Super Feeder troubleshooting Information

NOTE: THE STANDARD "OFF" RESET TIME IS SET AT 1-2 MINUTES OF OFF TIME. WITH A DIGITAL TIMER, YOU CAN FEED MORE TIMES WITHIN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME WITH THE SHORT RESET TIME. ON EARLIER MODELS, IF YOU SEE A SHINY PRONG TO THE LEFT OF THE SMALL JUMPER PLUG, YOU HAVE THE LONG STANDARD RESET TIME OF ABOUT 45-60 MINUTES OF "OFF" TIME, WHICH CAN ALSO BE CHANGED (late models do not have a "jumper plug and are set to 1-2 minutes of "off" reset time.)

FOR THE ACDT-20 SUPER FEEDER DIGITAL TIMER, ACAT-23 (TU-22A or TG-16) ANALOG TIMER AND WOODS BRAND DUAL OUTLET DIGITAL TIMER INFO, GO TO:

You may control your Super Feeder from anywhere using your Smart Phone with our Wi-Fi Socket or even Xfinity Home accessories like a camera, etc...

The Super Feeder will distribute most cat food just fine but please read the following:

Like most if not all feeder, some food may be too large and oddly shaped for desired portion accuracy. We do know that the type of food used will affect the portion accuracy in any feeder, and there is nothing that can be done about that issue other than recommending the use of a suitable dry food if accuracy is extremely important. Although the Super Feeder will not count pellets, it should at least be reasonably close as shown by many of our tests. What it will do, as having been tested by the FDA where they once used our feeders, is that for every two cycles it was found to be 90% accurate. In other words, if you feed twice and you want 1/4 cup per day, the first or second portion may not be 100% accurate, but the total daily portion should be within 90% accuracy. These tests were done with uniformly shaped 1/4" round/spherical pellets. Note: If you are using an early model feeder with the smaller chute opening and chute cover, you should not use kibble larger than 3/8" diameter such as pyramid-shaped ones which can be up to 5/8" diameter. They could hang-up and not produce good portion accuracy. The early model housing has a chute opening height of about 3/4".

Basically, if you use the most ideal food like one about 1/4" diameter, it will produce excellent results. Smaller food should even do better. Oddly shaped and mixed food of various designs and lengths will vary more, especially flat food of about 1/2" long and 1/4" thick. Still, the average after 2-3 cycles should be close with average size cat food or smaller. Except for feeders with "prefilled portion compartments, this issue will occur with any feeder including ones with an auger system (we don't have) which can bind up with food even "bridging" above and not being expelled without occasionally kicking the feeder. You should feed a minimum of two or more times per day. We have had many customers actually report "excellent" performance with small round/spherical kibbles by Science Diet or other brands if you demand the very best portion accuracy. All brands offer many different types of food that will work great if accuracy is of most importance. NOTE! USING A NAME BRAND LIKE SCIENCE DIET® IS ONLY A BRAND "EXAMPLE" AND DOES NOT MEAN YOU ARE NECESSARILY USING "RECOMMENDED" KIBBLE TYPE/SIZE/SHAPE GOING BY JUST THE BRAND. RECOMMENDED KIBBLE TYPE 1/4" ROUND/SPHERICAL IS SUGGESTED FOR VERY BEST PORTION ACCURACY IF ACCURACY A MUST. Please do not assume that the Super Feeder will not dispense many different type of kibbles just as well as the competition which may well have been posted by the competition. The well-proven Super Feeder will probably dispense more types of kibbles up to 5/8" diameter more dependably than the competition like it has for the past 22+ years before they even existed!

NOTE: One again, the Super Feeder does not “count’ kibbles, but many tests have shown that an accuracy of +/- 0.1 to 0.2 ounce (by weight) per serving has been achieved using recommended kibbles. Although performance is guaranteed with recommended food as described, please be advised that due to variance of kibble sizes and shapes, 100% portion accuracy simply cannot be guaranteed for all feed cycles with "any" kibbles. If you demand near perfect portion accuracy and feel that you could not switch food, you should purchase a pre-filled portion type feeder.

The feeder's gate aperture and electronic feed cycle time settings are very important. Have you watched our video? If you have closed off the gate too much, it will not dispense food properly and will actually wear off the teeth on the roller prematurely. The gate should be opened to just about the size of the food so it just does not drop down freely. The feed cycle time controller in the feeder is what primarily controls the amount of food that comes out, not the large black volume screw.

