Camp Chef Flame Error – 5 Causes and Quick Fixes [2025]

Cooking in Camp Chef pellet grills is always a good feeling. It just leaves you to your own things as it cooks – thanks to the Camp Chef flame error feature. I love how it lets you know when and if the flame goes out, unlike other grills where you need to use a Bluetooth thermometer.

Let’s talk about this flame error feature and how you can prevent it from happening. Your camp chef shows the error when the flame is extinguished or almost gone out.

There are a couple of fixes for it. For example, you can try checking the pellets for quality or examine the auger function. These could be the causes for the error. The error could be caused by other factors as well. That is what we’ll discuss in this article. Keep reading to see what’s causing the issue in your camp chef pellet grill.

What Does Camp Chef Flame Error Mean?

Camp chef pellet grills have a separate device that keeps a check on your grill’s flame situation. When it says flame error it means your flame has gone out or the temperature dropped to an unaccepted level, your grill is now cold.

It might irritate you but this flame error will save you from a lot of trouble when you’re grilling and smoking meat. Uncooked meat is mostly unrecoverable.

Why Flame Error Occurs on Camp Chef?

When your Camp Chef shows the Flame error on the display, it might be either a technical issue or it has something to do with your pellets.

For example, When the grill is not producing enough heat, you’re doomed. This is the most common cause of camp chef flame out. And there are quite a few reasons why your grill’s fire dies out. We’ll discuss them shortly.

Besides that, there might be cases where the display is showing flame error but pellets are burning well and the grill is working perfectly. In such cases what happens is that the temperature probe used to measure the heat level of your grill might have started malfunctioning while your grill is working properly.

And this eventually leads to a dying-out flame.

Here are the reasons why your camp chef is showing flame error.

1. Pellet Quality

One cause behind your pellet grill’s flame-out could be the pellet quality. If the pellets are not dry enough, the remaining moisture will prevent the pellet from burning properly. And the grill won’t be heating up to the required level.

So the temperature sensor lets you know that the temperature isn’t where you want it to be. But the good news is that the pellet will eventually dry up and burn well.

Some people using harder and stronger wood such as Alder have stated that these do not burn well, but the experience isn’t the same for all.

2. Jammed Auger

Things are worse if your pellets jam the auger. Using completely dry pellets is vital if you want your pellet grill’s auger to function as expected. Some learned it the hard way as the moist pellets got stuck in the auger and jammed the pathway.

Usually, it happens when you leave the pellets in the hopper for too long, and it absorbs moisture and becomes soft. As they are fed through the auger into the burn pot, the softness causes them to munch together and eventually jams the auger.

Sometimes the pellets are dry but still, the auger gets jammed. In such cases, that’s a technical issue with the auger components.

3. Ash Accumulation in Burn Pot

Another common reason behind the flame out could be the ash build-up in your burn pot. It’s the result of the lack of maintenance. And that’s not an everyday issue since pellet grills do not create that much ash.

Too much ash will choke out your fire no matter the quality of the pellet and clean auger.

4. Bad Hot Rod Igniter

On rare occasions, you might find yourself dealing with a bad igniter. Even though your auger is working and feeding pellets into the burn chamber, there will be no fire due to the broken igniter. It’s more common than you think. Here’s a smoking meat forums discussion.

5. Temperature Sensor Malfunction

As mentioned earlier, sometimes your flame won’t go out but it won’t be increasing either. When does that happen? It happens when the culprit is a malfunctioning temperature sensor.

If the Resistance Temperature Detector or RTD is malfunctioning due to being covered with grease, it’ll not show the exact temperature. Or maybe it’s busted. Either way, fewer pellets will be fed in each pellet cycle. As a result, eventually, the fire will go out. Unfortunately, Camp Chef’s pellet grill doesn’t have a smart feature that lets us know if things are not working well.

Do camp chef troubleshooting to find out the exact cause.

How to Fix Camp Chef Flame out Error?

As you saw there are quite a few causes behind the error showing up. Each needs to be solved differently. Here’s how:

Checking Pellet Quality

Before you invest in your pellet storage, you need to check the pellet quality. Here’s what you can do to avoid bad pellets,

• Find out if your grill’s manufacturer recommends any specific pellets
• Seek out experienced users who know good pellets from bad pellets
• Spend time researching, it never goes to waste
• You might need to do trial and error before you find the right pack of pellets

Solve the Jammed Auger

When the pellets jam up the auger, follow these steps,

• Remove the pellets from the repository aka hopper
• Clean the hopper
• Let the hopper dry out
• Regularly clean the hopper to prevent the problem from happening again

Prevent Ash Build Up

There’s only one way you can prevent the ash from choking your fire and that’s by preventing ash accumulation.

• Clean the ash from the burn pot after each cooking session
• Inspect before cooking each time

Fix the Broken Igniter

• Remove the grill components i.e. the grill, the heat diffuser, etc
• Find the fire/burn pot
• Replace the bad igniter with a new one
• Put the components back

Clean or Replace the Temperature Sensor

If the temperature sensor is malfunctioning, you’ll need to do either of two things; clean or replace the heat sensor.

• First, remove the temperature sensor
• You can clean it with warm soapy water (don’t use a harsh detergent)
• Or you can use an oven/grill cleaner spray

Here’s a tutorial on it.

• Dry it and test it out
• If it works then it works
• If it doesn’t you need a new sensor

If you’re fortunate, your remaining warranty period will take care of it. Otherwise, you’ll need to buy one and replace it.

One Additional Tip

Sometimes the issue might be with the power source. You’ll rip out your hair not being able to solve the issue. And then you find out the grill isn’t connected to the power source.

So, always check if the power source is alright and if the connection is proper before and during the cooking.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Why does my camp chef smoker say flame?

The most likely reason is that your grill’s fire is extinguished.

• Why is my pellet grill not getting hot?

It’s either poor quality pellets or the accumulated ash that’s causing the low temperature.

• Do pellet grills have flames?

In pellet grills, wood pellets are burning albeit at a much slower rate. But it is steady and burning. So, it does produce flames but not like your traditional gas grills.

• What brands of pellets should I use?

Camp chef manufactures wood pellets that their pellet grill customer can use. But other brands will also work as long it’s 100% natural wood without any additives, glue, or binders. And it shouldn’t contain corn or any other oils if you want the best outcome.

• How do you know if the pellet has moisture?

If the pellets crumble easily, most likely there’s moisture in them.

Verdict

It’s not uncommon to experience camp chef woodwind flame error. But don’t panic when you see the red FLAME text popping up on your display. If you’re quick enough and catch the issue on time, you can solve the issue in a moment. But if it’s an issue with a grill component such as the broker igniter as we mentioned above, you’ll have to wait until you replace it.

It’s a good idea to keep an eye on your grill throughout your cooking. And whichever may be the reason, the solution is pretty simple. Follow the steps mentioned above and get back to your cooking. Still you’re in trouble then contact with the Camp chef customer support. They’ll help to solve your problem.