Chicken Coop Automatic Door Accessory Motor - Model D20-120V OPEN BOX

This item was purchased in May 2015 and installed a few weeks later (we were in the process of building a new coop). Installation was easy and it worked decently well from end of June 2015 to mid Feb 2016. Initially our main problem was that the door would sometimes get unhooked and fall down. The door was not heavy (about 5 pounds) and it glided perfectly in its rails. What I noticed is that the vibrations from opening/closing operations would get the hook (attached to the cable) to slowly slip from the screw attached to the door. That would happen until the door would simply fall down. So I ended up using a bigger screw on the door and that fixed the problem. During that period the door would only need to readjusted for upper/lower opening. It seemed to be drifting up or down a bit over time. I don't quite know why but it was not a big problem.A couple of weeks ago, the motor stopped working. I verified that the door had no obstructions and it did glide well. So I brought the motor back inside my house thinking that it was forever broken. I would have expected the plastic gears to have failed but not the motor itself. I contacted the seller via amazon and I got a reply within a few hours. I was directed to a web site where the information (clearly presented) helped me figure out that the motor was working in only one direction. When I reversed the polarity on the motor, it would turn in the other direction. I figured out that the circuit board/switch included in P/N 65001 was no longer working. The seller contacted the manufacturer since my motor was still under warranty. They shipped me a new circuit board (free of charge) and now it is working again.Note: The electric circuit is protected by a GFCI, the timer itself is working and the power supply is still working. So I have no idea why the board failed in the first place. The entire motor is protected by a roof so there is no water around except for the humidity that we enjoy in the Pacific Northwest. I can attest that the plastic gears inside the unit are in perfect working order. I'm glad that I got a prompt and satisfactory resolution.I will keep my fingers crossed hoping that I get many years of service from this motor.

At first I was skeptical about spending nearly $100 for a gizmo that automatically opens and closes the door to my coop. I anticipated any number of problems that would have me wasting my money. However, as soon as I installed the opener, paired it with a timer, and fine-tuned the string on the door, I had flawless door operation. Definitely worth every penny.Installation was extremely easy. I followed the instructions and had the opener up and running in under 15 minutes. It was a simple matter of changing from my pull rope to the string on the opener. The size of the string seems a bit small for the application, but so far, it seems like it is more than strong enough to lift a 5 pound door. My door is only 2 pounds, so everything should be fine.Daily operation is perfect. I have more trouble with the slight inaccuracies of the timer than anything, so that requires an adjustment every couple weeks, but the opener has not had any trouble, so far.Update:After coming out one morning about 4 months after installation, I noticed the motor had not shut off. I took the motor apart and found that a plastic axle molded into the housing had broken, not allowing the gear driven switch actuators to shut off the motor. I contacted Add-A-Motor by email and they promptly responded. After verifying my purchase, they had parts coming my way later that day. Knowing now that their customer service is so responsive, I feel even better about my purchase, and the value of the opener.

1 star removed because I agree the transformer is crap. They have replaced mine twice and it failed again within about 2 weeks. I asked them if they changed suppliers or something and they said they have always used the same supplier and their transformers are "very heavy duty". Well i found a 12V supply laying around that was rated for about 1/4 the recommended power of their "heavy duty" one and its been running perfectly for over a year now. Just find another power supply and you will be fine. a battery/ solar panel system would be great so a power outage would not affect operation.That Said : This is the handiest thing since sliced bread. Chickens are creatures of habit and LOVE getting let in and out the same time every day and I LOVE not worrying if i'm not there to be their doorman, and i can set the timer a little later when its freezing out and i need to go to work super early. I also used a piece of 1/4" Plexiglass for my door inside a frame of old storm window track.We have a short door and couldn't mount the motor above the door - so i ran the string in a U-shape up from the door, thru 2 Eye hooks and back down to the motor positioned upside-down and parallel to my door. ( I tried 2 pulleys but they didnt even turn the door was so light). It doesnt seem to mind being upside-down, i suppose with 4 eyelets you could mount it right-side-up - the added friction has not been a problem, they seem to used a waxed dental floss for string and it has only failed once when the door was frozen shut after an ice storm - it simply pulled out from the rubber washer on the door and was easily fixed.Yes it is STUPID expensive for what it is - But Mcmurray hatchery wants $300 for a couple more bells and whistles. Trust me it's worth every penny not having to go open up the girls when you dont feel like it or cannot.