Digital Thermostat Kit for Traeger Pellet Grills by Ortech

A definite upgrade if you're considering it. If you're afraid to get into the control box guts, pull out wire harnesses, cut zip ties, install probe leads on a control board, etc., etc. then this is not for you. Given that, it was pretty simple to install. I did have trouble with the very fine temp probe leads. They were a tad too long and the j connector wouldn't bite very well, continually giving me an error readout on the unit. After 3 tries at installing the leads and trying the control, my fumble fingers finally broke off one lead and I had to strip new wire to get bare leads. They are very fine wires and not easy to strip. I had to strip about 3/4 of an inch, double it over and twist it before I had a lead that the J connector firmly bit into. All probably my inexperience with that connector. I would suggest to the control designer a simpler connector in future models just to make it more idiot proof. You only need about 1/8" of lead so trim it if its too long and you shouldn't have my troubles.I have the Traeger entry level, BBQ055 promo unit that Costco sold in 2014. Got it nearly new from someone second hand who rarely used it. The 3 way switch that came on the unit works fine but seemed a joke after a few uses. I still needed to monitor the chamber temp on the lid dial sometimes switching back and forth between settings to get in-between temps. This controller solves that completely. Dial in your temp and walk away. The P settings (separate fuel feed speed control dial) even allows some tweaking if you feel temp swings are too big. And BTW, contrary to some comments I read here, swings in temp are part of the territory. Just ask experienced bbq-ers. The trick is to minimize them. 25 degree swings are just fine with me (even 50 on occasion) as long as they don't last long at any extreme and average out. If you're replacing the simple 3 way switch with no temp probe in your unit currently, this adds that and gives you a reading at the extreme left of the chamber. The auger and fan speeds then work in concert to maintain your dialed in temp. The probe does give a tad bit higher reading than the center of the unit. To be expected since the fire pot is on that end. Overall this controller makes this a more fun to use, worry-free grill.

I got this controller to replace the Traeger Digital Controller on my BBQ07E Lil' Tex Elite. The old controller worked fine, it just had temperature swings that were too big in my opinion. So, I wanted to replace it with a better controller. But, my Traeger grill is about 10 years old and I can see it won't last many more years despite being well cared for. So, while I wanted to get a PID controller (like this one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016J1WMRM/?coliid=IYJQNQNFUDO0N&colid=2O6U05AMZW8KP&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it ) I couldn't justify the cost of a PID controller for a grill I will replace in a couple years. This controller seemed perfect in price if it performed as advertised.I was a little worried about some of the negative reviews because the people seemed to know what they were talking about, but you always see negative reviews so I took a chance. Installation was very straightforward and easy. Takes about 15 minutes. Make sure all your wires are clear of both of the fans and that you tie wrap them nicely back when you're done.I ran a test on the grill to see how it worked (used my Thermapro Smoke to monitor grill temp). It was horrible! Temp swings were crazy - going from 180 to 360. This was worse than my original and nowhere near acceptable. So, I swapped out the new temperature probe with the old one and ran the test again (both tests ran for about 1 1/2 hours). No luck - still had wild temperature swings. So, I put in the old controller and packed up the Ortech for return.But, I wrote a note to Ortech and described the issues with my tests. I received a very nice and lenghty response from Ortech customer service who asked me to try one more test using the directions he provided. So, I put it back in and ran one more test. It worked beautifully! The funny thing is, the instructions they asked me to follow were EXACTLY what came with the controller. The key to making it work is to shut the lid and set the temperature AS SOON as you see smoke from the grill. The wait 15 minutes before you put on food. Mine takes about 1 minute 15 seconds to start smoking. I had been waiting too long to close the hood - which is old school Traeger procedure. Following the new procedure this controller works awesome! It keeps temps +/- 20 degrees of the set temp. I also put the P setting at P1 which helps to control the temp swings.This controller does exactly what I had hoped it would.

Great digital thermostat. Does exactly what it says, and it was a super easy installation upgrading from the old 3 selector to this model. Took me 10 minutes total and that's wiping stuff off too. Hardest part was getting my caveman fingers to be able to put on some zip ties. Tips: read the manual, it's an easy read and has pictures and charts to reference when plugging the fan and auger connectors back in if you forget which one goes to what,but if you take a pic or notes before you unplug anything, or have more than a 30 second memory, you can do it simple. The one thing the manual didn't mention is if you have an old 3 selector thermostat and are upgrading, you don't have a temp probe to replace, only a new one to install. If your going old stock digital to this, then you replace it. There are two holes predrilled to add the temp probe on the shelf the grill sits on if your old 3 selector model, I show where in my pics but the manual has a pic too. Does flare up like a normal smoker, and the temp shown is slightly off from the thermometer on the lid but it's close enough. Glad I bought this.

This ontroler on my junior treager is giving me more accurate temp in all conditions and smoke is way better even at high temp and it lets you know more ...

Never knew what I was missing before adding this in replacement of the generic 3 position controller.

Very easy to install works great probably better than the original