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33 replies

Questions/Concerns about New FEC100

FM Former Member
I just received my first/brand new FEC100 yesterday. While I am very excited about it and plan to cook on it today, I have several concerns I was hoping someone could respond to:

(1) IQ4 or Electromechancial Issue?
Per the owners manual, I started up the unit to "cure" it for an hour or so. After priming it with a handful of pellets, It started up just fine (just like my Traeger does). I pulled up a chair and sat there watching with glee and satisfaction. Then, about 10 minutes later, the unit made this snapping sound (sounded like an electrical short), the display flickered for a second or two, then the GFIC tripped (note: absolutely nothing else is on that circuit). I tried to reset the GFIC, but it kept tripping (then I realized the main switch on the IQ4 was still in the "on" position). So, I turned it off, then reset the GFIC, then turned the main switch back on. The unit seemed to resume as if nothing happened. Only a few minutes had passed, so the fire was still burning. This whole incident concerned me after only having run the unit for 10 minutes. Any thoughts/suggestions (also see next post below)? Given I've had a Traeger for many years, I thought this could have been caused by a pellet that got jammed and the snap I heard was the auger snapping the pellet. However, the sound I heard really sounded more like a bug zapper does when it fries an insect. Should I be worried?

(2) Medium "hum" sound
After the above, I noticed there is a medium hum sound coming from the unit. It's possible it was there all along, but I seem to notice it more. It's not the sound of the fan. It sounds more like the noise you would hear from an electrical transformer. Is this normal and do other people experience this "hum". Again, my Traeger seems to use similar technology and it doesn't make this sound. I listened to this for quite a while and don't believe it's the sound of the auger moter either (because I could hear it when it kicked on/off) and this hum was present the entire time.

(3) Smoke Leak around top left corner of the door
I was planning to head to Home Depot today to get duct/venting tubing so I could cut a hole in the wall in my garage and vent the unit outside (you know, too lazy to want to go outside in the rain/snow/etc). While I still want to do that, I noticed quite a bit of smoke leaking from the upper left corner of the door. While I know it's a smoker, I wasn't expecting that much of a leak. What can be done about that?

(4) Hopper/IQ4 unit not straight/level against the box
This just may be aesthetic, but the Hopper/IQ4 unit is not quite straight/level against with the box. It seems to be firmly mounted, but is tilts away from the box at the top. I'd guess it's 10 degrees or so. Can this be corrected? The screws on the front of the mounting bracket look like they may have been hurriedly installed and are not necessarily straight/perpendicualar to box (the ones on the back are). I know it's just a smoker, but it just looks a little off (like poor construction).

Cookshack folks: I have been wanting an FEC100 for 2 years and have had a picture on my refridgerator (to remind my wife) the whole time. I remain exicted and positive about this, but would like some feedback on the topics above. I've got 6 slabs of ribs I'm cooking today for my b-day party and will have a little more insight on how things are going after today.

Thanks.
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FM Former Member
I'm sure you're posting this because the customer service isn't available till Monday, but if not I'll say that the best thing to do is to call them then as they don't frequent these message boards.

Anything we could tell you would be a guess and would have you messing around the insides of the unit. As an electrical contractor I don't usually like having people do that. Big Grin

Sorry things aren't quite right, but at least she's still running!!!
FM Former Member
So, how did it cook? Regardless of the points you made, was it working and performing?

The reason I say that is absolutely you need answers, but CS wants to you talk to Customer Service so they get direct feedback and can address your answer immediately. They do NOT monitor the forum for Customer Service (that's what we're here for).

In reverse order.

4. Not level. Take out the bolts and reseat the unit. Might have been because of the shipping.

3. By design the "seasoning" will take care of any leaks.

2. Not sure about that. Maybe mine hums, but I haven't really listened for one. Next time it's running I'll see if it does

1. I wouldn't be worried if it happened once, but if it happened repeatedly, then I would. I would open the side and unplugg and replug the connections to make sure they're seated well. Do them one at a time so you don't mix up the connections.

You made a great purchase and you not only have an exception forum family to help out, but CS will take care of you too.

That why I try to suggest "testing" them during the week in case any calls need to be made.
R ribdogMember
On #2, does it sound like maybe a slightly noisy fan possibly? I know when I received mine, it had a noisy fan sound. Eddy suggested I go in and loosen the screws a little bit on the fan because if they are tightened too much, it will warp the plastic frame on the fan and make noise. Did what he said and it cleared right up.
FM Former Member
First off, thanks for all the feedback. You're right in that I was waiting until Monday to call.

The virgin cook on Saturday went well. The food turned out great. I had no problems with the unit freaking out like it did after the first 10 minutes. Hopefully, that was just a fluke. I'll talk to customer service and let everyone know what they told me.

