Hentronix door opener for Formex coop

[Meses]

Does anyone have this automatic door opener for a Formex/Snap-lock coop? It looks like a fairly new product and I can’t find any reviews for it. Thanks!

 

[pennyhaddock]

Does anyone have this automatic door opener for a Formex/Snap-lock coop? It looks like a fairly new product and I can’t find any reviews for it. Thanks!

We just purchased one and installed it a few days ago...the idea is great, but having a few issues so far and we are hoping the developer can help us thru the problems we are experiencing. The company is in the U.K and we are in TX so the time difference is presenting a bit of a challenge. I can tell you this though; I have 6 young (3 month old) chickens and 4 young (3 month old) guineas that have been raised together- they put themselves in it at night, but the first 3 nights with the automated door opener- one of my guineas got left out, so we had to open the door manually (not easy to do) in order to let her back in; ever since we did this we have not been able to get the door to function properly. The door is closed, but thinks it's open so continues to try to close itself. You cannot set a custom time for the door to close without the developer having to reconfigure a new circuit board and sending it to you. One of the most important things to know is that if you have the Formex Coop in the shade, the solar panel won't work- we have ours plugged in electrically, but it still opens and closes based on light outside, so if your coop is heavily shaded (as ours is for the comfort of our chickies) it will open a bit later than it should and close a bit earlier than it should. As an example, when it was functioning it was opening automatically at 6:30 am, when dawn at our house is at 5:52 am; it was closing at 8:50 pm, when dusk is at 9:08 pm. Not a huge problem- but definitely something to consider. I'll repost when we get the issues worked out with the door. Feel free to message me for any particular details you might need. Thanks!

 

[Meses]

Thank you very much for the input. I also went ahead and purchased the door and installed it several days ago. I did get the app control upgrade. We had the same problem as you in that their idea of dusk is not the same as our chickens! But with the app , we are able to set a specific time for open and close. I move it back 5-10 minutes periodically as the days still are getting longer. Don’t think it would work for us without that capability. Our coop is also fairly well shaded, attached to a pretty large run area. I don’t think the light sensor will ever work for us. The solar panel gets enough sun to keep the battery charged, which is good because we don’t have power out there. We did initially experience some malfunctioning, but a few days of emails with the company helped us through that. Basically, we unplugged everything, rebooted everything, and it has been perfect since then. It seems that if the door is operated outside of the prescribed settings, we need to disconnect it from the power and let it cycle through a close, then open, and then leave it alone. I know the upgraded circuit board is expensive, but in our case, it’s what makes the door useful. I hope you get things worked out. If our unit stays reliable, for me it is worth it. Good luck!

 

[pennyhaddock]

Thank you very much for the input. I also went ahead and purchased the door and installed it several days ago. I did get the app control upgrade. We had the same problem as you in that their idea of dusk is not the same as our chickens! But with the app , we are able to set a specific time for open and close. I move it back 5-10 minutes periodically as the days still are getting longer. Don’t think it would work for us without that capability. Our coop is also fairly well shaded, attached to a pretty large run area. I don’t think the light sensor will ever work for us. The solar panel gets enough sun to keep the battery charged, which is good because we don’t have power out there. We did initially experience some malfunctioning, but a few days of emails with the company helped us through that. Basically, we unplugged everything, rebooted everything, and it has been perfect since then. It seems that if the door is operated outside of the prescribed settings, we need to disconnect it from the power and let it cycle through a close, then open, and then leave it alone. I know the upgraded circuit board is expensive, but in our case, it’s what makes the door useful. I hope you get things worked out. If our unit stays reliable, for me it is worth it. Good luck!

Thanks for your response! Your info is helpful! I too would like to use the app- except I have an android phone and they have told me the app is only apple based right now- the app for droid users won't be available for a few months yet. You are absolutely right...a properly functioning automated door is priceless...waking up at 6am to let them out every single day is getting old...LOL If you happen to know what we can do to fix this particular issue we are having please let me know- after my guinea girl got locked out, I had to remove the pin in the door to open it and let her back in- I then shut the door and replaced the pin but when I did that, the arm on the door started making a clicking noise like it was trying to close the door, but the door was already shut- for fear of the motor burning out, I just unplugged the unit. When my husband got home, he followed the instructions exactly- winding the screw and spring back to the middle of the arm in order to reset it and reboot- he tried doing this three times, but the blue light just kept flashing- no luck. We have an email in to Simon at Hentronix, but because my husband works nights and the time difference, it has been difficult to get it worked out. Thanks for any other info you might have! Much appreciated.

 

[Meses]

Gosh, I can’t help at all with your door issue. I haven’t operated the door manually so no experience with that. Fingers crossed you get that worked out soon. I found the company to be responsive, but as you noted, it’s basically one email per day because of the time difference. So I just included every little detail I could think of so We didn’t waste that day on some little question like “is the power on”?

It’s just after 6am , and I’m drinking my coffee....the door just opened and I see the hens wandering around! Not to taunt you, just encouragement that it will hopefully be worth it!

I hope you will keep me posted on your progress

 

[pennyhaddock]

I love watching them in the morning too! Good news, my husband talked to Simon with HENTRONIX over the phone and he will be sending us a brand new circuit board with time programmed half hour longer than dusk, maybe our Guinea won't get locked out anymore! My husband said Simon was really nice and very helpful! Maybe I'll be worry free - like you before long

 

[Meses]

Great news! Glad they took care of you, and hope you’re up and running soon. Hit the snooze button for me.....

 

[pennyhaddock]

Hi Meses......a quick update...after we installed the new circuit board we still had some issues with the door trying to close when it was already closed...long story short and important for anyone buying this unit- the unit cannot be operated on electricity alone- you must purchase the battery for it (which on their website shows optional). Luckily, I had purchased the battery with the unit just in case we ever wanted to use the solar panel it comes with, but we were using strictly electric so we never connected the battery. We sent Simon a video of what was happening and he told us to connect the battery- that the battery acts as a type of conduit and smooths the pathway for the current- once we connected the battery it was smooth sailing after that...we've never had another issue. We've been meaning to email Hentronix back and let them know they should remove the word "optional" for the battery purchase and state "required for usage" this would save a lot of people a lot of frustration. Big learning curve, but we a super happy with this unit and so glad we purchased it. Hentronix gives great customer service too! Oh and since our last message, we've now found out that one of our hens "Alice Turken" is really an "Alister Turken" and crows!! LOL I now get to enjoy hearing him crow in the morning...but this puts a whole new dynamic in our tribe

 

[Meses]

Hi Pennyhaddock, thx for the update. I was just wondering about your door yesterday! Glad you’re making progress, even if it was not flawless. My door is still working and I absolutely love it still, what a convenience. And good luck with “Alister”! I’m down to two hens, with my third super broody girl out on loan to a friend to raise some chicks. She did a great job of incubation on some eggs he was given after his flock fell prey to a fox. I’m thinking of trying to add 1-2 more but really can’t handle an Alister of my own.....

 

[ATXInstantFlock]

How has your automatic door held up, 5 years later?