# Masterbuilt 800 not lighting



## DavesDogs

Hello, I am new to the forum here so bear with me if this is the wrong spot. I bought a Masterbuilt 800 in August and have had issues since day one. I will say that MB has been fairly responsive through FB messenger and email but its frustrating that it seems tough to just talk to a person. Anyways, when I first assembled the grill I had an issue of the grill heating up right away but then would drop in temp once it got to the desired temp range. If I opened then closed the ash hopper that seemed to restart the fan. With every use the issue got worse until I finally received some new switches. I replace every one as I was not sure which one was the issue. Since doing that its been better but still once in a while I will have an issue. Now the bigger problem I am having is that it takes forever for me to get the lump coal to light. I make sure it is all clean, remove any old ash and my slides are out, so I know Im covering the basics. But two nights ago It took me about 12 starters to get it going. So I thought well maybe I had bad lump coal or something so I ordered a bag from MB and ordered their starters, thinking that maybe this was an issue. But last night it once again took about 7 tries. I finally tried to light the starter without turning the grill on, and leaving the ash hopper door open. That seemed to work. But for a machine that says it gets to 700 in 15 minutes I have to laugh. It took over an hour to get to 400 and about 5 mins to cook my smash burgers lol. The fan seems to be running good, and in the beginning getting it lit was not an issue. Any thoughts? I have read several other threads and it seems like the hopper switches have issues (glad I now have 3 spares), but I've not seen problems with it getting started.


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## BBQ Bird

To get the charcoal started, you need to leave the ash door and hopper lid open.  The fan should not be running when they're open.  If your charcoal isn't lighting, it's an issue with the starters or charcoal, not the fan or switches.

Once the charcoal has been lit, you pull the slides, then close the hopper lid and ash door.  At that point, the fan should come on and you should see smoke start to come out of the vents in the cook chamber, and the cook chamber temp should start to rise (slowly at first, but then more quickly as more charcoal catches fire). 

If you don't see any smoke, or it only comes out for a minute or two then stops, your charcoal didn't get fully lit and the fan blew it out.  I've done this a couple of times.  

I've never used the starters; instead I use a half sheet paper towel soacked in veg oil.  Usually one is enough to get the charcoal going, but sometimes I need a 2nd.  I let them go for about 7 to 8 min before closing the doors, then it usually takes about 5 to 7 min to get to 225, 8 10 min to get to 400, and 15 to 20 to get to 600+.  I've only used briquettes.  Lump might be faster.


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## RSK

I have the MBGF800 and light the same way BBQ Bird described above except I use a tumbleweed firestarters. If windy I sometimes partly close the ash door or turn the smoker to prevent firestarter from extinguishing before coals light. I mostly use Kingsford Pro briquettes  https://www.royaloak.com/products/tumbleweeds-firestarters/


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## bill1

Make sure the fan works.


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## 912smoker

BBQ Bird said:


> To get the charcoal started, you need to leave the ash door and hopper lid open.  The fan should not be running when they're open.  If your charcoal isn't lighting, it's an issue with the starters or charcoal, not the fan or switches.
> 
> Once the charcoal has been lit, you pull the slides, then close the hopper lid and ash door.  At that point, the fan should come on and you should see smoke start to come out of the vents in the cook chamber, and the cook chamber temp should start to rise (slowly at first, but then more quickly as more charcoal catches fire).
> 
> If you don't see any smoke, or it only comes out for a minute or two then stops, your charcoal didn't get fully lit and the fan blew it out.  I've done this a couple of times.
> 
> I've never used the starters; instead I use a half sheet paper towel soacked in veg oil.  Usually one is enough to get the charcoal going, but sometimes I need a 2nd.  I let them go for about 7 to 8 min before closing the doors, then it usually takes about 5 to 7 min to get to 225, 8 10 min to get to 400, and 15 to 20 to get to 600+.  I've only used briquettes.  Lump might be faster.


I follow this method but always use the MB fire starters as I've had good luck with them.
I store them, along with my chunks, in a cooler to keep them protected.  
I use 1 starter square and after about 2 minutes or so I close the ash door and hopper lid and it's off and running.  

