Brinsea ChickSafe Operating instructions

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ChickSafe Advance –Troubleshooting
Important installation notes:
•The door must be attached to the opener BEFORE installing the batteries.
•The door must be lifted and held in the open position before attaching the cord. The
ChickSafe is supplied with the cord wound in ready to be attached to the open door. It will
return to this position each time it opens.
•When attaching the cord to the open door, make sure the cord is taut.
•The door must have some free travel left above it (25mm/1 inch) when it is installed in its
open position. The ChickSafe has its own internal end-stop detection for when it is fully
open. It is supplied in the fully open position from the factory.
•The door must stop against a solid surface at its closed position. The ChickSafe detects when
the weight of the door is no longer being supported on the cord and that lets the control
know the door is closed.
•The distance the door moves between its closed position and open position must be no
greater than the maximum stated in the operating instructions. This is 400mm (15 inches) or
500mm (19 inches) depending on model. Check the installation instructions supplied with
your ChickSafe to ensure the stated distance is not exceeded. If the door moves down
through a greater distance the cord will wind back in again and the door will be open even
when the ChickSafe shows it is closed (double flashes of the LED light).
•If the ChickSafe has been operated without the door fitted, or the cord has come free from
the door at any time it must be reset to the factory open position again before the open
door is attached to the cord.
•Do not remove the knot in the cord that was tied there at the factory. This knot operates the
sensing device to stop the ChickSafe in the open position.
•The door must be free to slide up and down with no obstructions. It must slide all the way
down under its own weight. The ChickSafe uses gravity to close the door.

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How to perform a “cord reset” to return the ChickSafe to the open position ready for installation
or tying the cord to the open door:
a. The ChickSafe must be upright, in its installed position.
b. Disconnect the battery holder connector.
c. Wait 1 minute.
d. Gently pull the end of the cord down and keep gently pulling during the next few steps. It is
important to maintain some tension on the cord.
e. While pulling, refit the battery holder connector and still keep pulling gently.
f. Maintain tension on the cord. After 10 seconds the cord will be wound out for a second and
then start to wind in. Keep maintaining tension on the cord all the time until the motor stops.
g. Release the cord.
h. Disconnect the battery holder.
i. Reattach the cord to the door in its open position.
j. Reconnect the battery holder.
Tips for troubleshooting:
1. During installation the light is flashing every second and the display shows “RESET”:
Were the batteries connected before the door was installed? Perform a Cord Reset per the
instructions above and then follow the installation instructions again to correctly position
the door.
Is the door hitting a fixed stop at the top of its travel? If the door hits its fixed stop before
the ChickSafe unit reaches its own end stop it will lock the motor and may cause damage.
Untie the cord, perform a Cord Reset (instructions above) and then tie the door again in the
open position ensuring the door has some free travel left above it (25mm/1 inch).
Was the factory knot in the cord removed at some point? It is precisely located 9 inches (17
on later models) from the end of the cord to lift the bead and the arm at the upper limit
position (fully open). Removal of that knot will cause the unit to keep winding inwards until
the door hits it.
2. No light flashing at all / no motor movement / no display when a button is pressed:
Are the batteries old ones? Replace if there is any doubt.
Check each battery is fitted the correct way around. Take each one out and refit it to make
sure it is properly seated.
Unclip and refit the battery box connector to make sure it is properly connected.
Set the time and day after fitting the batteries.

