FAQs

Feed Bins

Why are the taper hopper panels wrinkling?

• Material inside bin is not flowing freely and collecting on the sides of the bin.
• Leg-to-collar braces are not pointing to the center of the bin. Rotate the collar so the braces are pointing directly to the center of the bin.

How many tons of feed does my bin hold?

• A 6’ bin w/ 1 ring holds 2.90 (2.63 metric tonnes) tons of feed, each additional ring holds 1.50 tons (1.37 metric tonnes).
• 7’ bin w/ 1 ring holds 4.82 (4.37 metric tonnes) tons of feed, each additional ring holds 2.05 tons (1.86 metric tonnes).
• A 9’ bin w/ 1 ring holds of 8.12 (7.37 metric tonnes) tons of feed, each additional ring holds 3.39 tons (3.07 metric tonnes).
• A 12’ bin w/ 1 ring holds 17.32 (15.72 metric tonnes) tons of feed, each additional ring holds 6.03 tons (5.47 metric tonnes).

What is the size of the opening at the base of the taper hopper?

• All of the collars at the base of the taper hoppers are 16” in diameter.

Broiler Pan Feeders

At what number do I set the FUZE pan to when the pan is on the floor to allow it to flood?

• Set the pan to 5. This allows the pan to flood, in spite of a situation where the floor is uneven and doesn’t allow some of the pans to seat into the litter.

The mechanical switch FUZE control pan will not stop the motor.

• When standing behind the motor, make sure the pan switch assembly is on the RIGHT side of the feed tube.

Feed Delivery Systems

Why will the motor run for a few seconds and then stop?

• Motor is turning the auger in the wrong direction. Change wiring on motor to turn in the opposite direction.

Why is oil leaking from the gear box?

• Vent plug is not installed on box. Remove the top oil plug and replace with vent plug shipped with motor and gear box assembly.

Does it matter which end of the auger is fed into the lower boot of the bin?

• No, either end can be attached to the drive head of the anchor bearing.

Can you splice the auger?

• Yes, you can either braze the auger, or use a bronze, flux-coated rod to weld the ends together. The spliced section should not be in an elbow or incline section, the closer to the drive unit the better.

How many individual flex augers can be run out of a single feed bin?

• Up to 4 flex augers can be installed to a feed bin using corresponding plastic transition and twin boots.

Why are the 45° elbows wearing prematurely?

• Avoid left hand turns as much as possible as they will cause the elbow to wear faster.
• Auger is possibly stretched too tightly, refer to manual for proper stretch.

Floor Watering

Why is water leaking at the lower adjustment knob?

• Diaphragm is leaking, replace diaphragm assembly.

Why do I not get any water when I turn the Flush valve to REG, I only get water in the FLUSH position?

• Unscrew the flush valve and remove the black rubber cap at the base of the valve.

Why is there no water at some of the nipples?

• Drinker pipes may not be level, allowing air pockets to form inside of pipes. Waterlines should either be level or slightly convex so that standpipes are at the highest points.

Why do the standpipes overflow at night but not during the day?

• The wafer in the pivot arm needs to be replaced.

Why do I have wet floors?

• Water pressure is too high.
• Drinkers height is too low.
• Foreign matter is inside drinkers. Flush and clean the drinkers to remove matter.
• Drinkers pipes are rotated so that drinkers are not pointing to the floor.

Why can’t I adjust the pressure down?

• The pivot arm and/or pivot brackets need to be replaced.

Rooster Pan Feeders

Why are my pans wearing through?

• Birds have access to feeders at all times and are pecking through the pans. Birds should only have access to the feeders when there is feed in them, and the pans should be raised out of the way when there is no feed in them.

Winching

Why won’t the Rooster Winch stop?

• The limit switches are not being triggered by the trip block.

Why do the Rooster Winch motors have 9 wires when they used to have 8?

• The manufacturer of the motors made some changes. If replacing an 8-wire motor, call VAL-CO for an updated wiring diagram.

Community Nests

Why does the egg belt curl up on one side?

• If the idler roller has an uneven buildup of feathers and debris, it may cause the belt to stretch unevenly, preventing it from laying flat. Clean the idler roller frequently.
• The drive roller needs to be adjusted for proper alignment.
• The pinch rollers are not applying pressure evenly. Check both sides to make sure they are adjusted properly.

The expeller does not move the complete distance at the end of the row. Why?

• The internal coupler for the expeller tubes could be loose. Make sure it is properly secured to two neighboring faces on each section of the tube.
• A counterweight needs to be installed on the end of the square tubing, assisting the tube to rotate properly.

