Today I installed a digital control on my Traeger, replacing the standard 3-level switch. What seemed to be a 10-minute task turned into more like an hour. Wasn't a big deal, after I figured it out. I hope this report will save some time and frustration for those who might be contemplating the same upgrade.
The directions that came with the digital unit were very straightforward and detailed. However, they appear to have been written at a time in Treager history when the control switch was installed with the excess wire length just stuffed into the hopper shell behind the switch. So to install an upgrade, the instructions assume that you can unscrew the control, pull it out, disconnect, connect the new one, and stuff it back in.
Not so anymore. Somewhere in China, an industrious (perfectionist) worker carefully bundled all the excess wire length and neatly tied it with cable ties. No chance it would EVER work loose and cause a malfunction!
The problem is that you now have to remove the hopper shell to access the connectors for the new control. Again, no big deal after you figure it out. Here's what worked for me:
1. Unscrew the controller and pull it out far enough to peek inside using a flashlight. If the wires are bundled and tied, go to No. 2. If not, follow the Traeger instructions and you'll be done.
2. Remove ALL pellets from the hopper all the way down to the auger feed pipe. If you don't, you'll have pellets all over the place when you do No. 3 (I speak from experience.)
3. Remove the 8 screws (4 on each side) that hold the hopper shell to its mount. Don't mess with the bolts that hold the mount to the smoke chamber.
4. You can now access the bundled wires, clip the cable-ties, disconnect the old control and connect the new one. (I bundled up the wires again and put on new cable-ties. Good craftsmanship deserves to be repeated.)
5. Reassemble, load up with pellets, and enjoy the luxury of controlled-temperature smoking! (We're having an extra cold winter here in Tallahassee -- the day can start out in the low 30's and be in the high 60's by noon. A non-thermostat smoker requires constant attention.)
I hope this will be useful to anyone thinking of upgrading.
The directions that came with the digital unit were very straightforward and detailed. However, they appear to have been written at a time in Treager history when the control switch was installed with the excess wire length just stuffed into the hopper shell behind the switch. So to install an upgrade, the instructions assume that you can unscrew the control, pull it out, disconnect, connect the new one, and stuff it back in.
Not so anymore. Somewhere in China, an industrious (perfectionist) worker carefully bundled all the excess wire length and neatly tied it with cable ties. No chance it would EVER work loose and cause a malfunction!
The problem is that you now have to remove the hopper shell to access the connectors for the new control. Again, no big deal after you figure it out. Here's what worked for me:
1. Unscrew the controller and pull it out far enough to peek inside using a flashlight. If the wires are bundled and tied, go to No. 2. If not, follow the Traeger instructions and you'll be done.
2. Remove ALL pellets from the hopper all the way down to the auger feed pipe. If you don't, you'll have pellets all over the place when you do No. 3 (I speak from experience.)
3. Remove the 8 screws (4 on each side) that hold the hopper shell to its mount. Don't mess with the bolts that hold the mount to the smoke chamber.
4. You can now access the bundled wires, clip the cable-ties, disconnect the old control and connect the new one. (I bundled up the wires again and put on new cable-ties. Good craftsmanship deserves to be repeated.)
5. Reassemble, load up with pellets, and enjoy the luxury of controlled-temperature smoking! (We're having an extra cold winter here in Tallahassee -- the day can start out in the low 30's and be in the high 60's by noon. A non-thermostat smoker requires constant attention.)
I hope this will be useful to anyone thinking of upgrading.
