Slow Ignition Notification

What to do if you get a Slow Ignition notification on your D2 WiFIRE grill or in the Traeger app.

Check out these Related Articles:

• How to Start Your Traeger Pellet Grill
• Grill Cleanliness
• Pellets
  
  

Applicable Grills

If you have a WiFIRE grill with a touchscreen display, please see, 0017: Slow Ignition..

This article applies to Traeger's D2 WiFIRE grills. D2 grills are Traeger grills with WiFIRE technology that have a dot matrix FSTN display. 

D2 Grills include the following models:

• Century 885
• Ironwood 650
• Ironwood 885
• Pro 575
• Pro 780
• Redland
• Silverton 620
• Silverton 810
• Silverton XL
• Timberline 850
• Timberline 1300
   

Symptoms

If your grill is showing a Slow Ignition notification, it means it's taking longer to reach the set temperature than normal. This occurs when the grill is igniting, and the temperature does not rise after 15 minutes.

Once the grill ignites after this notification occurs, it is common for the grill to overshoot the set temperature briefly before then leveling out for the remainder of the cook.

Causes

• Cold or windy weather
• Running out of pellets
• Overfilled firepot
• Pellet quality
• Sawdust
• Ash accumulation/lack of maintenance
  
  

What to Do

A Slow ignition Error is a notification that is for information purposes only and usually doesn't need action. If the grill doesn't end up igniting successfully, it should push a "Failed to Ignite" error.

1. Assess the situation

• Cold or windy weather: High winds occasionally have impact on the grill's ability to maintain a fire; extremely cold weather can impact time to temp.

• Correct startup procedure: The most common fix for a Low Temp Error is to restart your grill correctly.
  WiFIRE-enabled (or D2) grills need to be started and preheated with the lid closed. Failure to start the grill correctly can result in temperature irregularities throughout a cook. Follow these steps to ignite your D2 WiFIRE pellet grill correctly:
  1. 1. Turn on your grill.
     2. Ensure your grill's lid is closed.
     3. Set the desired grill temperature.
     4. Press Ignite.

2. Check your grill's firmware

1. Find the latest firmware version for your model at https://www.traeger.com/status.
2. Find your own grill's firmware version and make sure it's on the latest version.
3. Leave your grill connected to WiFi and it should update automatically, if needed.

3. Check Pellets

1. Did the grill run out of pellets at any point?
   • If the grill ran out of pellets part way through a cook, there may have been a gap in the auger where no pellets reached the firepot for a period of time.
2. Check pellet quality.
   Try checking pellets near the bottom of the hopper since those are the pellets closest to those that would be in the firepot.
3. Check for and remove any excess sawdust at the bottom of the hopper. 
   • Pro Tip: When cleaning your grill, always empty your hopper and vacuum out any residual sawdust that has settled on the bottom so the sawdust doesn't make its way into the firepot.
4. Check pellets in the firepot.
   1. Remove the grill grates, drip tray, and heat baffle, looking for possible air flow obstructions such as loose drip tray liners, large pans, and excessive ash and sawdust in the barrel.
   2. Check pellet quality and amount in the firepot. 
      • No pellets indicates a gap in the auger from running out of pellets, a blockage in the hopper preventing pellets from entering the auger (pellet clumps), or an auger jam.
      • Too many pellets indicates the fire likely got smothered or couldn't establish in the first place. Possible causes could be improper shutdown on the previous cook or the hot rod not heating.

4. Check Maintenance

An unmaintained grill can lead to difficulty getting a grill to the correct temperature. Ash buildup, particularly in the firepot, reduces the hotrod's ability to bring pellets to its smoking point efficiently.

We recommend cleaning your grill a minimum of every 20 hours of cooking, but we suggest cleaning it more often. Ash buildup will also affect the grill's ability to circulate heat efficiently, which will prevent the grill from being able to maintain the set temperature.

For more information on cleaning your pellet grill, see Cleaning & Maintaining a Pellet Grill.

If you have any questions, we invite you to contact our Customer Support team, available 365 days a year.