You’re ready to spend some quality time with your Pit Boss, your meat is ready, you’ve got your pellets, you’re good to go. You turn your pellet grill/smoker on, and you can hear the auger turning however, something is different, your Pit Boss sounds quieter than usual. Eventually, you may see Er2 on your control panel or maybe Err and a blinking fan icon. Unfortunately, you have experienced one of the rarer faults, your combustion fan has failed. No need to worry though, a new fan replacement is an easy job to complete.
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Important: If your Pit Boss won’t turn on, check out my linked article to track down the cause of the problem.
Introduction To Pit Boss Combustion Fan Replacement
The fan on your Pit Boss obviously performs an essential role, it feeds the fire. Without a working fan, its unlikely your Pit Boss will be able to establish a fire, but it definitely won’t get up to temperature.
A combustion fan failing is one of the rarer faults on a pellet grill/smoker. Why? Well, the fan doesn’t really come under much stress/wear and tear.
For instance, hot rod igniters fail due to the high temperatures they are exposed to, along with corrosion.
The auger can become blocked in your Pit Boss, this may put stress on the auger motor and cause it to fail.
The control panel uses lots of electrical components, and therefore a single transistor breaking could cause it to fail.
The combustion fan, on the other hand, is just a fan blade attached to a motor, but occasionally the motor or the bearings inside can fail.
If your fan sounds like its grinding, then the bearings have failed and its cheaper to replace the fan than to try and repair the bearings.
Before you purchase a replacement fan, always check the Molex connectors to make sure they haven’t come loose. Your problem could just be a bad connection. The combustion fan may be just fine.
If that doesn’t work and you need a replacement fan, then the two links below should be useful. However, if your Pit Boss is still under warranty, contact customer support for a replacement.
As shown in the video above, the process of replacing the combustion fan is pretty straightforward. However, Pit Boss has also produced the model-specific videos below.
Pit Boss Model Specific Fan Replacement Videos
Below I’ve provided specific videos that Pit Boss has released for changing the combustion fan in a range of their models. At least one of the videos below will be applicable to your model.
The process is very similar to that of replacing the RTD probe or replacing the auger motor, it starts with unplugging the power and taking off the lower access cover under the hopper.
Pit Boss Copper Series Fan Removal/Replacement
The Copper series from Pit Boss includes the Tailgater, Classic, Lexington Charleston and the ever popular Austin XL seen on the left. The fan replacement process starts with taking off the lower access panel under the hopper, after disconnecting the power cord of course (safety first). You shouldn’t need to remove the hopper to replace the combustion fan though. You want to first check the fans molex wire connectors, your problem may simply be a bad connection, you might not need a new fan.
Pit Boss Navigator Series Fan Removal/Replacement
There are currently four models within the Navigator Series, the 550, 850, 1150 and 1250. As shown in the video below, the combustion fan replacement process is very similar to that of the Copper Series above. Take care when cutting the cable ties around the wires from the auger, fan, RTD probe and hot rod leading to the control panel. Once the combustion fan is disconnected, simply remove the four screws holding it in position.
Pit Boss Sportsman Series Fan Removal/Replacement
The Sportsman Series includes the 500, 820, 1000, 1100 and 1230 and essentially is very similar to the Navigator Series above. The differences are really just cosmetic. As such, the process to swap the combustion fan is essentially the same. Once you remove the access panel under the hopper you are looking for the yellow wires, those are the one’s that lead to the combustion fan, first, check the molex connection to see if its just loose.
Pit Boss Pro Series Combustion Fan Removal/Replacement
If you purchased your Pit Boss from Lowes, you potentially own a Pro Series model. As the video below shows, to get to the combustion fan wires will require removal of the lower access panel on the hopper and cutting the zip ties to loosen the cables. After the new combustion fan is fitted its very important to fit a new cable tie around the wires under the hopper, why? Well, loose wires can get caught up in the fan blades, potentially leading to damage. So please don’t skip fitting a new cable tie under there.
Pit Boss Pro Series Vertical Smoker Combustion Fan Removal/Replacement
The Pit Boss Pro Series line of vertical pellet smokers is also a Lowes exclusive. The process of replacing the fan is different to that of the horizontal Pro Series pellet grills/smokers above. With the vertical smoker, you will have to empty the hopper and carefully rest the unit on its side. Once that’s done, you can remove the required panel to get to the combustion fan. Feeding the new wires through the Molex connector may get a bit tricky just take your time. Once complete, you can reassemble and lift the unit back up.
Pit Boss Platinum Laredo Fan Removal/Replacement
The Laredo is part of the Pit Boss Platinum Series, an exclusive line of products only sold through Walmart. The process of removing and replacing the combustion fan on the Laredo is pretty much the same as most of the other Pit Boss models above. Get access to the combustion fan from under the hopper and carefully cut the tie holding the wires together. Look for the tell wires, those are the ones for the fan. Check its not just a bad connection.
Pit Boss Platinum Brunswick RTD Probe Removal/Replacement
The vertical pellet smoker as part of the Platinum range is called the Brunswick. As with the Laredo above, its another Walmart exclusive. The process of changing the combustion fan is similar to that of the Pro Series vertical smoker above. You will have to empty the hopper and carefully rest the unit on its side. Actually removing the fan is a quick job, however, feeding the wires will need a piece of string and a little patience.
My Final Thoughts On Pit Boss Fan Replacements…
If the fan has stopped spinning in your Pit Boss before you order a replacement, I really would encourage you to check the Molex connector on the yellow wires that go between the fan and control panel.
As I’ve stated above, the fan itself is very simple, being just a blade and motor, and it doesn’t have a hard life like the auger motor, the RTD temperature probe or the hot rod igniter.
Maybe in moving your pellet grill/smoker around, the connection came undone, its very possible.
But if you check the connection and the fan still doesn’t want to turn on, and the control panel seems to be in working order, then yes, a fan replacement will be required.
That’s it! I hope you found the videos etc above useful to get your Pit Boss up and running again.
If you would like to learn about other models currently on the market, please check out my Wood Pellet Grill/Smoker Guide.
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