add-a-motor D20 reliability

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odysseychicken

odysseychicken

Chirping
Jul 21, 2015
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I keep going back and forth on what motor to use for my coop door. I have an antenna but don't like the idea that it needs constant power to stay open. I will be running everything off of a battery and want to use as little power as possible. I have also considered an automatic car window mechanism. I am not an electrical genius so the wiring of these things intimidates me a bit. I am sure if I knew how to wire it I could use a 12v cordless drill as the motor. Plug and play would be a huge plus for me.

I love the simplicity of the Add-a-Motor D20 but read a lot of reviews about the plastic gears breaking. I am trying to get a sense of how common this is. The whole point of installing an automated door is so when I am away for the weekend the girls can still get out. But if it is likely to fail while I am gone it defeats the whole point. What is the general consensus here? Is there an alternative motor with metal gears? How reliable is the D20?
 
Add-a-Motor D20 ( about $100) is operated by house current. ( 115 volts.) You want to run things by battery power.. There are complete battery operated chicken doors.
Here is one for $240. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0YCE2Y1JW8GAHANBZTS8
There are others also.
WISHING YOU BEST
thumbsup.gif
 
We have an add-a-motor D20 on our popdoor. The only problem we had is the string (which raises/lowers the door) broke. We had it maybe 3 months. Hubs replaced the string and so far has been fine. Other than that it's been very reliable.
 
As cavemamrich mentioned, the Add-a-Motor won't work with batteries, only AC.

I bought this one from Fleming Outdoors:

http://www.flemingoutdoors.com/chicken-coop-door-motor---advanced.html

Easy to install, easy to configure and has worked flawlessly for me. It runs on either batteries or AC which was a big plus for me as someday I hope to have electric added to my coop and didn't want to have to buy a new opener. You can also purchase an optional solar kit to power it if you want.
 
Using add a motor, solar battery charger,marine deep charge battery and an inverter (12vlt to 110) should make it pretty fool proof.
 
Already already using an Add a Motor. If you have a Harbor Freight nearby you can get the inverter and solar charger for around $150.00. You can also get used batteries. It is just an option. This also gives you the option of using straight household electric when you have to.
 
liz72703 said:
I bought this one from Fleming Outdoors:

http://www.flemingoutdoors.com/chicken-coop-door-motor---advanced.html
Click to expand...

I was just looking at this one and one line on the description made me think of something I hadn't considered before with my Add-a-motor, which is a power outage while out of town. For instance, if power went out during the night, the door would not open and they would not have access to food and water until the power came back on AND the timer got to a point where it was energized to open, which very well could be say right at dusk, leaving the door open all night and closing in the morning when they are ready to go out and leaving them again without food or water for another 10 hours (It closes at 830pm and opens at 630am right now). What a pain! I really need a camera with a cell signal so I can check on everyone when I'm gone and have someone go fix any issues should they crop up!
 
DLBUTTER said:
Already already using an Add a Motor. If you have a Harbor Freight nearby you can get the inverter and solar charger for around $150.00. You can also get used batteries. It is just an option. This also gives you the option of using straight household electric when you have to.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the reply.. :)
Here is how I see it.
D20....................... 100
Charger, inverter ....... 150
Battery, core + tax .... 120
Total.........................$370
For a pop door only,,,,, I don't see it as a good value. But I do see other benefits that there may be in such a setup.
1. Operate your self made door of size to accommodate other pets/animals.:thumbsup
2. With this setup in a coop with no feasible house current available,,, you can have lights, and operate a small heater to keep water from freezing in winter.
I'm sure there are other ideas to use electricity as well.:thumbsup
 

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