How to Start Your Traeger Pellet Grill

Igniting your Traeger the correct way is your first step in having a successful cook. Grills started incorrectly may experience temperature swings, flame-outs, and many other issues. 

How to Start New Timberlines & Ironwoods

Touchscreen WiFIRE-enabled grills include the following models: Timberline, Timberline XL.

1. Make sure you have pellets in the Hopper and that your grill's Firepot, Heat Shield, EZ Clean Drip Tray and Grill Grates are installed correctly. Close the grill's lid.
2. Plug in your grill and press the Power Button. The button should illuminate and a few seconds later the Display should turn on and say, YOUR TRAEGER IS READY TO COOK.
   
3. Turn the Controller Dial until the Display shows your desired temperature.
   
4. Confirm your selection by pressing the Dial. The screen will display, PRESS HERE TO IGNITE. 
   
5. Tap and hold, IGNITE, and hold until the ignition sequence begins. You should hear the fan start and will soon hear pellets falling into the Firepot.
   
6. Allow the grill to finish preheating and start Traegering!
   • NOTE: These models are larger grills than other WiFIRE-enabled grills, and will take longer to reach the set temperature, especially during the first few cooks. The grill's ability to get to temp more quickly will improve over time.
     
     

How to Start a D2 WiFIRE Grill

WiFIRE-enabled grills include the following models: Century 885, Pro 575, Pro 780, Silverton 620, Silverton 810, Ironwood 650, Ironwood 885, Timberline 850 and Timberline 1300.

1. Make sure you have pellets in the Hopper and that your grill's Heat Baffle, Drip Tray and Grill Grates are installed correctly. Close the grill's Lid. 
2. Plug in your grill and flip the Power Switch located on the back of your Hopper to the ON position. Press the Standby button on your grill's Controller to wake the grill. 
3. Turn the Dial to your desired temperature and confirm your selection by pressing the Dial.
   
4. Press and hold, IGNITE.
   
   • Grills typically reach temp within 15 minutes depending on variables like weather and how clean the grill is.
5. Allow the grill to finish preheating and start Traegering!
   
   

How to Start a Non-Connected Grill

Starting a Non-Connected Grill with an ARC Controller

Follow these steps if your grill has an ARC controller, as seen below. Grills that come standard with an ARC controller include the Fremont, Ranger, Tailgater w/Arc Controller, and the Trailhead.

1. Make sure you have pellets in the Hopper and that your grill's heat baffle, drip tray, and grill grates are installed correctly.
2. Close the grill's lid. Do not latch the lid as the latches become hot during cooking.
3. Plug in your grill and flip the power switch located on the back of your hopper to the ON position. Press the UP, DOWN or CENTER/SELECT button on your grill's controller to take the grill out of standby mode and to enter the grill's temperature setting mode.
   
4. In temperature setting mode, the digits will flash on the screen. Press the UP and DOWN buttons to select your desired temperature. Press the IGNITE button to confirm your selection
   
5. Allow the grill to finish preheating and start Traegering!
   
   

Starting a Non-Connected Grill with an AC Digital Controller

Our signature grills that use an AC, Digital Controller (see below) use one of two ignition methods. If you've purchased your grill after 2016, use the closed-lid procedure. Older grills should use the open-lid method.

CLOSED-LID STARTUP PROCESS

1. Make sure you have pellets in the hopper and that your grill's heat baffle, drip tray, and grill grates are installed correctly.
2. Close the grill's lid, plug in your grill, and flip the power switch located on the front of the controller to the ON position.
3. Turn the dial to the desired temperature. After about 2 minutes pellets will begin to ignite, and a whitish-gray smoke will come out of the grill. 
   • The grill should reach the desired temperature within 15 minutes. 
   • For best results, wait at least 10 minutes before placing food on the grill.
4. Start Traegering!

OPEN-LID STARTUP PROCESS

1. Make sure you have pellets in the Hopper and that your grill's Heat Baffle, Drip Tray and Grill Grates are installed correctly. Keep the grill's Lid open.
2. Plug in your grill and flip the Power Switch located on the front of the controller to the ON position.
3. Set the temperature dial to SMOKE. You will hear the fan running. Within roughly 5 minutes you will hear the fire establish.
4. Once the fire is established, wait another 5-10 minutes and close the lid.
5. Set the temperature dial to your desired temperature and allow the grill to preheat for approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
6. Start Traegering!
   
   

Common Startup Questions

SHOULD THE FAN CYCLE ON AND OFF DURING STARTUP?

• This depends on the grill. The fan on non-WiFIRE grills should run continuously. The fan on grills that have WiFIRE does cycle on and off during startup.

MY GRILL SAYS, "PREHEAT COMPLETE," BUT THE GRILL HASN'T REACHED THE SET TEMP

• Getting a Preheat Complete message prematurely is sometimes by design. The Preheat Complete notification triggers when one of two events occur:
  1. The grill is within 5°F (3°C) of the set temperature
  2. The grill has been preheating for at least 10 minutes after the ignition sequence ends and pre-heating has begun.
     This often occurs when trying to preheat to a high temp, if it's cold outside, or if the grill hasn't been cleaned thoroughly in a while. 

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE FOR THE GRILL TO PREHEAT?

• New Timberline grills take longer to preheat than previous D2 and AC grills
• AC and D2 grills typically preheat within 15 minutes.
  • Many variables come into play during ignition that can extend preheat time, such as weather, grill cleanliness, set temperature, grill model, etc.

WHEN DOES THE HOT ROD ACTIVATE?

• WiFIRE Grills
  • The hotrod is active for five minutes once Ignite has been pressed. If the grill temperature is not rising, the hotrod will stay on (max 25 minutes) until the grill has a significant temperature rise.
  • If the controller notices the temperature goes below 120ºF/48ºC for more than 10 minutes, it will attempt to reignite, turning the hotrod back on for five minutes.
• Non-Connected Grills
  • The hotrod is active for 5 minutes for every ignition.
  • If the grill temperature is not above 130ºF/54ºC, the hotrod will activate. If the temperature does not rise, it will trigger a LEr, and the hotrod will turn off.