Bought a used Traeger recently and after smoking a few chickens and leaving it out in the patio for a month i noticed the gap there’s a noticeable gap at the hinge side. Is something bent/misaligned?
Anyone fixed this before? Does a small gap affect temp control?
by Haison08
27 Comments
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Adjust the screws on the door hinges. Not fixing the gap will definitely mess with your cooks
There’s videos on YouTube but you literally just have to mess with the screws until the gap closes
Quickie hack….bungee cord down the top. Ask me how I know.
Yes it will be a big problem. Like the others said, adjust the screws, or you may have to twist the lid a bit.
Also, check that your bottom rack is all the way in, sometimes it gets hung up on something and stick out a bit preventing the door from closing fully.
Root cause, door opening too far and bends just slightly, but is magnified by the length of the door.
Open the lid, put a small chunk of wood in front of the hinge then try forcing it closed to bend things back and it should be fine. If you bend it too far it will hit at the front and have a gap at the top so take it slow
Traeger for you…but hey at least it ain’t a Pit Boss!
I had the same problem a few months ago. Tried to adjust the screws and it helped a little but not great. Contacted Traeger and they sent me a whole new lid and screws to replace everything. Fits perfectly now
Adjust the hinges
Short answer yes. If you don’t want to go through the process of getting a new lid, buying or otherwise, I would suggest an oven door seal. They’re rated for very high heat and create a satisfactory seal. Honestly, adjust the screws and if the lid is warped you may need a new one.
I had the issue. Adjusted the screws and it really helped. I did add a thin seal around the edges also. Nothing crazy just a little extra insurance.
If it’s still under warranty, contact traeger, they replaced mine.
Lava lock. Can get on Amazon
I adjusted the screws and didn’t close fully and reached out to Traeger and they sent a new lid. Customer service was top notch
You need to bend the hinges ever so slightly, I put a screw driver between each of the hinges and the unit itself and closed the lid with some pressure and it bent them enough to be able to close
Worse case scenario if the door is warped – install you a good toggle clamp at each bottom corner of the door
Gasket seal
Align as best you can then apply a smoker gasket
It will affect your cook. I made a prime rib for New Years, and I didn’t get the grill rack pushed back in correctly, leaving a half inch gap when I put the meat in to smoke.
Thankfully, I noticed the prob temp wasn’t rising very much after I had it on for a few hours. It came out fine because I caught it early. We just had to eat later than I had planned.
Mine did that, it was a manufacturing defect that traeger is aware of. If you get customer support involved they should send you a new one no questions asked. Much better cook after I fixed mine.
Traeger rock
I had the exact same issue, unfortunately tightening the hinges did not help me. I contacted Traeger support and they sent me a new one free of charge, got here in two days.
I have the same model as you and despite not having a warranty anymore, I did not have to pay a dime. Might be worth a try.
I put a brick on the handle when cooking. Then again I put a bigger motor in it too.
I just put a piece of firewood on it to keep it closed.
Your temp will be off. I’d fix it, the hinges are on top.
I went through two lid replacements (warranty) before giving up and buying a lot of lava lock and sealing it that way. Mine was never this bad.
You can fix this like you would a crooked door. Undo the hinge pin. Line up the lid. Use a crescent wrench to grab and gently bend the non lid hinge holes with the lid hinge holes. Heat up the hinge metal a bit before bending if it’s being stubborn. Happy trails.