If you’ve ever been excited to fire up your Traeger grill for a weekend barbecue, you feed pellets and just push the button to start the smoke, but it’s not catching the pellets on fire to grill properly. After that, you might have also cleaned and vacuumed it out multiple times, but the grill still failed to ignite. Facing a moment where your Traeger grill fails to ignite can leave you feeling stuck, especially when you’re all set for a grilling session. This type of frustration is more common than you might think, and I’ve been in that exact situation myself. There’s nothing quite like the anticipation of grilling your favorite foods, only to be met with the challenge of a non-operational igniter.
Before going into depth, you need to confirm that this might be a minor issue. Sometimes, we don’t understand what’s going on, and the issue could be resolved with a single-step solution.
So, first of all, the issue might come from the pellets you are using in your pellet grill. Try to avoid pellets that contain moisture. Confirm properly that your pellets have not gone bad because sometimes pellets absorb moisture from humid air, and due to moisture, it becomes more difficult to light. This problem could be resolved if you just use fresh pellets.
Dirty fire pot could be another minor issue which can create trouble in igniting the pellets properly. Check if the fire pot is clean and free of ash or pellet residue, as this can significantly impact the grill’s ability to start.
If you are using a grill that comes with D2 direct drive technology (this technology contains a variable speed fan and auger which helps to provide optimal smoke), the issue which I provide to you relates to that technology and is also minor like others. In this case, you just need to verify if there is anything blocking the fan or auger, or if it is working fine and the pellets are getting air to properly ignite.
It’s all about taking it one step at a time and not getting too worried. Let’s get your grill working again! By the end of this guide.
Applicable Model
Traeger has been manufacturing grills since 1988, producing various models over this time period. Therefore, this method is specifically effective for Traeger’s D2 WiFIRE grills. D2 grills are Traeger grills equipped with WiFIRE technology.
The 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
If your model does not fall into this series, you can check the next heading for guidance on other models.
Display Failed to Ignite Error?
Failed to Ignite - error message is displayed on the grill when it enters ignition mode and fails to produce a flame, at which point the error will appear.
Possible Reasons
- Disconnected hot rod; its wires might be broken.
- You might be following an incorrect procedure (for example, starting with the lid open instead of closed).
- The pellets are low quality, full of dust, or there’s a run-out of pellets.
- Lastly, it may have happened because the hot rod needs to be replaced.
Resolve a Failed to Ignite Error
You’ve seen the ‘Failed to Ignite’ error; now, resolve the error starting.
Before start procedure Switch off the grill
- Grill lid needs to be closed during preheat to ignite.
- Clean the grill clearly - clean the saw dust or ash otherwise it accumulated in the firepot or barrel and cause the grill from igniting.
- Check the airflow to see if it’s working fine, because sometimes the drip tray liner or foil extends beyond the tray, which can affect airflow.
- Confirm the pellets in the hopper and fire pot - so, firstly, use the best quality pellets, which you can identify by their shine and snap when broken.
- Avoid sawdust in the hopper as it increases the possibility of the grill not igniting. Pellet dust at the bottom of the hopper can make its way through the auger and into the firepot, resulting in difficulty igniting.
- Try to avoid using the pellet grill with an empty firepot or hopper. Therefore, fill the hopper with pellets and also place some pellets in the firepot when starting.
Hot Rod
First Step of hot rod troubleshooting: Remove the grill grate, drip tray, and heat baffle from your grill, and you must verify that the tip of your hot rod is exposed between 1/8" to 1/4" (4-6 mm). After that, ignite the grill and check by hovering your hand above the firepot. So, you should feel heat radiating, and if you feel the radiation, your heat rod is working fine and the message should disappear. If you still face an issue, meaning you do not feel heat while hovering your hand over the rod, then switch off your grill.
Check the controller
If the heat rod troubleshooting does not work, then you need to check the control panel. Open its 4 screws carefully, remove it from the grill, and check the component wiring connection on the back.
Sometimes dust accumulates there. You need to clean the board carefully and check that the component connections on the back of the controller are unbroken. Therefore, you need to disconnect and reconnect the wires of each component (while doing this, make sure the connections are not loose).
Now, turn on the grill and follow the hot rod procedure again to check if the heat is radiating. If the heat is radiating and the error has disappeared, then you can reattach the controller to the hopper for smoking. If the error is still appearing, it could only be resolved by replacing the hot rod.
WiFIRE-Enabled Grill not Igniting
If this technology in your Traeger grill and the grill isn’t igniting, it could indicate a few things:
- Button not responding properly.
- Button responded but the grill is not heating up.
- Grill takes a long time to ignite.
IGNITE Button Isn’t Working
When you press the IGNITE button, if it is working fine, then the controller displays the message ‘Igniting…’ However, if the button is not working, whether you press it once or multiple times, and the controller doesn’t display ‘Igniting…’, it means there is a problem with the controller that is preventing the message from showing.
