Our feeder spins for 17 minutes after setting up feeding schedule. It seems excessive. Is this normal? How can this be fixed? Help!
1150251
I don't think that's normal. Mine does spin for awhile, but only until it gets to slot 1. I'm not sure why yours is malfunctioning, but you should probably contact the manufacturer and/or seller. Hope that helps.
1077853
I know nothing about your feeders but suspect that John Meyers' answer is correct. As info, these timers are working very well for me.
2031937
We just keep it rolling until the food is gone. We have not had a problem. My friend got one the same one, and that she had to set daily. It was not feeding automatically. She returned it and got one from a local store due to lack of time for an upcoming trip, and it works without having to reset. The one requiring resetting was a dud.
535026
Verify you have your feed horn set up correctly. Some satellite feeds are weaker then others. Try a strong feed first.
235418
Not sure, but I have seen the condition you refer to in many feeders I have previously owned. I bought mine as a gift for someone, and can ask them to keep an eye on the condition for me. Don't think they've owned it long enough to have seen this condition yet.
482955
That's the biggest problem with this item. You have to be at the time you want and you set the hours you want till the next feeding & turn on. I have 2 units, one set for 1:30 am & pm and the other at 7:30 am & pm. They each lose 1-2 minutes every day & need to be reset at 1:30 & 7.30. Using 2 units at 12 hrs means I only have to fill them every other day. I hope this helps and is not too confusing.
2191196
It might have taken a day or two but the birds love the feeder. I use black oil sunflower seeds and they gobble them up every day. Give it a little more time or maybe move it to a different location. I have two of them and they are in a small tree near the bird bath. Good luck I hope it works out for you.
213766
I tried to get mine to spin to figure out the problem. Even with the center piece not pushed down, it will only advance the amount of one feed. I think you may have received a defective unit. I have never had that problem and could not create it.
1726105
once you set it, that's it. We've had the feeder for a couple of months and it works well. The program remains even after refilling the container. Maybe you need to reprogram after changing the batteries - so far we haven't done that yet.
690291
I have always found with these "automatic" feeders that you have to help the food come down and flow out fully into the feeding bowl. I've had a few of them and it's the same with them all. Obviously smaller sized food bits are better but you will still need to help it along as far as my experience goes.
1468821
We bought a new one because that's what ours was doing...dropping food every few seconds. Changed back up batteries (we use AC also) and turned it off for a couple of days. ...then it started working...don't know why. Kept the new one. ..just in case.
1358386
I dont think anything u can do except I have several feeders. The young ones in spring seem to get along better and sometimes 4 or 5 will be feeding at same time. The older ones do tend to dive bomb the others tho. Really aggressive sometimes. My only advice is try to add another feeder. Good luck.
362056
Marty, What I did was break the flake food into smaller pieces before I loaded it into the feeder and it seemed dispense alot better. I set the feeder up on a table and clamped it to a piece of wood. I put a dish under it to catch the food and used the instant feed button over and over to see how much food was being delivered. Each time it rotated the amount of food varied somewhat, so I took an average and chose a setting that I liked the best. I have 2 of these feeders and have been using them for just over 2 months now, and I'm very happy with them. I have been gone on 3 occasions for up to 10 days and on each of my returns, all of my fish were alive and doing well. Hope this helps. Marty, What I did was break the flake food into smaller pieces before I loaded it into the feeder and it seemed dispense alot better. I set the feeder up on a table and clamped it to a piece of wood. I put a dish under it to catch the food and used the instant feed button over and over to see how much food was being delivered. Each time it rotated the amount of food varied somewhat, so I took an average and chose a setting that I liked the best. I have 2 of these feeders and have been using them for just over 2 months now, and I'm very happy with them. I have been gone on 3 occasions for up... » Read More Marty, What I did was break the flake food into smaller pieces before I loaded it into the feeder and it seemed dispense alot better. I set the feeder up on a table and clamped it to a piece of wood. I put a dish under it to catch the food and used the instant feed button over and over to see how much food was being delivered. Each time it rotated the amount of food varied somewhat, so I took an average and chose a setting that I liked the best. I have 2 of these feeders and have been using them for just over 2 months now, and I'm very happy with them. I have been gone on 3 occasions for up to 10 days and on each of my returns, all of my fish were alive and doing well. Hope this helps. « Show Less
2027712
Yep, sounds like some dumb birds. I suggest lining the bottom of the tray with some sunflower seed hearts to get them started. I suppose it's possible the seed is no good. Birds are smart about that. Make sure the batch of sunflower seed hearts is not tainted. I've not experienced a problem with sunflower seeds going bad but have several times with thistle in another feeder I have. Good luck! Keep me posted!
560565
It looks like there are some small holes on the bottom of the feeder tray. But, if they do go all the way through, they are already so clogged that they won't offer any significant drainage. Honestly, this thing is on the small-ish size - it holds about a quart of seed. I find that during the busy summer days the birds completely empty it every day, so there really isn't too much time for the seed to rot. That might sound like a negative comment, but I think the birds get fresh seed this way. Just remember to put it in an easily accessible location because you'll need to take it down to refill it. It looks like there are some small holes on the bottom of the feeder tray. But, if they do go all the way through, they are already so clogged that they won't offer any significant drainage. Honestly, this thing is on the small-ish size - it holds about a quart of seed. I find that during the busy summer days the birds completely empty it every day, so there really isn't too much time for the seed to rot. That might sound like a negative comment, but I think the birds get fresh seed this way. Just remember to put it in an easily accessible location because you'll need to take it down to... » Read More It looks like there are some small holes on the bottom of the feeder tray. But, if they do go all the way through, they are already so clogged that they won't offer any significant drainage. Honestly, this thing is on the small-ish size - it holds about a quart of seed. I find that during the busy summer days the birds completely empty it every day, so there really isn't too much time for the seed to rot. That might sound like a negative comment, but I think the birds get fresh seed this way. Just remember to put it in an easily accessible location because you'll need to take it down to refill it. « Show Less
2003334
I think this happens when a piece of kibble jams the dispenser. The motor is pretty weak, so it can jam easily and cause the Err. The only solution I found was to remove the batteries to reset the unit. Sometimes you need to clear the jamming kibble too. I've had three of these units and they have all eventually started giving this error message. One of the units stayed doing it after only a few weeks. After fighting with these unreliable feeders for several years, I finally spent the money for a better unit.. The one with the external timer and large diamond hopper on top. These units just don't work very well or last.
362592
Sorry....none other than shade of some sort. Our feeders get sun, but only in the afternoon. I've found out tall, narrow feeders seem to get less hot. Also, use clear water and sugar. Red feed gets hotter than clear and really does no good. Good luck!