In summary, the only thing that could possibly improve the very small portion performance of the Super Feeder is maybe using what we call a "slow-drive" power adapter like used with our aquarium feeders. That power adapter will drive the roller at a slower speed thereby making small portions a bit easier to achieve, but small kibbles still need to be used. The fish feeder dispenses flakes with extremely good accuracy, but there again, it's not oddly shaped large food. Still, we want to emphasize that with oddly sized and shaped food the accuracy of each portion will still vary more than let's say uniformly shaped round pellets. We want you to be fully satisfied with our product and we'll work with you any way we can. Portion accuracy issues can occur with any feeder, unless you were to use a feeder with separate pre-filled compartments.

Science Diet Brand 1/4" diameter kibbles are perfect for the Super Feeder (flat type do not produce as good portion accuracy as spherical (ball) ones).

Your Super Feeder® no longer extracts food like it should? Is it excessively noisy? Please read below:

An important feature of the Super Feeder is that everything in it can be easily replaced. Although we have not had many orders for new rollers (the item with all the little teeth on it), that part can wear out after some time and/or may not extract kibbles the way it should, depending on three primary issues:

1. If the food is very hard, the teeth will wear down quicker than normal.

2. If the food clogs at the chute opening even for a short time due to oversize food, the roller will not bind and damage the gear drive like some other feeders would, but, the teeth on the roller will wear out much quicker if it's allowed to run that way for a long time. A change of kibble size could be necessary. Perfect kibble size is 1/4" spherical/barrel shape type kibbles like offered by Science Diet and Sensible Choice brands. Do not use flat and oddly shaped kibbles if you want the best portion accuracy. Please keep in mind that no feeder, other than one with pre-filled compartments, will deliver perfect portions each and every time.

3. LIKE ANY MACHINE, if the feeder has been used for several months, YOU SHOULD INSPECT/CLEAN THE FEEDER'S INTERIOR AS NECESSARY. If the roller has not been cleaned for a long time, the teeth will clog up with food ,which will create excessive slippage thereby preventing the roller from "grabbing" kibbles like it should. It could also cause clogging below the gate by not being able to "push" the kibbles through even with "minor" clogging of a kibble or two with marginal size kibbles. You can can clean the roller by brushing the teeth with a toothbrush, or for a thorough cleaning, you can take the bottom off the feeder and wash the whole upper housing in the sink with hot soapy water and brushing the roller with a toothbrush while hand-spinning it. Only wash the upper housing that way without the bottom! You may review your Super Feeder's operating manual for cleaning. Normally, after extended used, a roller, slide and gate replacement will make the feeder like new!

If the "click-clack sound is very noisy, the distribution slide may not shake and move up and down like it should. The reason is most likely because the slide is stuck in place due to food caught underneath the roller between the roller and the slide causing the trip-wire to slap against it instead of lifting it. Make sure the scraper wire next to the roller is still there to scrape off any kibbles stuck to the roller as it goes around. You may also disable the shaking action if the kibbles are small and not prone to bridging (not coming out) inside the machine.

HOW TO FASTEN FEEDER STAND AND BOWL IF NEEDED AND MODIFY CHUTE COVER FOR THAT VERY PERSISTENT AND CLEVER PET TRYING TO GET FOOD OUT

If an extension comes loose, please click on this link: http://www.super-feed.com/extensionhalfmoonnote.htm For extra feeder stability with rowdy pets, the two pictures above left are shared by a customer. A Tornado U-hook from Home Depot is used to fasten the Super Feeder stand and bowl to a wall or other item. It mounts in drywall, which is wonderful. You may need to squeeze the hooks together slightly to fit them into the base's handle, but it actually worked out well because it puts tension on the handle, preventing the machine from moving at all! As the customer said, "I would highly recommend it- easy to install and I think it looks nice too." Center picture has been shared by a customer, Dann, B, using a piece of wood and metal straps. Not going anywhere! Using only one screw in the center under the bowl, you could also fasten the plastic base to a small piece of plywood larger than the base so that your pet would be standing on it when eating. That way, he would not be able to move the machine around. You may also wedge the feeder between some furniture, washer/dryer, etc... If all fails, you may mount the feeder to a customer mount. Lots of ways!