Conventional Nests

How many birds can be placed per nest?

• 50 – 60 birds can be placed for the 10-hole nest.
• 60 – 71 birds can be placed for the 12-hole nest.

Mechanical Nests

Why won’t the table run?

• The ground fault receptacle on the front of the table is tripped. Press the reset button on the receptacle.
• The directional toggle switch is not engaged in either direction.

Why are the belts running backwards?

• The directional toggle switch is in the wrong position.

Why is the belt slipping on the roller?

• There is not enough perssure on the punch roller. Adjust the nuts for more tension on the spring tensioner brackets.
• Belt stretch has occurred. Cut the belt shorter and sew back together as instructed in the manual.

Why is the belt moving side to side?

• The drive roll needs to be adjusted by loosening the outside bearing and turning the adjustment knob.

How many birds can be placed per nest?

• 5 – 5.5 birds can be placed per nest.

Flat Chain Feeding

Why are the troughs wearing through on the bottom?

• Chain circuit is not level. Adjust winching or floor supports so that all troughs are level.

Why are troughs wearing through on the sides?

• Chain circuit is not square. Adjust winching or floor supports so that all troughs are straight with each other.

Why so the shear pins continue to break?

• Foreign object in the chain somewhere in the circuit.
• Power Shoe not adjusted for proper height to Drive Sprocket. Shim the Power Shoe accordingly so it is within 1/32″ below drive sprocket teeth.

How often should the corners be oiled?

• Approximately every 60 days with SAE 10W oil.

Chain Disk Feeding

What is the maximum distance allowed for chain disk?

• Maximum effective length for steel tubes is 1800′ (305m). Each corner equals an effective length of 25′ (7.6m). Can have 24 corners max.

Swine Watering

What do the different colors on the caps of the nipples mean?

• A green cap represents a stainless coil spring is used in the drinker.
• A yellow cap represents a rubber spring is used in the drinker.

Controls

Why do all of the sensors on the Ventra 1200 control read N/A?

• Front Board, PA-085-101, needs replaced.
• Improper wiring and/or programming of the sensors.

Why do my heaters turn on when my curtains are down?

• The heater/curtain interlock is not programmed correctly in the temp control settings.
• Heaters not interlocked to correct curtains.
• Curtains are out of calibration.
• Heaters or curtain relay needs to be replaced in control.
• Fault with curtain machine.

Equipment only works in manual and not in auto?

• Toggle switch is in incorrect position. Relay needs to be replaced inside control.
• Animal head count set to 0. Must be above 0 to run in auto.
• Temp control is set to OFF.

Why will fans not turn off when my curtain is down?

• May have an out of position alarm.
• Whisker switch is wired incorrectly.
• Whisker switch programming is incorrect.

How do I flash a memory card?

• Take a card you want programmed in front of a controller that is already programmer, press cancel 3 times, press the down arrow key one time, press the enter button one time, wait for flash message to go away, power down controller, take programmed card out, insert not programmed card, and turn power on.

Why is my language changing to Spanish on a Ventra 1200 controller?

• Decal needs to be replaced with a newer style decal that has a split ribbon.

Why will my feeders not run in auto when it’s between set times?

• Controller is generating feeder ON Time Exceeds alarm that needs to be cleared.
• Clock setting is incorrect.
• Feeder sensor is faulty.

Inlet Actuators and Curtain Machines

How do I adjust the stroke length on a C433 actuator?

• Remove the back cover of the actuator and locate the open/close limit switches. Loosen the small screw so that the topo cam can be turned by hand. Turn the cam clockwise to lengthen the stroke and counterclockwise to shorten the stroke. Each click represents 1/2″ of travel.

Why will the machine run in manual mode but not in automatic mode (230 volt)?

• Control switch is not in automatic mode.
• L1 and L2 wires are reversed.

Why is the clutch slipping, preventing the machine from operating?

• The clutch may need to be adjusted. Refer to manual for instructions to get the proper tolerance between the clutch and the clutch plate.

Why will the ball screw machine not let the curtains drop when power is removed?

• The clutch may need to be adjusted. Refer to the manual for instructions to get the proper tolerance between the clutch and the clutch plate.

Why will the curtain not move manually or automatically?

• Incorrect wiring to the curtain machine.
• Machine may have over-traveled and triggered the kill switch. Trigger the Override Switch and use the Manual Switch to move the curtain.

Fans

Where do I position the fan blade in relation to the outside edge of the fan orifice on the HyperMAX fan?

