You crank up the Pit Boss for your first 12-hour cook. But you notice the Pit Boss fan won’t shut off when you turn it off. Is there something wrong with the grill? Is it supposed to run during the cooking process? Does it stay on after the shutdown procedure? After doing some research, I found the answer to why it won’t shut off and what to expect.
Pit Boss Fan Won’t Shut Off
If the combustion/induction fan is not turning off, it’s because it is the grill is on, you’re cooking the food, or it hasn’t finished the shutdown cycle.
If you’re new to pellet grilling, then you know they work differently than a gas or propane grill. Before we get into some reasons why the fan isn’t working, let’s look at its importance and its importance.
How The Convection/Induction Fan Works on A Pit Boss Grill
The fan on the Pit Boss or any pellet grill plays a vital role in aiding the grill’s cooking and smoking performance. Once the grill on, the fan is responsible for keeping the fire flowing evenly throughout the cooking chamber. The even flow of the air helps the food cook/smoke more evenly.
If the fan isn’t working correctly, your Pit Boss grill will stop working altogether. It’s possible to replace the induction fan, but that’s another article for a different day.
Here’s an article on how to replace an auger, if it’s not working properly.
Below, you’ll find some reasons why the Pit Boss isn’t shutting down and if you need to do anything about it.
Reasons It Won’t Shut Down & What to Do
The Grill On
The Pit Boss induction fan and the auger (or any pellet grill) will run continuously. As soon as you plug the Pit Boss into an electrical outlet, the fan and other components start working.
The auger feeds pellets into the firepot. The hot rod in the firepot ignites the pellets, and the induction fan provides air to aid in the combustion.
As long as the grill is on, the internal fan will continue to run. There’s nothing for you to worry about or do.
The Pit Boss is Cooking
If you have food on the grill and the fan is running, it means the fan is doing its job of circulating air throughout the chamber. Pellet grills use indirect heat for cooking food. When the sear plate is closed, it circulates air around the cooking chamber, much like a convection oven.
Depending on the grill’s temperature, indirect heat makes it easy for the griller to cook, braise, barbecue, bake, and smoke food. The convection fan helps the grill run efficiently by providing oxygen to cook the food thoroughly and burn the pellets more evenly.
It also helps you spend less on pellets. Of course, every pellet grill is different, and some will burn more pellets (fuel) than others.
The Shutdown Procedure Is Not Complete
If you’ve just finished a 12-hour cook and the internal fan is still running, it’s completely normal. The internal fan will continue to run for about 5-10 minutes after the shutdown procedure.
As long as you shut down the Pit Boss properly, it’s totally fine. When you’re done, just set the grill to the lowest temperature and lift the lid. The internal fan will continue running, but the grill will start cooling down.
Once the internal fan has stopped running, you can turn off the grill and unplug it. There’s nothing else for you to do. The induction fan will shut down on its own.
Don’t cover the grill until it has completely shut down and cooled properly.
How Should the Pit Boss Fan Sound?
The Pit Boss fan will be noisy due to the pellets’ continuous feeding and running the fan. It kind of sounds like a loud oscillating house fan, but it won’t be too loud. If the noise bothers you, move it further away from the house.
You don’t have to stand by your grill during the cooking process. If you have a good meat thermometer, you can walk away from the grill, as long as you don’t leave it unattended too long.
That said, the grill shouldn’t make loud scraping or squealing noises. If this is the case, something is likely wrong, and you’ll want to contact Pit Boss’s customer support.
Conclusion
There’s nothing to worry about if your fan is always running when it’s turned on. The induction fan is an essential component of the Pit Boss pellet grill. Without a working fan, the grill wouldn’t even work.
When you hear the fan running, it means it is circulating the heat and smoke throughout the chamber, so the food cooks evenly. If you’ve shut down the Pit Boss, the fan will continue to run for about 5-10 minutes after the burn-off procedure.
There’s nothing wrong with the grill if the fan won’t shut down. Once it’s done cooking and gone through the shutdown procedure, the internal fan will shut down on its own.
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