UltraQ: My fan isn’t running or making any noise.

First make sure that your fan is plugged securely into the fan jack on your BBQ Guru control and that the control unit is on.

If the Open Lid Detection feature is on, the BBQ Guru control will wait to calculate all of the air introduced into the cooker before turning the fan back on after the lid or door is opened. Wait for the fan to begin cycling again or turn the Open Lid Detection feature off.

Check if the Ramp feature is on. If this is on and your food is within 30 degrees of being done it will lower the pit temperature so your food will not overcook.

Similarly you may have a situation where you are far below your desired pit setpoint, but the fan is not blowing. This happens when the control calculates that the temperature is rising too quickly and any additional air will contribute to overshooting your temperature. Wait for your temperature to stabilize and the fan will begin to cycle again. 

Probes that are not reading accurately can cause the fan to not run. The following test will tell you if your probes are reading correctly. Incorrect information that is being read from the thermocouple end of the pit probe will mean the data going to the controller is not accurate.  This can cause erratic or incorrect temperature readings and the fan to not run.

You can test the probes by boiling water and putting the tip in the water, be careful not to get the mesh coating in the water.  It should read around 212.  Do the same with crushed ice and water in a glass, it should read around 32.  If it will not read correctly, try switching the probes by putting the pit probe in the food jack and the food probe in the pit probe jack. Do the test again, if you don’t have a controller problem, the issue will follow the bad probe.  If you find that it is a probe, you can purchase a new one with this link.

Debris may have gotten into the fan nozzle and preventing the fan from turning. Unplug the fan and remove the debris to allow the fan to turn again.

Ice may have formed in the fan motor. This happens in very cold conditions where condensation from inside the cooker drains into the fan and then freezes during during the time that the fan is not running. In this case remove the fan and let it warm up so the ice melts which will allow the fan to turn again.

Check your fan wire for nicks or cuts which may be preventing your fan from working. If you find any or any other problem with the fan wire, see our warranty/return information.

If you’re still experiencing issues, make sure the fan is not melted. If the fan is not removed after your cook, the heat inside the cooker can travel back through the fan nozzle and melt the plastic blades which will prevent the fan from spinning.

To check if your fan has melted, remove the screws from the body of the fan and take out the black motor. Look at the open side where you can see the fan blades. If the fan is melted you will need to purchase a replacement fan.