CatGenie: Unclogging and Cleaning

If you are the proud owner of a CatGenie, eventually you will probably have a clog. Cleaning up a clog can be a disastrous mess or no big deal... benefit from my experience and save yourself a world of grief.

Step 1: Safety, Disclaimer, and Tools

SAFETY:

Cat crap is nothing to sneeze at. It can carry many diseases and make you sick. Wear gloves and wash your hands afterwards. If you're going to scrub vigorously you might want to wear a face shield. Although not absolutely required, I highly recommend shutting off the water line and disconnecting the power.

DISCLAIMER:

If you screw something up, I am not responsible. You assume all responsibility for your actions. Your mileage may vary. Look both ways before crossing the street. Don't drink and drive. Eat your veggies and above all, be good humans.

TOOLS:

You need a drill (don't worry, you won't be damaging your CatGenie or voiding any warranties), a pitcher (for water), and maybe a towel. That's it.

Comments

[mr_beyer]

When I have to clean out a clog, instead of blowing water backwards up the drain I blow air using a vacuum cleaner. Once I get bubbles at the mulcher bowl it is clear. If I have to use my wet vac to drain it once I hit the clean and drain portion of the cycle I just empty the vacuum back into the bowl so it clears during the drain portion. The only problem I have is when it is a hairball. Sometimes it works, sometimes it really clogs it up and requires a disassembly.

[proudsailor]

I am contemplating getting the CG. My question to all is whether it's really worth the $300plus investment. I have four cats, and since I'm newly retired from the Navy after 21 years, I have some catching up to do with family and such. That means a wee bit of travel for me, but not usually more than 4-5 days at a time. So, I can't decide whether to get the CG or just go with 4 litter boxes and hope for the best. Thanks in advance for any feedback from ya'll.

[acokefair]

I purchased a CatGenie last November on the advice of a co-worker. We have 2 cats, and they LOVE this thing! They actually compete to see who can get in the box first after cleaning. We recently went away for 5 days, and the cats were fine with the Genie. i love the fact that there is no smell (the litterbox is in the laundry room). After 7 months of use, I just dissambled and cleaned the Genie for the first time.
Our cats are an 18 lb Siamese, and a 6 lb. Tuxedo, the Siamese is fat, so we do not free-feed the cats. For travel I purchased a Q-Pets automatic pet feeder from Amazon (just in case you need this, too!)
Enjoy your travels, Navy. Thanks very much for your service!

[jeff waldie]

Has anyone had the problem of the cartridges being half full (atleast) after 60 washes? I have cleaned the orange nipple and was wondering if there is anything else that needs cleaning to open up the cleaning fluid. Also, has anyone tried uncooked brown rice as a substitute for the granules?

[abarbee01]

Ok, I'm glad I'm not to the only one looking to save a little on the cost of granduales, I just got my catgenie about 3 months ago and have gone thru both boxes of catgenie granules (1 of my 2 cats has a hyperthyroid and on medicine but stool can be softer than a normal cats so more granules stick to it). But I just couldn't force myself to put perfectly good brown rice in the catgenie for my cats to poop on. So I instead went to Walmarts Craft section and got a bag of  100% polypropylene poly-pellets (the kind crafters use for small toys or cushions) their about the same size as the the catgenie granules but their shaped more like a half flat droplet (you know the shape you get if youve ever drop hot glue on a counter the resulting shape after its dry is round on top but flat underneath) so they don't "roll" around either. I tried them out for the first time last night and ran a cycle and they seem to be flowing thru the cleaning basket better than the original ones. I know these aren't as biodegradable are the original so I wouldn't recommend this for people w/ a septic. These seem to work for substitute catgenie granules until I can get the original ones again.

[mewildetoo]

awesome instructions

[Ladywyngs]

Absolutely the best instructions I have ever seen. I have been fighting with mine for weeks!! Thank you!!!!!

[smummert]

Instead of using a drill at this point, figure out the diagnostic routine to run the drain motor. It starts by holding down both buttons for 4 seconds. Then you alternately press the Auto Setup and Start buttons.

[irgeek]

You are correct to tell everyone that gloves and a face shield are a good idea, but cat crap can be very dangerous--especially to pregnant women and people who are HIV positive--because it may carry the parasite that causes Toxoplasmosis. You may want to edit the intro to inform people about that.

[erick.mendes]

Offtopic: Om*g, you people got automatic cat toilets... I didn't even know it exist. IMHO, it seems a little, exaggerated... A little box and sand is all that takes for a cat to piss... why make things more complex?

[Spokehedz]

When you have 6 cats, you would be cleaning litterboxes every single day. If not more often. Not to mention about the disease and infections that can result from litterboxes with that many cats all using each others boxes. Or the bloody sand getting everywhere from catfights in the box. Add the fact that a GC is very cheap to operate (if you refill your cartridges, and keep the granuals in--both explained by ScottSEA) and can operate for days without human intervention. I'm not saying you would leave your cats unattended for weeks on end, but now I can leave my cats for 2 days (I have an automatic feeder as well) and not feel absolutely horrible about it. I still feel bad, but work needs me sometimes... And I don't care how good of a friend you are--nobody is cleaning litterboxes for you. So, yes. We have cat toilets. Why don't you move along with your completely useless comments and to back to Youtube where your kind are usually located. I know this is coming dangerously close to not being within the 'Be nice' policy--but Sheesh!