Thanks, Chris.
FM Former Member
I talked to Bill from CS today. Here's a quick summary of what he told me (essentially what you guys already told me)

Item 1 - Don't know why that would happen, just watch it and see if happens again. (note: it didn't happen the during the next 6 hours I used it)

Item 2 - Hum sound may be coming from the transformer. Just use it some more and see if it gets better or worse

Item 3 - Smoke Leak - Like you guys said, just use it some more and it will clear up

Item 4 - It should be that far off. Try loosing the bolts and see if it can be reset. Given I tried tightening them already, I don't hold out much hope for this, but in the big scheme of things, it's not that big of a deal as long as it works.).

Thanks for the input/advice. I'll post an update when I get a chance to mess with it again.
FM Former Member
my fec-100 hopper has the same lean.i thought it was damaged at first because my door was.but after looking at it the auger shaft seems to be lined up fine.the way it looked to me is that if it was perfectly vertical the auger shaft would not line up correctly just my observation.
we also have a traeger even though its the same technology they are different on how they run.i noticed the same humming noise just different than the traeger.the convection fan does not run the same on the fec as does the traeger the traeger runs full speed constantly the fec fan runs according to temp.i think you will also notice more ash build up in the fec because of this.i also think that is because the fec is insulated and the traeger is not so you burn less pellets and does not have to work as hard to maintain temp. this was just a couple of things that i noticed between the two. i love them both,but i like the fec better.
FM Former Member
It's been about 2.5 months since I've had my FEC100. Overall, I've been happy with it. However, I am growing increasingly concerned about the way it can trip my GFIC. Overall, it seems to trip the GFIC on average once each time I use it. I've moved it to a different circuit all together and made sure nothing else on that circuit was pulling any load. But it still happened. During my last cook, it happened 3 times. It also happened at the American Royal. Given I've moved it around and have still had the same experience, I don't think it's a faulty GFIC. Has anyone else had this problem? None of my friends who have an FEC100 have this problem. I can't trust it to say running all night long.

I will call Bill from CS again to see what advice/direction he can give me.

Thanks.
FM Former Member
yes we have the same problem with the gfi.what we are still trying to figure out is why is it so random.we have learned its very important to have a correct size ext.cord. this corrected the situation at home but we have 2 farmers markets that we work at and same problems at times, plus this happens at both(differnt locations ) and both units (fec-100 and fec-750)are plugged directly into the outlets. my understanding of the gfi is to protect the circuit from a faulty ground.the breaker is to protect the circuit from to much amp draw. so my question is if something in these units are not grounded properly? i haven't tried running my units off a non gfi outlet. but my problem is not at home as it is when we travel with the units.all locations have the gfi outlets and that is the only thing that trips never a breaker.
FM Former Member
(1)I have a two year old FEC100 that I keep under a deck and the only outlet is a gfi. I had no problems the first few times I used it, but then it started tripping the gfi. I ran an extension cord in the house to an outlet and had no problems (until my wife unplugged it not knowing why there was an extension cord running out the back door).

I eventually realized that the problem occurred when the igniter comes on after several minutes. The solution was to disconnect the igniter, light the starter pellets with alcohol, wait a few minutes and then push start. I have not had a problem since.

I found the instructions on how to disconnect the igniter somewhere on this forum- you may have to do a search or call Cookshack. I bought a gallon of denatured sl alcohol at Home Depot and it works great.
FM Former Member
All that needs to happen for a GFCI to trip is for the neutral to touch a ground. Heat or even the wind from the fan can be causing the wires(or at least the neutral to a metal peice on the unit) to juuuuust touch and pop the breaker.


I'd definitely call customer service as well as take a peek inside to see if there's anything visibly touching(UNPLUGGED!).


Another temporary workaround would be to put a 3-prong grounding adapter on the unit until you can fix the problem.
FM Former Member
I don't think it has anything to do with something not being grounded. It's the surge of juice the igniter requires- this same thing happens with two other gfi circuits I have in my house that are on shared runs with other outlets. When too much demand is put on the run, the outlet that has a gfi on it trips. I'm in a house that's less than ten years old and the electrician was excellent, so I'm sure everything is up to code.

I don't use gels, I bought a gallon of S-L-X Denatured alcohol from Home Depot and keep a squirt bottle in my cooking area. Two quick squirts and the pellets take off- very cheap and easy. The gallon should last about 85 years of cooking five days a week.
S stuartMember
Here is how GFI's work, inside of a GFI is a sensor that detects changes in current to the appliance by comparing the current flowing to the appliance and the current flowing from the appliance. A drop off in the current equivalent to about 5 milliamperes turns off all power by tripping a relay within the GFI within a few hundredths of a second. You might hardly even feel the shock, it happens so quickly!