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Tornado-40-lb-Small-Black-Steel-U-Hook-48004/202639941

If your unusually clever pet is "somehow" able to reach up inside the feeder's chute, most likely from far left or right side laying down on its side at an angle, you can easily add a formed plastic lip to the chute cover as shown Note: You cannot do that on the early model chute cover that does not have a vertical lip unless you just put a screw on both sides only.

If you do not have what is needed to modify your chute cover, click on the picture at right and you can purchase one as shown above for the late model housing (not available for early model chute cover). It is easy to install by simply removing the feeder floor and sliding it in the grooved chute opening. This modified cover will stop being able to stick paws anywhere close to chute.

We hope this helps answer some questions. If not, give us a call at 615-470-5596 or info@super-feed.com

All Super Feeder parts: http://www.superfeederstore.com/accessories/

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Revised 06/04/2019

PROBLEM	POSSIBLE CAUSE/SOLUTION
PROBLEMS WITH ASSEMBLY?	Please view video which will be extremely helpful for assembly and operation of the Super Feeder. You should have a link to the video in the feeder manual. Maintenance video
UNIT DOES NOT RUN, DOES NOT RUN PROPERLY, OR DOES NOT TRIGGER AT PROGRAMMED REMOTE TIMER TIME or WHEN TIMER IS MANUALLY SWITCHED “OFF AND BACK ‘ON” AGAIN. Some Super Feeders may have two internal lights: One power light is blue instead of green when feeder is powered, and a green light, which will only be on while motor is running. Also, the original feed adjustment dial has been replaced by a multi-turn slotted shaft screw-type portion controller for finer tuning of feed cycle time. Use supplied plastic screwdriver to turn dial of portion controller shaft. Slotted shaft portion controller approximate run/timing change: 1 full turn = 4 seconds----1/4 turn = 1 second	1. Confirm power light (steady green or blue depending on model) illuminates when you plug the power adapter directly into an outlet. If power light not on, power supply could be defective. You may use any other power adapter with 12VDC or AC output. Also check for proper electrical connections/wire chewed. Try switching wire connections under the feeder if using that alternate input with DC power. If still not on, call or send an e-mail to possibly return unit for service. 2. If power light is on (late model has blue power light and green motor light while motor is supposed to run), push reset switch and confirm that motor runs. With power off, push reset switch for 5 seconds, then plug power adapter directly into an outlet without timer. If it does not run, motor is defective (call on us). If it runs, check timer for proper operation/setting/programming. If timer's outlet does not put out power when manually or automatically turned on (test with a lamp), replace timer. Any timer can be used. 3. Reset “off” time not long enough (most common!). Make sure feeder is at least off for a minimum of 1-2 minutes between feed cycles to reset itself. If testing the feeder repeatedly, manually void required "off" reset time between test cycles by pushing the reset switch for 5 seconds with no power going to the feeder. For older feeder with "jumper" plug see: http://super-feed.com/adjustment.htm 4. Feeder triggers/runs for just a split second. Make sure feed cycle time adjustment is not turned all the way down (very important). Turn dial/portion controller shaft clockwise.
AQUARIUM MODELS FLAKES STICK TO SLIDE AND/OR FUNNEL EXCESSIVELY.	1. Surfaces damp or wet. Funnel’s lower end is out of the water and/or bubbles are bursting and splattering around the feeder’s chute. Make sure the funnel is at least 1/2” below the water line at all times and not installed directly above a bubble source/generator. Also, the feeder’s chute and slide may be too close to the funnel’s neck. Slightly move feeder away or move feeder to other area. Check slide for shaking action.
