# AMaze won't stay lit



## delaware smoker

I smoked some cheese yesterday.I lit the A Maze tray with pellets,let it burn for ten minutes,and put it in my Char Griller Smoker.We had a breeze,and the A Maze smoked away In. the afternoon I smoked another batch.I relit  new pellets,put in smoker.The breeze died down,and the pellets wouldn't stay lit.They would burn for a short time,then go out.I kept relighting the pellets,and same thing would happen.I started the second batch at noon,at six pm.,I took the cheese out of the smoker.I'm not sure how much smoke they really got.How can I keep the pellets smoking,with no wind?


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## DanMcG

You might have to give it more intake air. Open the lower damper or crack the door open


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## crazymoon

DanMcG said:


> You might have to give it more intake air. Open the lower damper or crack the door open


Ditto what Dan says .


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## delaware smoker

I do have the vent on the firebox fully opened.I'll try and crack the lid open.Thanks for the replies.


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## foamheart

Do you have a small fan you can set by the exhaust vent to the pit? Set it to blow in the direction the vent faces also causing a jet pump reaction. As the wind blows by it will cause a suction by the air dispplacment pulling more air out the pit allowing a better draft thru it. Fan at suction or inlet causes ashes, not good eats.

If it works great and easy, if not you put the fan up and think of something more involved.


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## ameskimo1

In my upright smoker I usually have to keep both doors cracked, top vent full open, and then adjust the bottom dampers.

I don't know about the pellets, but when its cold outside it doesn't hurt when I give the dust 15-20 seconds in the microwave before lighting.


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## themule69

I always microwave my pellets or dust for a min. Then let sit 5 min then microwave again. I take at least 15 min to get the AMNPS going before I put it in. I make it a point to watch the clock from the time I light it till it goes in. No less than 15 min or it is going to give me fits.

Happy smoken.

David


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## bear55

Ditto what David said.


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## dirtsailor2003

Nuking the pellets to remove the moisture is a good thing. I usually do a minute, stir them up and do another minute. I put them on a plate or shallow dish so they are in a single layer. 

Good airflow is critical not only for the burn, but also to keep the smoke moving and to not end up with stale smoke sitting in your smoker.


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## delaware smoker

I put the AMaze with pellets in the side firebox,and put a fan in front of the vents.The smoke was flowing real good out of the stack.Half way through,the pellets quit smoking.It's driving me nuts.I'll try the microwave next time.

Bill


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## themule69

Delaware Smoker said:


> I put the AMaze with pellets in the side firebox,and put a fan in front of the vents.The smoke was flowing real good out of the stack.Half way through,the pellets quit smoking.It's driving me nuts.I'll try the microwave next time.
> 
> Bill


Dry pellets is a must. The pellets act like a sponge soaking up moisture.

Happy smoken.

David


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## foamheart

An after thought.... there is no way that any condensation or juices could be dripping down on your tray? If it only smokes 1/2 way it might explain that.


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## tjohnson

Try placing the AMNPS just inside the main chamber and i would even crack the hood

Make sure you have lots of air coming in from the intake

Yes, pellets do absorb moisture, so drying them out can help

Todd


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## delaware smoker

TJohnson said:


> Try placing the AMNPS just inside the main chamber and i would even crack the hood
> 
> Make sure you have lots of air coming in from the intake
> 
> Yes, pellets do absorb moisture, so drying them out can help
> 
> Todd


I have put the AMNPS inside the main chamber,same results.It goes out half way through the first row.Even if I crack open the hood,would this help if there is no breeze blowing?Today the wind is blowing,I should lite the AMNPS,and see what happens.


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## tjohnson

Wanna try a Tube Smoker?

PM Me with your shipping info


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## DanMcG

TJohnson said:


> Wanna try a Tube Smoker?
> PM Me with your shipping info



Todd, what are the advantages of the tube smoker?


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## tjohnson

Tube Smokers work very well in just about any low oxygen atmosphere. 

A pellet or gas grill has very little oxygen after the flame.  This is where the Tube Smoker really works well.  The Tubes have a larger mass of pellets than the AMNPS 5x8, and produce more smoke.

