Yesterday as I was about to make 3 slabs of ribs for my mom on Mother's Day, I got the dreaded E7 error. Luckily I had my trusty kettle to get the ribs done and it was good to fire up charcoal again. I checked all the connections, cleaned out the auger, but still got the same error. I reached out to customer service today to get a replacement, but if I am out of warranty and I have to buy the $200 motor out of pocket, I may just get something a bit cheaper. I can't see myself dropping $900 at minimum on a Searwood. I know this is a common failure, and there is never a good time for it to happen, but this was definitely the WRONG time for it to happen.
Got the dreaded E7 error on Mother's day
- Thread starter Derrick H
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Bob Erdman
TVWBB Pro
My thinking too. Ex4/Searwood will do. I need to make some room first.
Bob Erdman
TVWBB Pro
If I was out of warranty on the SmokeFire, I would buy a replacement auger. You could get a cheaper pellet grill but why throw out the baby with the bath water? To me, it's worth replacing the auger.
Good thing you had a back up grill.
Jay D in Jersey
TVWBB Wizard
Precisely why I wouldn't go running to a Searwood...$900 is a very steep entry cost of admission.
Jay D in Jersey
TVWBB Wizard
Good point but it begs the question of how generic and/or available are the parts for a SmokeFire if the grill is out of warranty? Are the main components available on say Amazon?
I know I wanted another probe or 2 for my Oakford and the generic ones for Pit Boss were $13 a pair and work perfectly.
I know it gets more complicated with controllers and electronics.../but augers, blowers, ,motors etc...
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timothy
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
It's out of warranty, but how old is it?
Might be worth a call to see?
That is my major concern. If I pay for the motor, and the something else breaks and then I am screwed when I could have just bought something that is still being supported. But if they send me a motor for free, I'll keep trucking until it breaks for good. Kind of annoys me that the Traegar replacement motor is $25 while Weber's is $180? That's crazy.
It's 4 years old, so it MAY still be under warranty as some components are covered for 5 years, most are only covered for 3. Waiting to see what they say. I put in a warranty claim.
Brian B Atlanta
TVWBB Gold Member
Lucky you kept that kettle and trusty like my performer it is. Always fun for me using charcoal, I fire up the performer once a month so not a heavy user however it never fails to work something to be said for that.
Rich Dahl
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
That's why I went ahead and up graded my controller for $50 to a PID on my cheap $350 Camp Chef. With 200+ faultless cooks for $50 vs $900 for a Searwood. Three cooks later I'm very happy with my decision much better heat control and smoke control. When the CC goes belly up well maybe then a Searwwood or who knows maybe another cheap CC. 
Chad-Burnt to a T
TVWBB Super Fan
WSM and Kettles can't be beat.
The contacted me back and told me that while this is a common failure on the device, I am out of warranty and will sell the motor to me for $140 instead of $180. I am leaning towards just getting a new pellet grill with parts that can be replaced for cheaper. Given the Smokefire is out of production, the next time something happens to it, I will be SOL. But there is NO WAY I am getting a Searwood.
Jay D in Jersey
TVWBB Wizard
That doesn't scream outstanding customer service to me.
I'm sorry....as I stated in a separate post....the entire Weber brand loyalty comes into question in the pellet grill sector. What a fail on Weber's part.
Why would you rush to their next overpriced pellet grill experiment??
Bob Erdman
TVWBB Pro
For me the $140. would be money well spent to get my SmokeFire back up and running. If you like your grill, like I do, it's worth it.
Bob Erdman
TVWBB Pro
Maybe not beat, but equaled, by a pellet grill. Not trying to start a debate, just my humble opinion.
Chad-Burnt to a T
TVWBB Super Fan
I won't go down that road either, but I'll never see the value. Even before Weber got in the game I never liked pellet. I don't like the jack of all trades master of none. I don't like the lack of smoke profile and for the money I can trick out a wsm and have more capacity with the same ease of control and still have money to burn. I could afford a high dollar smoker and it wouldn't say Weber it would say LSG 100% USA made. Just can't justify it vs a WSM.
BFletcher
TVWBB Platinum Member
I would have the same feeling, so long as the integrity of the metal components is good.
LMichaels
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
This is about the only reason I kept away from buying a Smokefire rather than Big Z. The ability to repair (should it be necessary) with off the shelf parts. For not much more than the cost of that motor, I can (if need be) buy an entire replacement hopper assembly with all the electrical stuff from nearly any grill supplier or Amazon. That freedom to do this is why. The Member's Mark was super cheap and only a "trial run" to see if I liked it. Then I started looking for "bigger" but still with the same criteria. I think with the Searwood though, Weber has ventured down the more "generic" path.
TimA
TVWBB All-Star
So we have an issue, and instead of fixing said issue, we complain about a new pellet grill, and refuse to fix the relatively inexpensive issue.
But by god, we’re gonna get another pellet, and spend more. That’s silly
Fix it and keep cooking. Parts for Smokefire certainly aren’t unavailable and it’s not going to be that way ANY time soon.
To sum: won’t spend $140
Won’t spend $900
Gonna spend $400+ on something else
Can’t make this up
But by god, we’re gonna get another pellet, and spend more. That’s silly
Fix it and keep cooking. Parts for Smokefire certainly aren’t unavailable and it’s not going to be that way ANY time soon.
To sum: won’t spend $140
Won’t spend $900
Gonna spend $400+ on something else
Can’t make this up
I don't like a lot of things about it, tbh. It was my first pellet grill and I like the pellet concept, but some design decisions never really set well with me. I would like a hopper that is more traditional so I am not paranoid about pellets not falling on long cooks.
Agreed. When I saw how much cheaper it is to replace motors in other pellet grills, my jaw dropped. What makes Weber's so special that it's over $100 more?
Yeah, especially when they were sending out replacement parts for anyone who asked initially. One thing I didn't mention was in the email, Weber hinted that the motors aren't being produced much longer so I may want to jump on ordering it ASAP. That may be sales tactic, but it made the think that in 2.5 years when the next motor dies I will be SOL and have to buy a new grill regardless.
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