UNIT RUNS BUT DOES NOT EXPEL FOOD PROPERLY.	1. Hopper empty. Fill. 2. Dampened or wetted hopper food. ASF-1 aquarium feeder: Environment too humid or wet. Seal the top of the aquarium directly above the water. 3. Food packed. Loosen food. Do not pack when filling the hopper! ASF-1 aquarium Feeder: Try mixing a few small pellets with the flakes...It could help! 4. Food too large. ASF-1 aquarium feeder: Crush or replace food with smaller size. CSF-3: See #9 below. 5. Feed time adjustment incorrect. Turn portion controller's dial or slotted shaft right or left in fine increments to achieve correct timing for desired portion size. 6. Gate to roller gap too small. Rotate large black nylon screw counterclockwise located above chute. Portion adjustment quick set-up 7. Distribution drum surface worn out (all the small teeth sheared off). Return for service or order new drum (also referred to as "roller." Clean inside if needed. 8. Slide does not shake. Check for shaking action (very important). Make sure trip/shaker wire is not dislodged. 9. Cat food: If using chute cover on cat feeder, make sure kibbles are not hung up inside feeder at chute opening. Clear area and consider using smaller food (1/4" spherical kibbles recommended). If the feeder is allowed to run that way for a long time, the teeth on the drum will wear off prematurely.
UNIT EXPELS TOO MUCH FOOD	1. Feed cycle time too long. Turn portion controller's dial or slotted shaft to the left in small increments using the small plastic screwdriver to achieve correct timing for desired portion size. 2. Gate opening too wide. Reduce gate to roller gap by turning large black screw above chute opening clockwise.
UNIT CRUSHES FLAKES TOO MUCH (ASF-1 feeder)	1. Gate to roller gap too narrow. Open gate by turning large black screw above chute opening Counterclockwise.
FEEDER VERY NOISY CAUSED BY SLIDE SHAKING MECHANISM OR METAL/PLASTIC BOWL	Check for stuck kibbles between distribution slide and chute opening and/or roller. I caused by slide shaking mechanism, you may also disable slide shaking mechanism-if doing so, make sure larger kibbles do not get stuck at chute. If bowl is too noisy for you, try stuffing a small towel or other material underneath it to dampen the noise.
WATER/MOISTURE IN BASE OF OUTDOOR FEEDER	1. Feeder tilted or water splattering into chute. Correct and remove one or more rubber feet. Do not install feeder too close to water (Koi pond feeder). Make sure rubber plugs are secure!! New rubber plugs
ANIMALS CHEW ON FEEDER WIRES	1. Wires too exposed. Protect wires using flexible vinyl tubing or wire protective material found at Home Depot or Lowe's or office supply place. Hide wires as much as possible. We also have a wire protective Flex Guard available online.
HOPPER, LID, EXTENSIONS LOOSENED BY PETS OR WILD ANIMALS CAUSING THEM TO SEPARATE FROM MACHINE OR OTHER ACCESSORIES.	First, make sure you have locked each extension or lid on the machine, other extensions or 1.5 gallon hopper correctly! Use extra strap or wire at upper part of upper extension (not for short stand) and/or carefully drill and install longer screws all the way through extensions or hopper if needed. Securely attach feeder!!
FOOD COMES OUT BUT PORTIONS NOT ACCURATE ENOUGH (CSF-3)	Food type will dramatically affect portion accuracy with flat and/or large kibbles in any feeder. Best performance has been shown using 1/4" spherical kibbles from Science Diet or other Brands. Check roller condition. Clean roller with toothbrush or replace if feeder has been used for a long time. You may ask about a slow-drive replacement power adapter for very small portions if the distribution roller goes too fast. If food is oddly shaped, it will not stack together well within the feeder and will therefore never come out as evenly as ball type kibbles. Check slide shake or replace wire and or slide and gate. Try cleaning.
PET KNOCKS FOOD OUT OF FEEDER EASILY OR MOVES FEEDER AROUND MOUNTED TO STAND AND BOWL.	Tighten/close gate with large black screw (more friction), mount feeder bracket to wall or other item like play stand (mount feeder either low on bowl or high up out of pet reach), or if using plastic feeder mount, fasten base to larger plywood piece that pets will stand on when eating using one screw underneath bowl. Wedge it between some furniture. You may also fasten feeder mount to a bracket as shown bottom of this page or even better, check this anti-skid tape to put on the rubber feet of the stand base which works beautifully.
PET REACHES INSIDE FEEDER EVEN WITH CHUTE COVER INSTALLED.	If able, you could fasten a small plastic strip about 3/4" wide around the lower lip of the chute cover using small screws (see bottom of this page and already modified chute cover). You can place the feeder next to a wall on the side the pet is stretching down to reach into the chute opening from the side. You could also place the feeder between two items like washer and dryer. We have not had reported pet intrusion directly from the front with a chute cover installed and feeder attached to the black stand and bowl. Any reported intrusion has been laying down from one side or the other. Try placing the feeder next to a wall or other item on the side your pet is doing that.
PET DISLODGES METAL BOWL OR OTHER BOWL OF YOUR OWN FROM BASE OF CAT STAND	Purchase Velcro strips and attach them to the bottom of bowl and to the top of the stand's plastic base.