Fix it
Loosen the screws from the bottom of the controller. Basically, these screws are often tightened excessively by the manufacturer, which puts pressure on the button and results in it being unable to register that you have pressed the button. So, you need to loosen them and then try the ignite button again.
If the button still does not work, then remove the controller away from the grill and unplug all Molex connectors from the controller. If you face difficulties while removing the Molex connectors, try spraying WD40 to loosen them, and you should be able to remove them easily from the controller. Then, reconnect all Molex connectors to the controller. If you face difficulties while reconnecting, you can check the Wiring Diagram for your ease. After reconnecting, it should work.
IGNITE Button Works, but Hot Rod Doesn’t Heat Up
You pressed the button of traeger grill showing the message ‘Igniting…' but you hover the hand over the hot rod and there is no heat. For that you need to troubleshoot it
To troubleshoot you need to check you are not in demo mode, to turn off the demo mode follow the path go to Menu > Settings > Demo Mode and select OFF.
Now turn on the grill and press the start ignition button. Then, remove the removable parts and check for heat with your hand. You should feel the heat within 3-5 minutes because sometimes it takes a while for the hot rod to heat up.
Slow Ignition Error
The grill takes a longer time to ignite and also takes longer to reach the set temperature. This happens because of cold outside/ambient temperatures affecting it, overfilling the pellet in the firepot, or running with low fuel, meaning only a small amount of pellets is available.
Non-Wifire Grill Not Igniting
If your non-WiFIRE grill isn’t igniting, after the check of pellet quality or something like that the problem might lie with the fan, the auger, or the hot rod. Let’s figure out what’s wrong and how to fix it so you can start grilling again.
Check The Fan
To check the fan, you need to power on the grill, and when the grill is properly on, you should be able to hear the noise of the fan running. If you cannot hear it, you can feel the airflow by hovering your hand over the firepot, where you should feel the fan’s airflow. If you feel air, it means the fan is working fine. If not, it indicates an issue with the fan. Inspect it to see if something is causing the fan blades to stick or if its wires are broken. You can attempt to fix it yourself (DIY); otherwise, you might need to replace it.
Check The Auger
Remove the removable parts of the grill, such as the grill grate, heat baffle, and drip pan. After that, turn on the smoke on the grill and verify that the auger is moving by looking into the firepot. It rotates in a cycle of almost 15 seconds on and 1 minute off (this loop continues until you stop it). So, you need to confirm that it is spinning well, which means there is no issue with the auger. If not, then find the small fan attached to the auger motor to ensure it is spinning. If it is not spinning, then you might need to replace it.
Check The Hot Rod
Follow the steps of checking the auger, which include removing the grill grate, drip pan, and heat baffle. Turn on the smoke on the grill and verify if heat is radiating from it. If not, open the controller from the front side of the hopper and disconnect and reconnect the connections for the purple and white wires. Then, turn on the smoke to see if it works fine. If not, then you might need to replace it and it may require maintenance.
Grill Failed to Ignite - Timberlines & Ironwoods
If you are using the latest models of Traeger Timberlines or Ironwoods and now you face an ‘Error: 0007 Grill Failed to Ignite’ displayed on your new grill when you turn on the ignition.
Possible reason behind
The following are possible reasons behind this failed ignition:
- Running out of pellets or having a maximum amount of pellets in the firepot. (This issue could be resolved instantly.)
- An issue with the ignitor, which is not making contact with the pellets.
What to Do
First of all, in this case, you need to verify that you are using the latest updated version by checking the grill’s firmware. For issues related to pellet run-out or having too many pellets, you can solve this easily by either removing some pellets or adding more, but before doing that, clean out the firepot and then rerun it.
In this type of grill, there is a feature named ‘Self Test’ which can verify that there is no issue with the ignitor. To use this, you need to follow this command on your controller path: Menu > Maintenance & Care > Self-Test. This procedure just takes 10 seconds to complete. If it does not work, then verify that the hopper service panel is in place and manually check that all cables are perfectly connected. Then rerun the self test feature this time the issue could resolve if not then pellet might not contact with ignitor.
Issue With The Ignitor
Confirm that the ignitor is making good contact with the pellets in the firepot. You can confirm this by ensuring the ignitor protrudes almost half an inch into the firepot.
When To Contact Customer Support
If you have tried every single step to get your grill back to working condition, also inspect power supply, the pellets, and the grill’s cleanliness, but nothing works. and your Traeger is still stuck on igniting, then you must contact Customer Support. For support, you can also use a cell phone to call them at this number: 800-872-3437. Because we cover every type of model with possible solutions there, if you face an issue with one of them on your Traeger grill, this guide is most valuable because I was also one of those facing this issue and have now resolved it.
