---
title: "Weber E6: the pellets never caught fire"
description: "What E6 means on Weber E6: the pellets never caught fires, what to check before booking, and when it is not a failure at all."
url: "https://bbqgrillrepair.center/error-codes/weber-e6/"
---

# Weber E6: the pellets never caught fire

At startup the glow plug heats the first pellets while the fan feeds them air.

## What E6 actually means.

At startup the glow plug heats the first pellets while the fan feeds them air. E6 shows when the controller sees no rise in heat within the expected time, which usually traces to a burn pot full of ash, poor pellets or a glow plug that has shifted out of place or stopped heating.

Weber grill display

What to do when E6 shows on the grill

### Kind of code Ignition

The grill tried to start its fire and the controller never saw it take. On a pellet grill that is usually a hot rod burned out after hundreds of cooks, or a firepot full of ash so the new pellets smother; on a gas grill with electronic ignition it is a spark module, an electrode cracked or set too far from the burner, or a battery gone flat. Emptying the ash once the grill is cold and fitting a fresh battery are fair first steps; the hot rod and the module are a visit.

### Usually leads to Grill igniter repair

No spark, a weak spark or a spark in the wrong place: the grill's battery module, piezo button, electrodes, wires and hot-surface igniters tested and fixed.

### Shows up as Grill Error Code on a Pellet Controller or Digital Panel

A grill error code shows as letters and numbers on a pellet grill controller, a flashing light on a digital control panel, or an alert in the maker's app paired with the grill.

### Make Weber

Weber grill calls often come from a flame that dropped low mid-cook; the tech starts at the tank, the hose and the regulator.

### Source Weber Searwood 600 / XL 600 owner's guide (US, 2024), troubleshooting pages

Searwood 600 and Searwood XL 600 pellet grills with the Weber Connect digital controller (US owner's guide, 2024). On SmokeFire grills Weber calls E6 Start Up Failure.

## Before you book, in this order.

Each step comes from Weber's own guidance for E6 on its grills. Follow it to the end: the last card says whether this is a visit.

01

Let the grill finish its shutdown and cool, then unplug it.

02

Clean the old ash out of the burn pot and cookbox once they are cold.

03

Replace damp or dusty pellets with fresh ones, then start a cook and watch whether the grill heats up.

04

If E6 returns, book a visit to reseat or replace the glow plug.

### Still there?

It usually turns into [grill igniter repair](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/services/grill-igniter-repair/). Book with the code and the model number.

### What not to do

E6 is a startup that never lit, while E3 is a fire that went out after it was burning. A glow plug that has failed electrically shows its own code, E11.

## What you may notice with it.

The grill problems E6 tends to arrive with. Answer these at the grill before anyone is booked.

[All problems](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/problems/)

Before you call

### [Grill Error Code on a Pellet Controller or Digital Panel](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/problems/grill-error-code/)

[All 7 causes, cheapest first](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/problems/grill-error-code/)

It also comes with

- [**Gas Grill Won't Light: Knob On, Clicking, No Flame**](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/problems/grill-wont-light/)
- [**Pellet Grill Not Feeding: Full Hopper, Starving Fire**](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/problems/pellet-grill-not-feeding/)

Problem

### Grill Error Code on a Pellet Controller or Digital Panel

7 causes, cheapest first

Where E6 usually leads

## Grill igniter repair.

**Spark module, piezo button, electrode, ignition wire or hot-surface igniter · low.**

Book a visit [What the job involves](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/services/grill-igniter-repair/)

## Weber grills.

Weber grill calls often come from a flame that dropped low mid-cook; the tech starts at the tank, the hose and the regulator.

[Weber grill repair](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/brands/weber/)

More Weber codes

[E1](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/error-codes/weber-e1/) [E2](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/error-codes/weber-e2/) [E3](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/error-codes/weber-e3/) [E4](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/error-codes/weber-e4/) [E5](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/error-codes/weber-e5/) [E7](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/error-codes/weber-e7/) [E8](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/error-codes/weber-e8/) [E9](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/error-codes/weber-e9/) [E10](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/error-codes/weber-e10/) [E11](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/error-codes/weber-e11/) [E17](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/error-codes/weber-e17/) [E18](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/error-codes/weber-e18/)

[All 15 Weber codes](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/error-codes/#codes-weber)

Ignition on other makes

[Kalamazoo Flashing blue bezel light](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/error-codes/kalamazoo-flashing-blue-bezel-light/) [Lynx Igniter failed to start](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/error-codes/lynx-igniter-failed-to-start/) [Coyote Temperature Warning](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/error-codes/coyote-temperature-warning/)

[All 6 codes of this kind](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/error-codes/#family-ignition)

Weber builds this

### Built-in gas grill

A stainless grill head dropped into a masonry or steel island, fed by a tank or the house gas line, with its burners, knobs and lid working in open weather.

Weber builds this

### Freestanding gas grill

A gas grill on its own cart with wheels, side shelves and a propane tank below, or a hose to a house gas outlet, rolled into place on the patio.

Weber builds this

### Infrared grill

Grills that cook with radiant heat: ceramic or mesh infrared burners, sear stations beside the main burners, and radiant glass or emitter plates over a gas flame.

## In Weber's own words

> E6 - Flame Not Started

[Weber Searwood 600 / XL 600 owner's guide (US, 2024), troubleshooting pages](https://digital-assets.weber.com/documents/19977_8651007_121624_WEB.pdf) [Weber Searwood 600 / XL 600 owner's guide (US, 2024), troubleshooting pages](https://digital-assets.weber.com/documents/19977_8651007_121624_WEB.pdf) [Weber help center, SmokeFire error code article (E6)](https://contact-emea.weber.com/hc/en-us/articles/9812087851677-ERROR-CODE-E6-START-UP-FAILURE)

Every code on this site is taken from the manufacturer's documentation, never from a forum or a parts listing. Searwood 600 and Searwood XL 600 pellet grills with the Weber Connect digital controller (US owner's guide, 2024). On SmokeFire grills Weber calls E6 Start Up Failure.

## Weber E6 grill repair, where we come out.

The same visit in every metro below: the code, the model number, and a diagnosis before any part is ordered.

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For the heart of your home.

## Questions about E6.

### Can I clear E6 myself?

Let the grill finish its shutdown and cool, then unplug it. If it comes back, it needs a visit.

### Why does my Weber show E6 on the first cook after winter?

Pellets left in the hopper over the off-season soak up moisture and swell. They feed poorly and struggle to light, so start with fresh pellets.

### Can a dirty burn pot cause E6 on my Weber pellet grill?

Yes. Ash left in the burn pot can cover the glow plug and smother the first pellets, which is why Weber's E6 steps start with cleaning it.

### How is E6 different from E11 on a Weber Searwood?

E6 means no fire took hold for any reason. E11 means the controller found the glow plug itself failing.

---

**[Read on the site: Weber E6: the pellets never caught fire](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/error-codes/weber-e6/)**

**[Book a visit with BBQGrillRepair.center](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/schedule/)**
