So much ash

Frank,
I've never had an issue with an overabundance of ash. Things to consider are:
#1 Vacuum the firepot before every cook. This is recommended for the CS smokers but not the grills (but it should be).
#2 Sift All pellets through a colander before putting into the hopper.
#3 The quality of pellet and wood type will effect ash residual.
#4 The temp you cook at will effect ash production/distribution. High temps translate into high auger feed rate and fan speed.
#5 HHT/LHT settings will alter ash output.

I'm sure there are many more factors. My recommendation is to consider the above, try different pellets, sift out the sawdust, and call CS customer support. They will work with you to make it right or give you a refund.

I have owned a PG1000 for about 8 years. Cook on it around 3 times a week. While sun doesn't effect mine that I've noticed. I will say this grill can be a bit ashy. I don't know who has the time to vacuum the firepot before each cook or sift pellets, no way I'm doing that. I leave the lid open until it get flaming good then I brush the grates to get rid of the ash that was in the firepot. Higher HHT will make more ash but I don't think the fan speed is variable. That would be an awesome feature they could add. I think any pellet grill that has a direct cooking side is going to be more ashy than the ones where the firepot is in the center of the grill under a deflector.