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Old November 27th 17, 09:43 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
John Doe[_2_]
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Posts: 204
Default Litter Robot 3 "open-air"

Toobig stopped messing with it. All three are using the Litter
Robot Open Air with no problems. I have started using Arm &
Hammer SLIDE litter. So, these are the modifications I have
made to the litter ball...

Removed the crud shield from inside. I figure it was just a
strain on the motor. The opening of the newest litter ball is
so large, you can easily wipe off the inside if you want to. No
need for a shield taking up space inside.

Also removed the shield guide. It is near the front along the
top. Cut it out with a utility knife. It can be scored and then
broken, or just cut through. Helps to mark the crease with a
marker so that you know where to cut. That increased the space
inside a little more.

Completely disassembled the ball before starting the new
litter. Must be VERY careful when taking the quad sections
apart. Use a fluorescent marker to mark the magnet orientation.
That is very important, or you will be messaging technical
support for help. And they do not even know how the magnets go
when it is reassembled. They person I messaged had a good idea,
but they were not exactly right.

Removed the weight from the rubber liner. It will hold a tiny
bit more litter. I figure it does not need to buckle when
cycling since using the SLIDE litter. In practice, that has
proved more or less correct. The clumps eventually come unstuck
if not immediately. The rubber liner could be completely
removed I suppose. But if it isn't broke, don't fix it. So I
will wait.

Removed the crap foam from its various positions. Also removed
the hairy tape along the bottom. That is not really recommended
but it does get in the way when cleaning the thing and
eventually it will fall off anyway.

But some grease made specially for plastic (DOW MOLYKOTE EM-
30L). After cleaning the ball, applied a very tiny amount
around the ball on certain paths. The location could probably
be determined by using a marker across the ball and then see
where the ink wears. Apparently I have it in the correct
locations, it is spinning smoothly.

Using ordinary plastic T-shirt grocery bags with the handles
cut off. Won't go into the process for taping them to the
litter drawer, but it works well. And it is dirt cheap.

My opinion so far...

Like it. I like plastic. I like automation. It does not do
everything, but it does the hard work so you do not have to
worry about it. Besides the introductory hassle that is always
the case with something new... You might need to clean off the
inside from time to time. But you do that at your leisure
instead of (like) raking the litter box that must be done on a
schedule.

You must be familiar with plastic screws. Carefully reverse
direction and listen/feel for the correct place before screwing
the screw into the hole. Do not over tighten and do not worry
about the really weird fact that the screen is actually unscrew
themselves a tiny bit after you tighten them down. Never seen
that happen before. Probably something to do with the type of
plastic.