If we have problems with units tripping a GFI it is normally caused by the ignitor. However it can also be caused by a faulty auger motor. The easiest way to determine the problem is to unplug the ignitor and see if you still have a problem.

We would be happy to replace your ignitors or auger motors if they are causing the problem.
FM Former Member
RichW, Stuart, Ribdog, SmokinOkie, cfraz, all:

Thanks so much for the information and feedback. I have been traveling quite a bit the last 5 weeks or so and haven't had a chance to reply to your posts or cook much.

Today was the first day since late October that I've got the FE out. I just put on 80lbs of brisket about an hour ago for the local fire department open house.

Unfortunately, the FE would run for about 5 minutes or so, then trip the GFIC. This happened 2 times on one outlet, then another 2 times on another. I was paying close attention and noticed a short crack/pop sound coming from the FE when it would trip the GFIC. It sounded like snap that a loud relay makes. Since the ignitor has already lit the pellets and the fire was roaring, I assume it was the auger motor making the noise. (I'm using Trager pellets...not some of the other stuff that I've heard can more easily jam the auger).

At any rate, I thought about this post and re-read all the info you all posted when this happened (I was getting frustrated). I then moved the extension cord to a non GFIC outlet way on the other side of the garage. So far, everything has been working fine for the last 30 minutes (whew!...can't fit all that meat on my Traeger).

So, that leads me to simply ask:
Should the FE work on a GFIC outlet or not? Based on some of the posts, it would appear not. Is there an official point-of-view on this? Most garages and exterior outlets on homes built within the last 10+ years require GFIC outlets (so that's all many of us have within a reasonable distance).

Lastly, given the problems I had at the American Royal (same issue), is there an point-of-view regarding what size power-inverter and 12-volt battery that I could use to avoid power outages? For example, would a 600 watt inverter and a deep cell marine battery do the trick or should I go to a 1000 watt (or higher) inverter. Given the GFIC experience, I'm not sure what would be appropriate equipment for running off a battery. I saw one guy had a trickle charger hooked up to his battery at the Great American BBQ competition at the same time he had the inverter hooked up powering his FE. That seemed like a good idea to me, but I didn't have my FE at the time and didn't think to write down any of the specs of the gear he was using.

Again, thanks so much for your responses.

Chris
FM Former Member
quote:
Originally posted by Chris Miller:
So, that leads me to simply ask:
Should the FE work on a GFIC outlet or not? Based on some of the posts, it would appear not. Is there an official point-of-view on this? Most garages and exterior outlets on homes built within the last 10+ years require GFIC outlets (so that's all many of us have within a reasonable distance).

Chris


Of course it will. It wouldn't be NSF/UL listed if not. The issue is your specific unit has a grounding problem and the ground problem is causing an issue with the GFI, that's why they trip. I have 4 FE's on never had a grounding problem.

Call CS on Monday and tell them the story and they'll walk you through it.

Until then, you might open it up and check on the physical connections. An electrician told me if the wire in a connector (ground) isn't right, it could cause the problem.

quote:
For example, would a 600 watt inverter and a deep cell marine battery do the trick or should I go to a 1000 watt (or higher) inverter. Given the GFIC experience, I'm not sure what would be appropriate equipment for running off a battery. I saw one guy had a trickle charger hooked up to his battery at the Great American BBQ competition at the same time he had the inverter hooked up powering his FE. That seemed like a good idea to me, but I didn't have my FE at the time and didn't think to write down any of the specs of the gear he was using.


GFI isn't an issue for the inverter. What you need to determine is 1) the max level of the inverter; ONLY when the ignitor is on, does the FE draw that much, after it's lit, it drops the wattage 2) the duration of the cook. You can cook on one battery for XX hours, the question is you have to experiment some. What many do is have a charger hooked up to the batteries to charge them while the inverter is running.
FM Former Member
This is Chris (the original poster of this message). While it's been a while, I wanted to leave an update. After a call with Cookshack's technical support a few months ago, we all seemed to beleive I may have a faulty igniter. Given the igniter quit working, that seemed reasonable. So, I received/installed a new one. At first, I thought the problem was resolved. The first cook after installing the new igniter was flawless and the GFIC did not trip. However, on the 2nd cook (with the exact same configuration...and no other devices on the circuit), it triped consistently in the startup phase. So, I'm back to sqaure one. Since I don't use the FE but once a month or so on average, I haven't been good about writing or calling about it. But now that it's been a full year (and there are a few competitions coming up I want to participate in), I'm motivated to get this fixed. I just tried to call Cookshack today,but they're closed on 7/3. So, I left an email. I'll try to call back on Monday. In the mean time if anyone else has a suggestion since the last post, I'd be interested. My Treager and other devices (power tools, etc.) work fine on the same circuit and don't consistently trip it like the FE100 does. There's got to be a short somewhere.

