What is the Door Ajar Sensor?
The Door Ajar Sensor is a feature on our Mark-5 models (S5, P5, X5, and PRO). The purpose of this sensor is to detect an obstruction in the doorway during an open or close.
E.g. if a chicken is standing in the doorway when the door is trying to close, the unit will detect this obstruction and stop closing, showing the "Door Ajar" error message. Additionally, the error can occur due to dirt or debris in the door or rails, over-tightened screws during installation, or misalignment of the door or rails.
It will then retry the close cycle three times within the following minutes.
If the obstruction remains, then the unit will stop trying to close the door and will display the "Door Error" message. Before this, ensure to check for any dirt or debris in the door or rails, loosen over-tightened screws, and verify the alignment of the door and rails.
This error message will remain onscreen until a new calibration is completed.
The Door Ajar Sensor is also a feature on the All-in-One model, and is often referred to as "auto-stop". The Door Ajar Sensor should NOT be turned off on your All-in-One device, as it is a necessary safety feature.
How can you turn the Door Ajar feature off?
To disable the Door Ajar Sensor, please follow the below instructions:
Press the menu button to wake the screen
Press the menu button once to enter the Settings Menu
Use the down button to scroll to "Misc Settings", pressing the menu button once to select this option
Use the down button to scroll to "Door Ajar Sensor", pressing the menu button once to select this option
Select "NO" using the down button
You may then need to recalibrate the door.
If this feature is already disabled on your Door Opener, you can enable it by following the above steps, but selecting "YES" using the up button inside the "Door Ajar Sensor" page.
Note: the All-in-One model's Door Ajar Settings does not work in the same way. The AiO model uses Door Modes instead. Please see our All-in-One Door Settings help article or talk to the Customer Support team for more information about Door Modes. You should NOT turn off the Door Ajar Sensor on your All-in-One, as it is a necessary safety feature.
Why would you want to turn the Door Ajar feature off?
Troubleshooting the 'Door Ajar' Error
To resolve the 'Door Ajar' error, follow these steps:
Remove the Unit from the Coop
Detach the ChickenGuard unit from the coop.
Clean the Door and Rails
Unscrew the main unit from the side rails.
Thoroughly clean the door and rails to remove any dirt or debris.
Reattach the Main Unit
Reattach the main unit to the rails, ensuring the screws are not over-tightened.
Reinstall the Unit on the Coop
Reinstall the unit on the coop, again avoiding over-tightening the mounting screws.
Perform a Door Calibration
Calibrate the door to ensure it operates smoothly.
Test the Door
Test the door to confirm the error is resolved. If the error disappears when the unit is off the coop but returns after reinstallation, slightly loosen the mounting screws on the coop and recalibrate again.
The Door Ajar Sensor is quite sensitive to obstructions, and some users may find it causes the Door Error to appear more often than they would like.
Disabling the Door Ajar Sensor feature means that the door is less sensitive to obstructions and will open and close more reliably during winter when there is likely to be ice in the door runners.
Need assistance calibrating the door? Please see our article on Calibration Help.
Need further assistance?