• The tips of the fan blades should protrude 1/4″ out of the front of the orifice.

The blade protrudes more on one side of the fan than the other.

• Loosen the four bolts on the motor mounting bracket and pivot the bracket until the blades protrude evenly.

EZ Cool Pad

Why are the joints in the lower trough leaking?

• The couplers were not glued properly. Make sure they apply plenty of glue to both the coupler and the trough when joining the two components.

How do I direct the water from the 1 1/2″ drilled pipe above the pads?

• Direct the water up, and at a slight angle back towards the barn.

High Pressure Fog

Why is the compression fitting leaking?

• Fitting may not be properly tightened. Fully insert the tube into the fitting, and hand tighten. With a black marker, make a mark on the tube and the nut to document the position of the nut in relation to the pipe. Then, using 2 properly sized wrenches, turn the nut 1 1/4 turns. No more. No less.

Why are some of the nozzles plugged at start up?

• Keep all of the components as clean as possible during installation. Before installing the automatic drain valve at the end of a fog line, high pressure flush the newly installed system, forcing any foreign debris out of the fog line.

How do I cut the stainless steel pipe?

• Use a tubing cutter with a cutting wheel rated for stainless steel. Do not use any cutting device that produces any shavings (side grinder or chop saw) as steel shavings will plug up the nozzles.

Tube Heat

Why will the tube heater only run for a few seconds?

• Polarity on the incoming power in incorrect. Reverse L1 and L2 at the power source.

Why will the burner not run and I get pressure switch errors?

• Inlet tubing or blower screen is obstructed.
• Pressure switch needs to be replaced.

Why won’t the igniter glow red?

• Igniter has a crack in it and needs to be replaced.

Brooders

Why is soot building up on the brooder?

• Incorrect size gas orifices. Replace orifice with the correct size for the particular brooder pertaining to the gas being used.
• Burner orifice elbow is not directing the gas straight upward. Reposition elbow so that it is pointing straight upward.

Why am I not getting enough heat from the brooder?

• Make sure the orifice is clean. Check the incoming gas pressure. 11″ of water column for LP gas, and 7″ of water column for natural gas.

Infra-radiant Heaters

Why does my brooder not burn correctly?

• Heater needs to be cleaned.
• Insufficient gas pressure going to brooder.

Scales

How do I get the basic and graph code for my Sentinel Scale controller to log in using Optilink?

• Please call us at 1-888-673-2460 for codes. International customers may call (+1) 419-678-8731, ext 9. Serial number from control will be needed.

How can I view the installer setting for the scale?

• Go to the general settings in the installer menu and find the installer setting info page in the general setting and change to Visible.

What is a 24V frequency alarm telling me?

• Possible short in load cell wiring or incorrect wiring.

What is a “No Signal from Scale” telling me?

• Possible short or incorrect wiring to load cell.

Why will my PC not connect to the scale using Optilink?

• Wrong COM port selected in Optilink.
• Correct drivers are not installed in PC to connect to the scale head.
• Baud rate is incorrect in the scale.
• COM ports are faulty in PC.
• COM Board in scale head may be defective.

Where should I place the scale platform in the house?

• Scale platform should be away from large fans and curtain openings where there may be an excessive amount of wind that may cause the scale to sway that may result in false weights. Scale platform is recommended to be placed between a water and a feed line where there is high volume of bird traffic.

I started a new flock and cannot get any weighings from the scale. Why?

• Improper start weight of birds may be entered in the settings of the house, most for house may be turned off, or scale needs to be calibrated.

Cremators

Why will the burner only run for a few seconds?

• Not properly grounded. Install a ground rod next to unit.
• Low voltage from power source. Unit may be too far away from power source.

Why am I getting a Probe Fail error?

• The wires to the Heat Probe may be damaged. Remove the Heat Probe plug and place a jumper wire in the 2 connectors of the female plug. If error goes away, the Heat Probe needs to be replaced. If error does not go away, the wires and/or female plug needs to be replaced.

Why is there no fuel spraying on an oil burner?

• Fuel pump is not properly tightened to the drive coupler.
• Fuel pump is not functioning properly; replace pump. (Never run the unit with no fuel available, pump will become damaged.)

Why will my gas burner not light?

• Electrodes are dirty and/or damp. Dry and clean the electrodes.
• Air from blower is not activating Pressure Switch. Check pressure switch tube for obstructions.

How long will a nozzle last on an oil burner?

• Nozzles should be replaced every 500 gallons.