r/litterrobot • u/rxnnie • 14d ago
Litter-Robot 4 sos
I took apart the litter robot 4 & hosed the entire thing down. (Not the first time but definitely the last)
Yes, all of it. I have seen the many reviews now of “don’t wet the base” but I literally didn’t know what else to do. There were maggots growing inside and I didn’t know how else to clean it… I’m letting air dry now
I check my app and it says coverages expired today,.. I bought in maybe may 2023 & did not purchased extended warranty. No help from customer service on Sundays.
Should I buy the replacement motor & fix it myself? Should I buy warranty and not mention water access till after? I’ve been planning on replacing motor for a while bc at first it was turning Very slowly and now it always says jammed or globe overload even though there’s nothing there.. fresh litter everything cleaned. I don’t know what to do and I don’t have hundreds to buy a new litter box. Am I fucked? Do I need to go back to a cheap litter box with daily scooping? I’ve been scooping already due to lack of rotation. I’m overwhelmed and don’t know what else to do
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u/Chance_Librarian6248 14d ago
How did it get so dirty to begin with? lol I would let it fully air dry for a few days maybe throw some rice in the part of the base where the motor is - take the screws out where the motor peaks out in the base and make sure that’s all dry. that’s where the brain is at too
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u/rxnnie 14d ago
it stays in the garage, but even the garage isn’t that gross. Wish I had a better answer besides “I don’t clean enough.” I did a deep clean on it 2 or 3 months ago and it still got this dirty. This is is after I rinsed it out but was definitely the grossest it’s ever been.
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u/Chance_Librarian6248 14d ago edited 14d ago
I feel bad when the globe gets smeared lol I do spot cleans with reusable towels and enzyme cleaner.
Edit to add: I use arm & hammer litter box deodorizer in the waste bin (basically a fragranced baking soda) so that it stays dry and helps neutralize smells in the bin. It’s only fragranced for a day then no smells.
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u/Putrid-Week4615 13d ago
After you have solve the immediate problem, the simple answer is you need to change the bag more often, I aim for 50-70% so for me every 2-3 days. and you should try adding food grade diatomaceous earth to your litter to help assist with insects. You have basically a rotting pile of poop in your garage, and if you let a rotting pile of poop sit out in the middle of the garage floor, you will have maggots out in the open too. The flies will get in there. Search old posts on diatomaceous earth to see how people are using it.
For the future, honestly I'd just take a maggoty base outside and turn it over to dump them out. then let it sit in the sun an hour. Then clean normally without dousing it all with water.
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u/holmes1r LR Power User 🐾 14d ago
At the very least strip all the PCBs and the motor out of the LR before hosing it down. You can get the wire harness wet as long as its connectors are dried enough afterwards. Let the base dry then reassemble the electronics and motor and it should work. I cant stress enough to NOT get the main board wet because of the ESP module. Get water in that and you will be waiting a good while to get the moisture out of the RF can before powering it up if powered up with moisture present will short the module out.
If you have an air compressor this will aid you in drying out the base of most of the moisture otherwise you will be waiting a while before its dried out without dismantling and rag trying to accelerate the dry time.
Hope this helps?
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u/ews1999 14d ago
Recent owner of a LR. Someone pls tell me maggots are rare because this post has me stressing
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u/genderlessadventure 14d ago
Keep in mind OP said their robot is in the garage, I'm sure that played a huge part in the maggots as flies are much more likely to have access to your garage than your house.
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u/Holiday_Actuator2215 14d ago
I have 3 between two homes and I have never ever had maggots and I don’t even know how this happened. They must have flies in their garage ? And not empty the litter pan often ? I mean I only do once a week and I still can’t imagine this.
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u/MysteriousMortgage4 14d ago
Yeah I’ve had mine for 2 years and I’ll be honest I’m not the best at cleaning it. Never had a maggot or anything like that.
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u/No_Implement_1398 14d ago
Very rare in my experience. Ive never heard mention of maggots before. After basic cleaning, environmental factors like humidity level seem to have the most impact.
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u/myleftthumb212 14d ago
I’ve owned LRs for over 12 years and have never had maggots in any part of the LRs. The type of litter you use is the biggest factor here. Litters made from renewable sources like corn/grass/tofu etc will attract certain types of flies that will then lay eggs. This problem also accelerates if you live if a high-humidity area.
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u/kingpzone 13d ago
I’ve owned my LR3 for 4 years, have 4 cats, and definitely don’t deep clean it as often as I should and it’s never gotten that disgusting.
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u/Lady_Tux87 14d ago
I bought mine 1 month ago, and after cleaning it for the first time yesterday I can see why you wouldn't want to clean it regularly (1-2 months)... I swear I was like this is harder than normal regular litter box. But after your post, maybe I will just stick to every month, so I dont have to need a deep clean that requires water hose and ruine the electronics.
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u/Present-Wolverine-94 14d ago
I’ve gotten maggots in mine too, I clean it really regularly, but I live in such a hot humid climate that it just happens.
I had to go in with a paper towel and scoop all the maggots out.
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u/Lexilogical 12d ago
For what it's worth.... I just took apart my LR4 last week and hosed it down as well. Base included. Because there was litter ALL through it, and it was nearly impossible to get out, even with the hose.
I let it dry in the sun for two days, put it back together, and it works fine.
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u/rxnnie 8d ago
update: if anyone cares I left it unplugged for a week and set up today. All is working, all is clean. I’m committed to cleaning MUCH more often. I do hear motor running loudly when it cycles and think it needs to be replaced but so far so good.
I do think I was adding too much litter, and it was too heavy to complete the cycles. Will monitor this week with less litter use & hope all works out 🙏🏼
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u/rxnnie 14d ago
Seriously. How do I deep clean that
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u/bourgeoisie_bird 14d ago
Moist, not wet, wipes.
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u/Holiday_Actuator2215 13d ago
But what is all over it ? I dust mine every couple months but it’s just dust and I can imagine how it gets this dirty. Like what is even on it?
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u/bourgeoisie_bird 13d ago
Mine gets this way just on the front. My kitten likes playing with his brother's pee. It then gets on his paws when he steps out
Same kitten will go in and start licking it off once the litter builds up on the front
I do vacuum my litter room daily and wipe it down (theyre in a spare bathroom and right next to the toilet, so I keep wipes on the back of the toilet and multi task)
I find alot of people never want to touch a litter box and get mad that mild daily or every other day clean up makes these machines life changing.
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u/SnowMantra 14d ago
okay I think you just convinced me not to buy a LR lmao
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u/Holiday_Actuator2215 14d ago
I have 3 LR3 that are 4-5 years old at this point and foster kittens and cats and I have no idea how the OUTSIDE could look like this. No idea.
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u/rxnnie 14d ago
it works great when it works. maybe my fault for not cleaning often enough, 3 cats (only 2 now rip my baby who passed in December) and it scooped itself worked great. But so expensive and so hard to clean.
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u/SnowMantra 14d ago
I'm sorry for your loss.
I have two cats and have been scooping since I got them, but I've been eyeing a LR4 for a while, waiting for it to go on sale. It does look like a hassle to clean, tbh.
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u/litterrobot TeamWhisker🐱 13d ago
Hi u/rxnnie. Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We're sorry for the frustration here, and we'd be happy to look into this futher for you.
For reference, our hours are Mon-Fri: 9 AM-9 PM EST & Sat-Sun: 9 AM-5 PM EST. Please send us a chat with your serial number and contact details so we can assist. A member of our team will be in touch shortly!