Tube Smokers also perform better at higher elevations.  The AMNPS 5x8 seems to struggle around 5,000', but the Tube Smokers perform well.


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## atomicsmoke

I also found that some pellets don't burn as well as others in the a-maze-n tray. I used exact same setup, weather was also about the same, microwaved the same amount of time, yet the cherry pellets (BBQ delight) kept flaming out. Apple work fine. Eventually I mixed them and it worked better.


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## delaware smoker

So will a tube smoker work in a Kamado,which I have? I tried the AMNPS in my Acorn,it doesn't work,because it doesn't get much air to keep it smoking.


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## tjohnson

atomicsmoke said:


> I also found that some pellets don't burn as well as others in the a-maze-n tray. I used exact same setup, weather was also about the same, microwaved the same amount of time, yet the cherry pellets (BBQ delight) kept flaming out. Apple work fine. Eventually I mixed them and it worked better.


Cherry Pellets do not burn well on their own.  Not really sure why, but it's just the nature of the pellets.  I cover this issue in my instructions.

Layer the bottom 1/2 of the row with good burning pellets like Oak, Maple or Hickory

Layer the top 1/2 of the row with cherry pellets

The bottom layer is your fire and the top layer will smolder

Todd


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## DanMcG

TJohnson said:


> Tube Smokers work very well in just about any low oxygen atmosphere.
> A pellet or gas grill has very little oxygen after the flame.  This is where the Tube Smoker really works well.  The Tubes have a larger mass of pellets than the AMNPS 5x8, and produce more smoke.
> Tube Smokers also perform better at higher elevations.  The AMNPS 5x8 seems to struggle around 5,000', but the Tube Smokers perform well.



Thanks Todd, I might have to try one of them out.


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## dirtsailor2003

Delaware Smoker said:


> So will a tube smoker work in a Kamado,which I have? I tried the AMNPS in my Acorn,it doesn't work,because it doesn't get much air to keep it smoking.















image.jpg



__ dirtsailor2003
__ Dec 9, 2014






Tube smoker works in my 1967 CasaQ so I don't see why it wouldn't work. I put mine right down at the bottom by the air intake. 

On a side note I've never had problems getting cherry pellets to burn and stay lit when using the tubes. I do microwave them prior to burning. Nuke for I minute stir, nuke for one more minute. Works every time.


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## jbfromtennessee

there is a learning curve firing up the 5x8. i ended up pulling the wood tray on my mes30 out about 2 inches. i ran three trays thru it testing before i put a shoulder in it. put one in about 10 at night and it was going strong at 10 the next morning. just now ordered three 5 pound bags of the hickory. this bad boy works but like i said there is a small learning curve. well worth every min to me.


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## gglz

Hello, I have a AMaze as well and can't keep it lit. Try using it in a gaz bbq with lid cracked open and BGE with vents wide open, no luck. Any suggestions? Thank you Gerry.


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## cmayna

Gerry,

Which Amazen burner do you have and which flavor wood are you using?


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## mummel

There is a steep learning curve with the AMPS.  It's fricken genius once it's lit, but I am struggling to get it going (failed 5/7 times now).  I am however going to try some of Bear's techniques on the next one and use a blower or hairdryer to really get the cherry going on the bottom.  I will report back.


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## piratey

Like others have said, microwave to get dry pellets, then light it using the torch and let it burn for about 10-15 minutes to get a good bunch of coal on the bottom, which will keep smoldering.  Then put it somewhere that gets enough air.  I did the mailbox mod.  Use the search bar to get some idea.  It works well for me.  If it seems like it is about to go out, or smoldering really weakly, take it out and blow on the tube from the bottom, to provide more air and get it really going again.  This isn't optimal for long smokes, obviously, but it will work in a pinch.  It did take me a few times to really get it down, but it works well once you get your technique down.


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## gglz

Thanks for reply, I have the 8 X 5 maze and I been using apple pellets. I will try the microwave next time to dry them out.

Do I need to empty the BGE of charcoal and place maze at the bottom?

Thanks,

Gerry


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## Mwdilday

I should try the tube also.  Having trouble keeping the tray lit.  What is the longest tube you have?


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