Bull Problem with the Bull

[Tony]

I’m wondering if anyone else has had issues with the heat deflector and/or drip pans “warping” and found a fix. I’m talking to the point where the drip pan is teetering left to right if you touch it while it’s hot and even touches or moves the grate, or to where it causes grease to just pool up instead of drain. I got my RT-700 in November and have had this problem. On thanksgiving, with two 14 pound spatchcocked turkeys on my Bull I noticed the grate was pushed up and grease had slightly pooled up. Once the turkeys were done and I shut it down and it cooled everything was back to normal. I thought it was a one off this. After that I did some chicken thighs and had the same thing happen but it didn’t push the grates up that time. I did a lot of testing after that and couldn’t tell if it was the heat deflector or the drip pan that was warping but found out it started happening somewhere around 275 degrees. I took some videos and I contacted RT customer service. They eventually called me, they were super friendly, and thought it was probably the heat deflector so they sent me a new one, and a new light lens because mine was already cracked for some reason, UPS ground. It arrived a week or so later and I immediately tested it out. Same problem persisted. I reached back out to RT and a few days later I heard back. They had me send them a new video to show what was happening. I did and they sent out a new drip pan UPS Ground. That finally arrived the day before yesterday and I installed it and tested it right away. Still having the same problem where after about 275-ish the drip pan starts rising or warping to the point of teetering when touched. It appears that it is now mainly the right side that starts warping or getting pushed up. I took a new video and emailed it to them right away and am just waiting to hear back after the weekend. I’m at a loss and am not sure what to trouble shoot next so I figured I would see if anyone else experienced something similar and found the cause/fix. I attached a short video to give an idea of what I’m talking about.

I’ve had mine since June of last year, mine has always done this, thought about bolting stiffener plates under the bottom, agree with this much money for a pellet pooper, you shouldn’t have to make these kinds of modification.

 

[dirtyknuckles]

I’m wondering if anyone else has had issues with the heat deflector and/or drip pans “warping” and found a fix. I’m talking to the point where the drip pan is teetering left to right if you touch it while it’s hot and even touches or moves the grate, or to where it causes grease to just pool up instead of drain. I got my RT-700 in November and have had this problem. On thanksgiving, with two 14 pound spatchcocked turkeys on my Bull I noticed the grate was pushed up and grease had slightly pooled up. Once the turkeys were done and I shut it down and it cooled everything was back to normal. I thought it was a one off this. After that I did some chicken thighs and had the same thing happen but it didn’t push the grates up that time. I did a lot of testing after that and couldn’t tell if it was the heat deflector or the drip pan that was warping but found out it started happening somewhere around 275 degrees. I took some videos and I contacted RT customer service. They eventually called me, they were super friendly, and thought it was probably the heat deflector so they sent me a new one, and a new light lens because mine was already cracked for some reason, UPS ground. It arrived a week or so later and I immediately tested it out. Same problem persisted. I reached back out to RT and a few days later I heard back. They had me send them a new video to show what was happening. I did and they sent out a new drip pan UPS Ground. That finally arrived the day before yesterday and I installed it and tested it right away. Still having the same problem where after about 275-ish the drip pan starts rising or warping to the point of teetering when touched. It appears that it is now mainly the right side that starts warping or getting pushed up. I took a new video and emailed it to them right away and am just waiting to hear back after the weekend. I’m at a loss and am not sure what to trouble shoot next so I figured I would see if anyone else experienced something similar and found the cause/fix. I attached a short video to give an idea of what I’m talking about.

I have had a 680 with a warped drip pan for over 4 years and it's never been a problem to cook on. I use a 3.5-inch pain scraper to remove the leftover grease and such, it beats hell out of foil. Some, however, want their grills and smokers as clean as a kitchen stove, to each his own. The warp comes from a large thin sheet of metal and temperature differences across the pan. I do hope you can get it fixed but as I said spend some time smokin' and eatin' with friends and family and forget the pan it'll do ok. '

 

[macabra11]

RecTec is sending me new heat deflector and drip pan for this same exact problem. I’ve been getting uneven heating and slow warm up times. During the on phone trouble shooting I was asked to remove the foil from my drip pan and move the rtd probe away from the side wall. It was about 1/8” away and they said to move it 1/2” away. During the temp test after that, they also said to put a tiny gap in my lid to increase airflow. The grill heated up MUCH faster, but then I noticed the issue with the warping drip pan. It was quite severe!
I do not have high hopes for the new ones not warping too, but I will keep calling and getting replacements until they get it right.

 

[dixonduke]

So my heat deflector is warping as well. I am pretty sure it is the reason that grease is dripping off the side of my drip pan and spilling into the belly of the cooker. Well that is what I believe is causing my issue. I am no longer using foil on the drip pan and my last several cooks I have large amounts of grease in the belly under the drip pan on the discharge half/side of the belly.