[erick.mendes]

Ok, you got a point. For people who have cats living indoor it sure seems like a nice idea.

I just think that it's more water been used, more chemicals being thrown at the sewer system.

By now, I got 7 cats. As I live in a home, I let them make it in my backyard, as it is a big sandbox. Every weekend I catch their poops. By the way, I also got 5 dogs. So it's a zoo mess over here. : )

Ok, you wasn't really nice with me but I don't take those things serious.
IF you got time, and curiosity, take a look at my "family":

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9867331@N08/

Cya around the web.
And btw, good luck unclogging your cat toilet! ; ) lol just joking, couldn't help.

[FourLeggedHairy]

This drill spins the pump, if you call customer service they can do this using the catgenie itself. Of course, at 2 AM the drill may be a solution. They now have a free new designed hopper and pump called the Turbo something. Call for yours! I've had my catgenie from way back, very few issues and they have been great. ALL companies should take a lesson from Catgenie when it comes to customer service.

[davidshq]

This is a great tutorial. Thanks a lot. Very detailed, great images!

[Jeff Carr]

These things are fantastic. I haven't had a clog yet, but I'll be referring to this if I do. Thanks! I've been refiling my cartridges recently... I might have to post an instructable on that....

[ScottSEA]

Refilling your cartridges? You don't say! I would love to hear more about that (as I'm sure you're aware). Are you hacking the chip? I haven't had time/experience enough to look into it, but again: I would LOVE to see an Instructable on it!

[Jeff Carr]

I didn't hack the chip so much as the actual unit. I just rerouted the sensors to a different chip. The unfortunate side of that is that now it can't tell if there is a cartridge in it or not... Plus, I haven't found a replacement chemical that works as well as the original yet.

[mrbenz7]

How did you do this? I would love to know since my cat genie arrived with defective cartridges right out of the box! If there is someway to defeat the chip, any way to do this I might consider keeping it, but as of now, I'm soory I got it. It's made in China and i should have known better!

[SaltCritters]

How did you hack the unit? Please tell these beeping sani solutions are driving me nuts!

[ScottSEA]

I was told that the cartridge basically contains a similar solution to what your local vet uses to clean the tables and whatnot. Have you tried a Simple Green solution? Do you know what kind of chip is on the cartridges? I assume its an EEPROM, but which one? If I had the spec I might be able to re-increment the counter on a cartridge back up to 60, thereby maintaining complete functionality.

[vernors]

when i got it i accidentally took off the nipple and flooded the processor and void the warranty luckily they gave us a knew one.

[ScottSEA]

I lost a nipple too... but found out what the problem was and installed the spare. They're easy to lose track of!

[Jeff Carr]

They do have amazing customer service from everything that I've heard. Luckily I haven't had the need to use it.

[ScottSEA]

Yes, I love CatGenie's customer service. I've had a faulty cartridge and a water hose replaced without questions, and the replacement parts arrived in a couple of days. I can't say enough good things about CatGenie - or their people. Thanks for the great feedback.

[winjama]

Thanks for a great Instructable. Wish I had read this about 2 weeks ago. I would have been a lot surer tearing into my own Cat Genie. My only problem with the unit is I live in Belize, Central America. They don't ship supplies/parts/etc., out of the US or Canada. But, that's my cross to bear for living in paradise. I'm really looking forward to an instructable on refilling the cartridges - even without a chip hack. Thanks again. Why doesn't the spell checker recognize "Instructable"?

[Deslv]

What would happen if some Drain-O or something like this would be added every so often to dissolve the hair?

[SurferGeek]

Love the use of the Serenity quote!

[ScottSEA]

Heh heh... I was wondering if anyone would notice - not really sure how many browncoats are running around these days! The House Elf (my wife) has ordered the travel posters, and they're gorgeous.

[Rob K]

And I thought the littermaid was a pain to take apart. There is a lot more working parts in that one.

[ScottSEA]

Yes, there are several parts to the CatGenie - but it's not what I'd call "a pain". Everything - and I literally mean everything - comes apart without tools. I can't say enough about my CatGenie - despite the occasional hair clog. I only have to clean them like this every four to six months. You can just clear the clog, drain the yuck and run a cycle if you don't want to do the full teardown.

[!Andrew_Modder!]

that is NASTY!!!

[ScottSEA]

NOoo..... what's really nasty was the FIRST clog I had to clear. I still have nightmares....

[!Andrew_Modder!]

hah.

[vernors]

i have one to. I'm glad to have one because i have 3 cats/kittens. i keep this bookmarked

[ScottSEA]

I have two, and 90% of the time they're fantastic - but occasionally things go bad.

[GorillazMiko]

Yuck Still, awesome Instructable. The pictures are a bit small, but I still get it. Awesome job!

[ScottSEA]

I've tried to keep the pictures smaller to reduce load times, but I think you're right. They could be quite a bit bigger and still load quickly. Thanks for the positive feedback and the constructive criticism!

[PerfectlySquare]

Very nice I-ble! I don't own a CatGenie (Poo puree isn't my bag, baby) or for that matter even a cat, and I still enjoyed it! Your Instructable is fun to read, has great directions, and best of all: tons of well labelled photos! +1 for "Der Nipple" XD

[ScottSEA]

Thanks for the +1! Glad you liked it - it's my first, and I must say the learning curve on this site is ... daunting. Love the content, though, so I had to contribute.