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3. Light is flashing every 10 seconds (low battery warning):
Are the batteries old ones? Replace if there is any doubt.
Check each battery is fitted the correct way around. Take each one out and refit it to make
sure it is properly seated.
Unclip and refit the battery box connector to make sure it is properly connected.
Set the time and day after fitting the batteries.
4. Light is flashing every second and the display shows “BAT > LOW!” (flat battery warning)
when a button is pressed to wake the display:
The flat battery function is warning that the batteries need replacing or they are not making
correct contact in their holder. The ChickSafe will leave the door closed for safety if the flat
battery warning is triggered.
Are the batteries old ones? Replace if there is any doubt.
Check each battery is fitted the correct way around. Take each one out and refit it to make
sure it is properly seated.
Unclip and refit the battery box connector to make sure it is properly connected.
Set the time and day after fitting the batteries.
5. Light is flashing every second and the display shows “DOOR IS BLOCKED” when a button is
pressed to wake the display:
Is the cord still attached to the door and firmly fixed in the right place? If not, fully untie the
cord, perform a Cord Reset (instructions above) and then tie the cord back on (with the door
in its open position).
Is the door stopped at a random place? It may be stuck in its runners. The door(s) must be
very free moving both up and down (gravity only!). The door channels can be adjusted by
loosening the screws a quarter turn or by adding small packing pieces in one or more places
behind the channels to ensure they are flat and the door runs smoothly. Once the door is
free to move, wake the display which should show the “Door is blocked! Press to reset”
message and then briefly press the UP button. The ChickSafe will move the door to the open
position and then clear the error indication.
6. The light is flashing every 30 seconds but the door has only part-opened or not opened at
all:
If the door has opened but not lifted as far as it should it might have been set up incorrectly
or the knot may have slipped. Disconnect the batteries. Release the cord from the door. Lift
the door to the desired open position and support it there. Tie the cord on again making
sure it is taut once tied. Release the door. Fit the batteries again and set the time/day.
The distance the door moves between its closed position and open position must be no
greater than the maximum stated in the operating instructions. This is 400mm (15 inches) or
500mm (19 inches) depending on model. Check the installation instructions supplied with
your ChickSafe to ensure the stated distance is not exceeded. Also check the door does
actually have a fixed end stop at the bottom of its travel (doesn’t continue down past the
closed position if allowed to drop further) as that is what makes the ChickSafe stop running

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downwards when it closes. If the door moves further than the maximum distance the cord
may wind in the wrong direction making the door open at night and close in the morning.
7. The door hasn’t opened in the morning and the light is flashing twice every 30 seconds.
(Door Closed indicator):
If open mode is set to Light, the daylight may not be bright enough yet to make the
ChickSafe open. The system waits to be sure it is daylight and may open shortly. If it doesn’t,
we would suggest removing any branches or leaves that could be causing a shadow over the
unit. For safety, if the ChickSafe isn’t sure it is daytime it will remain closed. Using the Time
option for opening may be more suited for the location.
If open mode is set to Time, check the current time and open time are correctly set. Note
that ChickSafe uses a 24-hour clock system.
8. The door hasn’t closed in the evening but the light is flashing twice every 30 seconds (Door
Closed indicator):
Is there something obstructing the door or making the door stick in its channels? Clear the
obstacle and after 30 seconds the door will close further.
The distance the door moves between its closed position and open position must be no
greater than the maximum stated in the operating instructions. This is 400mm (15 inches) or
500mm (19 inches) depending on model. Check the installation instructions supplied with
your ChickSafe to ensure the stated distance is not exceeded. Also check the door does
actually have a fixed end stop at the bottom of its travel (doesn’t continue down past the
closed position if allowed to drop further) as that is what makes the ChickSafe stop running
downwards when it closes. If the door moves further than the maximum distance the cord
may wind in the wrong direction making the door open at night and close in the morning.
9. The door hasn’t closed in the evening and the light is flashing once every 30 seconds (Door
Open Indicator):
If close mode is set to Light, it may not be dark enough yet for the ChickSafe to close. The
closing light level may be adjusted in the main menu. See the operating instructions for
more information.
The system has a 5 to 6 minute delay so that it doesn’t close the door just because someone
has leant over it, for instance. This makes it very difficult to adjust while it is getting dark. It
is better to make an adjustment in the menu of 10 units and see how it performs at dusk,
then repeat on following days as necessary.
The light level in the evening falls very rapidly from bright daylight to darkness so adjusting
the light level may not make a very big difference to the time it closes. The most important
thing is for all the chickens to have gone in before the door closes.

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10. The door has closed or opened at an unexpected time:
The ChickSafe Advance operates on the 24-hour clock system. Make sure the current,
opening and closing times are correctly set according to the 24-hour times.
If using Light setting for open or close modes see the tips in 7 and 9 above.
11. The door doesn’t automatically open or close itself at all:
Make sure the Manual Override Mode has not been switched on in error. Press any button
briefly to wake the display. If the display states “Manual Mode Is On!” the automatic system
is currently disabled. To reenable automatic opening and closing, Manual Override Mode
must be switched off:
From a blank display (sleeping) press and hold the OK button. After a few seconds the
display will state “Manual Mode Is On!”.
Keep holding the OK button and a few seconds later the display will change to “Manual
Mode Is Off”. Release the button.
To verify the setting, from a blank display (sleeping) briefly press any button. The display will
show the time and battery status if normal automatic operation is enabled and the manual
override is off.
Brinsea Products Inc. 704 N Dixie Ave, Titusville FL 32796-2017 USA.
Phone [phone] Toll Free 1-888-667-7009 Fax [phone]
Email [e-mail] Website www.Brinsea.com