Keith


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## Smokegasm

I was also having trouble getting my Masterbuilt 800 started. I switched to a new method and I haven't had a single problem since. I can't guarantee that it will work for anyone else, but here's my method:

I plug in the grill, turn it on, and set my desired temperature.
I open the lid, and both doors in the hopper. I also take out the two slides.
I use FOUR connected firestarter squares. (I think with two, they sometimes fall into the coal bucket before the charcoal is lit.)
As soon as the firestarter squares are well-lit (60 to 90 seconds, usually) I close all the doors. The fan begins to run immediately, and within seconds I see the temp starting to rise.
I've done 5 or 6 cooks and this method has worked every single time.


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## dr k

Probably just a paper towel with a little oil or try potato/corn chips for lighting. I can't  afford a pallet of charcoal a year to run a MB 560, 800 or 1050 venturi fan stoked flame thrower grill.  Those burn more fuel putting the slides in , shutting it down to save coal more than it takes to cook on a grill. Put in only what you need other than an over night cook.


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## Sdg20876

DavesDogs said:


> Hello, I am new to the forum here so bear with me if this is the wrong spot. I bought a Masterbuilt 800 in August and have had issues since day one. I will say that MB has been fairly responsive through FB messenger and email but its frustrating that it seems tough to just talk to a person. Anyways, when I first assembled the grill I had an issue of the grill heating up right away but then would drop in temp once it got to the desired temp range. If I opened then closed the ash hopper that seemed to restart the fan. With every use the issue got worse until I finally received some new switches. I replace every one as I was not sure which one was the issue. Since doing that its been better but still once in a while I will have an issue. Now the bigger problem I am having is that it takes forever for me to get the lump coal to light. I make sure it is all clean, remove any old ash and my slides are out, so I know Im covering the basics. But two nights ago It took me about 12 starters to get it going. So I thought well maybe I had bad lump coal or something so I ordered a bag from MB and ordered their starters, thinking that maybe this was an issue. But last night it once again took about 7 tries. I finally tried to light the starter without turning the grill on, and leaving the ash hopper door open. That seemed to work. But for a machine that says it gets to 700 in 15 minutes I have to laugh. It took over an hour to get to 400 and about 5 mins to cook my smash burgers lol. The fan seems to be running good, and in the beginning getting it lit was not an issue. Any thoughts? I have read several other threads and it seems like the hopper switches have issues (glad I now have 3 spares), but I've not seen problems with it getting started.


The biggest issue I have with my 800 is getting it to light. I even went to the trouble of using starter coals in a chimney to ensure I have a good fire source and then adding to coals to the fuel hopper. In every instance of attempting to get this bad boy to heat up, It would take at least an hour to get good air flow. I have gone around and around trying to diagnose what is causing this issue.  I finally figured out that both of the grills in the hopper are getting clogged with ash causing a restriction of airflow. There is a grill at the base of the hopper which allows ash to drop into the ashcan. There is also a grill between the hopper and the actual smoker. It allows the hot air from the blower to enter the chamber thus raising and lowering the temperature. Both of these grills tend to get obstructed by old ash and lump that are left hardened after you turn off the grill from your previous smoke session.  

My workaround has been to take the grates and the air diffuser in the main grill out so I can use a long blade screwdriver or other this pointed tool to break up the hardened obstruction.  I also do the same in the ashcan area grill.  It has worked every time since I started doing it.

Not sure what I am doing wrong when shutting down my smoker that causes this situation.  

You may want to give it a shot to see if it helps.


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## Smokegasm

I had a really hard time getting my Masterbuilt 800 to light, as well. Then I found a technique that worked for me every time. (Your mileage may vary.)

1. Make sure the grates at the bottom of the hopper are not clogged. Smack it a few times, to get any ash to fall through. Run a gloved hand along the underside of the hopper grates to dislodge any other pieces; then empty the ash basket.

2. Remove both dampers and open the lid to the grill, the hopper lid, and the lid to the ash basket

3. Plug in the grill and set your desired temperature. (The fan won't start because the lids are open.)

4. I had lots of trouble using two Firestarter squares, so I switched to a 2x2 group. This seems to work much better.

5. When you are sure that your Firestarter squares are well-lit (a minute or so), close all the lids. (The fan should immediately kick in.)

_NOTE: I was using lump charcoal._


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