Chris.
FM Former Member
Mine has always tripped the gfic circuits, I talked to several guys at comps whos do the same thing. We use a workaround at comps now, we use a 3 prong to 2 prong adapter to eliminate ground. Probably not reccomended, but needed to keep it from shutting down in the middle of the night. Havent tripppd a breaker since.
FM Former Member
IF it's tripping the GFCI, then it's a grounding problem. That's how they work. The usual candidate in the FE is the ignitor.

If you're having grounding problems, call CS, explain what it's doing and get their assistance fixing the problem.

I had the problem at a contest, but it wasn't my FE, it was something else at my site doing it.

Ground problems are a pain if you're not an electrician. Take the GFI out if you don't want to try to troubleshoot the problem.
FM Former Member
This is Chris again (the one who originally posted this message). A few weeks ago, I called Cookshack again (very nice people). The theory is the 2nd/replacement igniter is bad. They told me to disconnect the ignitor and start up the FE a few times to see if the problem continued to occur. I did that this morning and here are the troubling results:
* Cleaned out the pot and covered it with a alumuni foil
* Unplugged the ignitor and started up the unit and let it run for 5-7 minutes (until the auger stopped). I did this 4 times in row without any problems. So, I was hopeful this meant the replacement ignitor was still the problem
* However, to be sure, I plugged in the ignitor and ran the same test. To my surprise, everything worked fine. I did this 3 times in a row without any problems. So, on the fourth time, I primed the pot with some pellets and fired the FE up for some cooking

Everything ran fine most all day.

After 6 hours. I turned it off and brought in the food and began slicing/preparing. After about 45 minutes of that, I thought I'd put one of the slabs of ribs back on for another hour to get more tender. Upon restarting the unit, the problem resurfaced again. It seemed to be working fine at first and I put my food back on. But when I went out to check on it about 15-20 minutes later, the GFIC was tripped.

I'm not sure what to make of all this. I may take the advice of one of the posters and just use one of those 3 prong-to-2 prong converters and skip the ground altogether to see if that helps. I will consider replacing the GFIC as someone also suggested, but since I've tried it on another GFIC and have had the same problem, I'm not thinking that's the issue (although both GFICs are the same age...and I know they go bad over time).

I'm going to go check on it again right now to see if it's still running.
Y yellow-03Member
Hi Chris,

I once had problems with a GFCI tripping. The GFCI itself was in the basement fronting a circuit that had outlets on the back porch, garage, and on the front of the house. These outside outlets themselves were standard outlets with an outside cover. Troubleshooting was a pain because was it the GFCI, or which of the three outlets? Turns out one of these covers was letting a bit of water get at the outlet behind it when it rained, so we could always expect to see the GFCI tripped anytime after there was rain. Until we realized this, it was a mystery Wink Caulking the covers, and replacing one that was obviously not working well finally solved the issue.

Long story, but does your GFCI front any other protected outlets? If so, expand your search for other culprits as well.
S smokeniceMember
GFCI monitor the current between the hot wire and neutral return. If a minor difference is noted, it trips. This assumes that the alternate current path is to ground, either a local or human path. Small motors (FEChas two) are notorious for current leakage to ground. One solution is to isolate both motor frames from ground utilizing nylon washers and bolts unless they are plastic housing motors.

I run my FEC on a GFCI at home and have one in my trailer and to defeat their function is suicidal but does contribute to the Darwin evolution theory, survival of the smartest.

If you do defeat the GFCI ground return, remember you are using a unit that does not have a path to ground because it is totally isolated via wheels and the lifted ground wire. If you or anyone to include kids are standing in a puddle of water or just touching the ground, and touches your unit, the consequences can be disasterious.
Last edited by smokenice
FM Former Member
You are correct! I work in the electrical field and use to be a journeyman lineman. A lifted ground can kill you so fast. As well as an open neutral. I swear if I had a lifted ground with the unit on wheels, I would have a case ground running from the metal unit to a ground rod driven in the earth for a electrical path to ground. Try changing your GFI, use a heavy extension cord. As little as 1/10 of an amp of electricity going through the body can waste a person. I use to work on 8000 volt lines with rubber gloves but I respect 120 volt distribution voltages every bit as much. (:>Wink
FM Former Member
Posted December 01, 2009 10:41 AM Hide Post
Hello All,

I just got off the phone with Bill at Cookshack and he has assured me there will be no problems what so ever, All i can state is COCKSHACK stands behind there product and there customer service is the best in the USA that i ever expearienced, i have been in Business for 27 years and never expearienced such a awsome family like CookShack, im gald to be part of it and know that i will be doing business with them for a long long time, Thanks to all who have replied and contacted me..

Thanks Fourm,
New2Smoking

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