ADOR1 Automatic Coop Door?

[Windy Bay Farm]

Yes, this happened to me, too:  

The stuttering on the way down was the first thing that happened, then the door began to have trouble moving up.  There were a couple of mornings when it didn't open.  I emailed Rod back and forth several times to work out what the problem was, but ultimately he had me ship the door back to him on his dime.  Putting in a new battery did not help.  The door frame or panel did not appear damaged in any way.  Inserting the washers (described below) seemed to help with the jerkiness on the way down, but did not resolve whatever was causing resistance on the way up.  

Here is a piece of his email as we were troubleshooting:
That, of course is not normal.  I noticed your door sort of comes down in jerks.  I think that might indicate that the sprocket is too close to the door panel.  I don't know how that can be much of a variable since the dimensions are intended to be fixed (and not adjustable).
I have recently noticed before, when a unit's door jerked on the way down, that it also indicated an increased load when going up.  When I observed this in my lab, I removed the four nuts that hold the box onto the studs that come out of the frame and added a washer to each stud.  Notice that the top studs have a spacer which leans the box outward to make room for the back of the lid that slips over the back of the box.  Then the box was spaced a tiny bit more from the door panel (spacing it even more may be useful...use 2 or 3 washers).  When tightening the nuts back on the studs, don't over tighten them because you can twist the stud out of the frame.  A hand-driven nut driver would do the job (I think it is a 5/16" nut driver).
But since the ADOR was tested before it was boxed up and shipped, something must have changed.  We have seen damage due to shipping trauma or from someone dropping the ADOR before they installed it.  Or a screw(s) come loose in shipping that causes some misalignment.  Another thing that causes too much friction has been if the slick tape on the door panel left and right edges gets damaged.
If addressing the things I mentioned doesn't fix it or doesn't seem to be the matter, then of course contact me again.  It could also be a motor that failed early.  We have many times spot tested the motor/sprocket/door for more than 10,000 cycles (like 30 years of use!) and it was still going strong, so if all the components are OK, many years of use should be what we get.  So let's see what you might come up with if you can try shimming the box away from the frame.  Is the motor mount bracket rigidly fastened to the box?  The box rigidly fastened to the frame?

My door doesn't seem to have the same "struggle" yours does but there is some sort of issue. I think I may have resolved it for the most part but am still emailing back and forth with Rod to try and fine tune things. Did you end up getting a new one sent to you ?

 

[lucy8821]

Yes, that was the ultimate solution!

 

[Windy Bay Farm]

Yes, that was the ultimate solution!

And how does the new one work ?

 

[BY Chicken Lady]

I love my door so much that I just ordered a second one for the new silkie coop we are constructing. They are all in a secured run, but I like the extra security of knowing that they are safely locked inside at night when predators are hunting.

 

[lucy8821]

The new door seems to be working just fine. I am keeping a close eye on it. I do think it's a good product, and I'm glad the problem seems to be resolved.

 

[Windy Bay Farm]

The new door seems to be working just fine. I am keeping a close eye on it. I do think it's a good product, and I'm glad the problem seems to be resolved.

Good to hear that you are having better luck

 

[TheGeekySheep]

Well my run is complete, just waiting on the door. I ordered a week ago, anyone know about how long orders are running or should I email the company? Just want to know if I should go ahead and build a temporary door if it's going to be a while.

 

[BY Chicken Lady]

Well my run is complete, just waiting on the door. I ordered a week ago, anyone know about how long orders are running or should I email the company? Just want to know if I should go ahead and build a temporary door if it's going to be a while.

Well my run is complete, just waiting on the door. I ordered a week ago, anyone know about how long orders are running or should I email the company? Just want to know if I should go ahead and build a temporary door if it's going to be a while.

I just talked with Rod today and he said they were a little backlogged, but working their way thru the orders. He usually emails tracking info as soon as it ships. I just ordered a second door myself. If you ordered yours a week ago it should be shipping very soon.

 

[Mike Fitz]

Got mine a little over a week ago, took just under 2 weeks for delivery.

 

[TheGeekySheep]

Thanks for the feedback! Hmm, if it's going to be another week and the weather's so nice lately I might just cut the 12"x18" pop door opening and just put a temporary flap on there.

So excited I can't wait! I've got the plywood for mounting it cut out and everything.