I called customer service and they have sent me a new heat shield, now I am flirting with the idea on how to modify the old one so the warping does not happen. Any of you with more engineering acumen than I possess want to chime in? How would you modify the shield?

My old shield....

 

[Buckeye smoker]

Yes I replied to another thread on here today, About this. I hadn't had any bad affects, except that I've always thought my drip pan wasn't draining as good as others. So I remeasured my warp and it's close to yours now. 7/8"... And I can see where it's rubbing the bottom of the drip pan now.
I'll be requesting a new heat shield before it gets even worse, I've held off long enough, and haven't seen any fix or replacement model from RT. After looking at my own pic I can see it actually twisted on both ends.

 

[sandyut]

@Macguy I too am curious about this diffuser. My OEM is warped a little, but if this one doesnt I would buy it.

did you or anyone else try one?

 

[Aerosmoker]

Well this is disappointing. I'm a Rec Tec noob, grill won't be here till the end of the week. I wish I would have come to the forums sooner. This is the FIRST time I have seen anything about the diffuser and drip pan warping. I did ALOT of research elsewhere and no where did I see this being a problem. I'm going to call CS in the morning and inquire if any corrective actions have been done to the units that are being shipped out now. I just sent back a Smokefire without opening it. Depending on CS's response, this one might be headed back to Evans, GA unopened. I'll post the outcome. Oy

LJ

 

[Buckeye smoker]

A lot of times the deflector is just cosmetic (yet hidden) and doesn't affect the cooks at all... I've only seen the one post on the drip pan, and I believe it was the deflector pushing up on it after heat expansion (a already warped deflector)... I believe most don't have this problem and some even buy other deflectors without knowing either way just because it's what they want, not because of defect.
I personally had a warp after close to a year of cooking on it without incident. I was being proactive in my situation. Something's for you to think about. I wouldn't cancel over a heat deflector.
Jmo goodluck !

 

[Aerosmoker]

Thanks for the info Buckeye. I'm not worried about the cosmetic aspects. The two things I am worried about (1) Warped deflector causing uneven heating (2) Grease pooling in the drip pan for the possibility of a grease fire. Guess I'm a little gun shy due to my Smokefire experience. I'm still gonna give CS a shout and see what they say. Thanks again for your input.

LJ

 

[Uncle Bob]

Thanks for the info Buckeye. I'm not worried about the cosmetic aspects. The two things I am worried about (1) Warped deflector causing uneven heating (2) Grease pooling in the drip pan for the possibility of a grease fire. Guess I'm a little gun shy due to my Smokefire experience. I'm still gonna give CS a shout and see what they say. Thanks again for your input.

LJ

Just some cautionary remarks for you to consider as you see fit. No cooker is going to be "perfect". If that's one of your top priorities you're not likely to find a cooker that will make you happy. Expectations, realistic or not, matter. I'm not aware of any outdoor cooker (or indoor for that matter) that has uniform heat values throughout the "box". You're dealing with many variables in fuel, ambient conditions, airflow obstructions, and so forth. What most folks who enjoy this style of cooking do is learn their pit and how to work with it's characteristics. Once you hone your skills you actually find ways to exploit the "defects", i.e. slow a cook down if need be by moving a hunk o' protein to the "cooler" zone. Or if you've got two thicknesses of cut put the thick in the hotter zone, the thin in the cooler zone. As much as pellet grills are touted as "set and forget", those who get the best results are the folks who learn the art of cooking, not just a step by step process.

 

[pbison]

Well this is disappointing. I'm a Rec Tec noob, grill won't be here till the end of the week. I wish I would have come to the forums sooner. This is the FIRST time I have seen anything about the diffuser and drip pan warping. I did ALOT of research elsewhere and no where did I see this being a problem. I'm going to call CS in the morning and inquire if any corrective actions have been done to the units that are being shipped out now. I just sent back a Smokefire without opening it. Depending on CS's response, this one might be headed back to Evans, GA unopened. I'll post the outcome. Oy

LJ

To be honest, that's one thing that really bothers me about RecTec. They curate their website and social media, and I'm even starting to believe they may have social media plants as well, so issues like this and the app alerts not working are hard to find.

That said, I'd still buy my RT-590 again...if I was buying in the same price range. But my price range may be higher now, lol, because I use this thing way more than my old gasser. As Bob points out, no grill is perfect. RecTec seems to get the basics right. Good quality components, good performance, reliable, great customer service.

 

[Aerosmoker]

Just got off the phone with Ryan at Rec Tec. Basically no new info. He stated that a small percentage of the grills were having this problem. No mention of anything that has actually been done to get to the bottom of the problem. He reassured me that if I experience this with my grill to give them a call and a new deflector would be sent. Due to the overwhelming comments of how good this grill is, I'm going to give it a go. I'll try to post back at a later time after I do a few cooks with an update. Thanks for all the replies.

