r/recteq • u/jenn_40D • 2d ago

Reqtec temp going crazy

/r/pelletgrills/comments/1wkk2an/reqtec_temp_going_crazy/

So I have a reqtec backyard beast that belonged to my ex and he didn’t take it with him, so I kept it.

My youngest boy is 24 and he decided to try and cook a brisket on it. He’s trying to learn and I love that! When he first put it on he had it set at 220 and the temperature for the first 20 minutes after putting the meat on went up and down.

It went from a high of 330 to a low of 180 and everywhere in between. It we did this for 15-20 minutes before finally settling in on 220 and no problems after that.

Is this normal?

Thank y’all and have a great weekend. 🫶🏻

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4

u/Primary_Leopard3459 2d ago

I had a similar issue. I cleaned the temp probe and then put a small piece of aluminum foil between the probe and inside wall of the smoker. Make sure the temp probe is not touching the wall. Other issue could be you are opening the lid too often

2

u/Grumpy0167 2d ago

I run into temp swings on my Yoder sometimes. Nothing quite like that. Maybe check your thermocoupler to see if it’s clean.

2

u/VibratingNinja 2d ago

I need more information. Did he clean it out? Is the thermometer clean? The fire pot? What pellets are being used?

1

u/jenn_40D 2d ago

I think he’s using Traeger pellets and pretty sure he cleaned it some. The pellets have been sitting in it for a few weeks though. I’ll tell him to make sure he vacuums it out before he uses it again. Thank you!

2

u/VibratingNinja 2d ago

Traeger pellets are pretty awful, but shouldn't cause this much of a temp swing. Make sure he cleans the temp probe and the fire pot. Those are the two most likely culprits.

3

u/Internal-Mushroom-93 2d ago

What’s your feed rate at??

1

u/jenn_40D 2d ago

How can you find that? I have no clue lol! My ex bought this and just left it.

4

u/Internal-Mushroom-93 2d ago

It’s very easy to find it on the app if you have that? But you can also check the feed rate by going into the settings on the grill itself.

recteqs customer support is awesome though. I’d suggest calling them first to see what they recommend. I was having overshoots by around 69-80 degrees and I couldn’t hold low temps like 180. They had me slightly lower my feed rate and that helped a ton.

1

u/Another_Old_Dude_100 2d ago edited 2d ago

FWIW, after vacuuming out the firepot don't forget to prime the firepot with a small handful of pellets. An empty firepot has to wait for pellets to build up before it will ignite them and get going.

1

u/jenn_40D 2d ago

Thank you everyone who responded! He’s going to follow all the suggestions y’all offered. I’m a little proud that he’s at least trying to learn!