Empty the hopper.

The page then lists removing the base cover, releasing the controller, removing the hopper box and unplugging the auger motor cable. Only after that does it release the stuck auger shaft¹. Those later steps vary by model, and they mean opening up the grill. That's another reason to use the manual for your own grill, or contact the maker's customer support, instead of copying steps from another brand.

What not to do

Don't improvise with another brand's steps. If the auger has set solid, your own manual or the maker's support line will tell you how to free it.

Preventing a repeat

Once the hopper is empty and dry, refill it with pellets that pass the checks in Signs Your Pellets Have Gotten Damp. Then look at how you store the rest. How to Store Grill Pellets lists what makers suggest.