Pellet Hopper Care Between Cooks

It depends on the weather and how long the grill sits. Makers don't give one rule, so check your own manual first.

What makers say about leaving pellets in

Traeger says you can leave pellets in the grill's hopper for the short term when you know the weather will be dry. It also says to remove them and store them airtight when prolonged rain or high humidity is forecast¹. "Short term" isn't defined on that page, so it can't be turned into a number of days.

Pit Boss is firmer. Its page warns that pellets left unused in the hopper can rot. Its advice is to empty the hopper after each cook and keep the leftovers in a sealed bucket or similar². It says this can also help prevent the auger from jamming².

Z Grills is stricter than Traeger's short-term allowance. Its blog says to clean leftover pellets out of the hopper and store them. It says pellets left overnight should be thrown in the trash, because they lose quality, and pellets left a long time will rot³.

So the makers differ. Which suits you depends on what your own grill's manual says. The cover or shelter you use for the grill is a matter for its manual.

Why moisture in the hopper is a problem

Z Grills' support page says that if any moisture gets down into the hopper or feed tube, pellets and wood dust can gradually set like wood concrete⁴. What that does to the auger is set out on the wet-hopper page.

A routine to adapt

1. When the cook ends, let the grill finish its own cool-down as your manual describes.
2. Look at the forecast and at how long until your next cook.
3. If rain or high humidity is coming, empty the hopper¹.
4. Use the hopper's clean-out feature if your grill has one. Pit Boss notes most of its grills do². Where yours is, and how it works, are in your manual.
5. Pour the pellets into an airtight container. The bin, bucket and bag comparison weighs the options.
6. Before the next cook, run the quick pellet checks on a handful.

Unplug the grill before you reach into the hopper or feed tube to clear anything. Z Grills lists unplugging the power as the first step for its auger work⁴. Your manual's safety steps come before anything on this page. If the grill has been burning, let it cool first, as the manual directs.

When the forecast is the deciding factor

Traeger's wording ties the decision to the weather, not the calendar. Dry weather is the case where pellets may stay for the short term, and prolonged rain or high humidity is the case for emptying¹. A cover or shelter doesn't appear in either maker's wording on those pages, so don't assume one changes the advice.

Switching flavors

The same clean-out feature that helps with moisture also lets you swap wood types, according to Pit Boss². Emptying the hopper is one job with two uses.