LJ

UPDATE 4/1/20:

Upon receiving my grill, I did the one hour burn in. I then proceeded to test the temperature control and compare the accuracy to my Maverick Redi Chek ET-732. I spent around 5 hours running the temp up and down. I was very impressed how well it performed. I was also impressed on how evenly the heat was distributed. The temp does run a little hotter on the right (which I expected) The maximum temp difference I saw was 20 degrees. The average temp difference between the left probe and right probe was only 10 degrees. Averaging the temps, I was usually within 5 degrees of what the Rec Tec internal probe was reading..WOW!

I have done about a half dozen cooks, high and low temps. To date, there has been NO warping of the heat deflector or drip pan. I realize its only been a short time but thought I would share my results.

If I do get any warping, I'll update the post. Until then, GRILL ON!

LJ

 

[Brian Vallotton]

Just got off the phone with Ryan at Rec Tec. Basically no new info. He stated that a small percentage of the grills were having this problem. No mention of anything that has actually been done to get to the bottom of the problem. He reassured me that if I experience this with my grill to give them a call and a new deflector would be sent. Due to the overwhelming comments of how good this grill is, I'm going to give it a go. I'll try to post back at a later time after I do a few cooks with an update. Thanks for all the replies.

LJ

Yes, I am such a great worrier that 99% of my worries never happen! I am an anxiety expert! ?

 

[macabra11]

I got my Bull in Sept and have had issues getting up to temps in reasonable amounts of time. I also noticed not much grease in my bucket, but rather a bunch collecting under my foil lining on the drip tray. I knew my heat deflector was warped almost from the beginning, but it hadn’t pushed up on the drip tray (so I thought). Called CS about 3-4 weeks ago and they walked me through some tests. During which I noticed that the drip tray was warping AND the heat deflector was pushing up on the tray when hot. They sent me out new tray and deflector. I installed and tried a Full Heat test. It was 43° and I got to about 530° but it took almost an hour. During that time I could see the drip tray was warping some. Shut the grill off and I used heat proof gloves to remove the grates and tray, and sure enough the new deflector was warped too. Now both did go back to normal once cooled down, but still shouldn’t happen. Going to do a couple more cooks and monitor, but I doubt it’s going to get better.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Just got off the phone with Ryan at Rec Tec. Basically no new info. He stated that a small percentage of the grills were having this problem. No mention of anything that has actually been done to get to the bottom of the problem. He reassured me that if I experience this with my grill to give them a call and a new deflector would be sent. Due to the overwhelming comments of how good this grill is, I'm going to give it a go. I'll try to post back at a later time after I do a few cooks with an update. Thanks for all the replies.

LJ

They may really believe it is a "small percentage" problem which would explain why a company that historically has dealt with issues fairly quickly and effectively (wifi issues may be an exception now too) is doing very little on this. We've been talking about this on these boards for coming up on a year. I don't have the problems stated here, I got my unit in '18. It appears that nearly every owner who's taken delivery of their cooker since second quarter '19 is eventually having this warping. Granted, the group here is only a small portion of total RT owners, but to have near 100% of this "small" group afflicted and it not show up elsewhere defies the laws of probability. Even if you grant RT "willful ignorance", you folks have handled it wrong in trying to get a fix from RT. I made a suggestion last year how to get it done and nobody felt it was worthwhile. Enjoy your participation trophies.........….

 

[ccmjr77]

So far mine has not warped, but I do not do a lot of high heat cooks. about 350 is as high as I usually go on my Bull.

 

[pbison]

They may really believe it is a "small percentage" problem which would explain why a company that historically has dealt with issues fairly quickly and effectively (wifi issues may be an exception now too) is doing very little on this. We've been talking about this on these boards for coming up on a year. I don't have the problems stated here, I got my unit in '18. It appears that nearly every owner who's taken delivery of their cooker since second quarter '19 is eventually having this warping. Granted, the group here is only a small portion of total RT owners, but to have near 100% of this "small" group afflicted and it not show up elsewhere defies the laws of probability. Even if you grant RT "willful ignorance", you folks have handled it wrong in trying to get a fix from RT. I made a suggestion last year how to get it done and nobody felt it was worthwhile. Enjoy your participation trophies.........….

You're right. I assumed it was a common enough problem that they would come out with a fix and was fine waiting it out. But of course they are not going to if hardly anybody is contacting them about it, so I probably should.

 

[Buckeye smoker]

Everyone should. and also mention that you've "read about" others having this problem as well.

 

[Uncle Bob]

...……………………….. But of course they are not going to if hardly anybody is contacting them about it, so I probably should.

Thank you, and you're correct about contacting them. However, that may only be a first step in the actual resolution process.

 

[Brian Vallotton]

Everyone should. and also mention that you've "read about" others having this problem as well.

I just emailed Zach at Rec Tec and asked him about it. Told him I was seeing a recurring theme and wondered if my new unit which arrives Wednesday is effected. He has been very responsive to my other inquiries.