Automatic Litterbox Central

A few months back a friend of mine was over and we were watching Football… in the middle of the second quarter he goes… WHAT is that smell… Anyone that owns a Cat Genie knows what he is enjoying the smell of… Cat Poo Brownies!

It does not happen all the time.. but when it does our entire upstairs will smell. I have thought about solutions in the past, but was never able to come up with anything. Then I saw someone post in here about hooking up a window fan to a Eco Surge protector… the concept being that any time the Cat Genie turned on, the surge protector would give power to the fan…. This got me thinking. If I could hook up a exhaust fan I could do the same thing.

My first plan was to hook up a every day bathroom exhaust fan in the laundry room. I changed my mind on this because I did not want to cut a whole in my roof… and I want it to turn on only when the unit is running.

Then I though about hooking up an inline vent fan and connecting to my dryer vent… then I looked into the cost of the inline vents and they were cost prohibitive.

My final design is a combination of the two. This is what I did:

1. I bought a $29 (70 CBM) every day bathroom fan from HomeDepot.
2. I removed the plastic housing and replaced it with a square board the same size.
3. I drilled a 3 ½ inch hole into the board to allow air flow.
4. I mounted a 4 inch to 3 inch PVC adapter to the top of the board.
5. I also mounted another 3 inch to 4 inch adapter to the output on the vent.
6. I removed the hard wire electrical and replaced it with a standard extension cord.
7. I then cut my existing dryer vent and spliced in a Y vent allowing a second line to be attached.
8. Before each connection to the Y I installed back flow adapters so that the dryer can not send air to the Cat Genie and the Cat Genie air can not run into the dryer.
9. I then drilled a 3 1/2 inch hole into the top of the Cat Genie box (the section above the poop scoop.
10. I then attached a 4 inch to 3 inch PVC adapter to the top of the Cat Genie.
11. I ran a 3 inch duct from the top of the Cat Genie into the 3 inch adapter on the wood of the fan
12. I ran a 4 inch duct form the output of the fan to the Y adapter.
13. I then plugged the Cat Genie into the Computer slot of the Eco Surge protector.
14. I the plugged the exhaust fan into the peripherals power on the surge protector.

NOW….. when the Cat Genie turn on…. The fan will not turn on right away. The Cat Genie only uses enough power at certain times to trigger the exhaust. However, it remains on during the dry cycle.

The system works perfectly. I can stand next to the unit and there is no smell AND no heat from the unit. Before when the unit would run… it would heat the laundry room and the kitchen… now there is no temp change in the room and best of all… NO smell.

I am not sure how many others would be interested in doing something like this… The cost is not too much:

Exhaust Fan: $29 ( you could go with the $13 but less power)
ECO Surge Protector $29
2 back flow adapters$5 each
4 inch duct: $10
3 inch duct: $7
Y adapter: $10
3 PVC Adapters: $2 each

Not having to smell poo in the house… priceless!

If anyone has any specific questions on how to do this let me know.







Attaching the new power cord:





New TOP to the fan with 3 1/2 inch hole. Second hole is a small 5/8 hold that only goes through 1/2 way to accommodate highest point on top of fan.




back flow prevention




Y adapter




Final product:

That looks awesome! Price fer the mod is just over $100...fer those who didn't do the math.

I'm glad you used the draft blocker flappers...

Now shoot some video and post it up on YouTube...

For those of you who might have their CGs in a closet. After installing a bathroom light/fan in the closet, I swapped the regular light switch for one with an electric eye. The cats coming and going trigger both the light and the fan. It was a pretty cheap solution and good for 95% of the time. If I've got a fresh batch of brownies cooking though, I turn the fan on manually and let it run.

I went by Lowes and found the Broan Model 771 (Item #256747) that is rated fer 70cfm@4.0 scones. It has a built in backdraft damper and uses a squirrel cage to keep things flowing without a lot of noise. The exhaust port is 3" in diameter. I tested it with the exhaust port pointing up and the damper works just fine. It was pretty much the same cost...$30.


Of course if you want quiet, you could go with the Broan Model QTR070 (Item #204318) fer about $90...it's rated at 70cfm@1.0 scones. It DOES NOT have a built in backdraft damper and the exhaust port is 4" in diameter. That's the quietest exhaust fan in the industry!


I went by Fry's electronics and spotted some control power strips made by Belkin (Conserve), HP, and Monster Cable. The ones by HP and Monster Cable look exactly the same with some color differences so I'm gonna guess they are made by the same company. Just make sure you find the ones that states that it controls the other outlets! Costs were ranged from $40 to $80. So if you have a Fry's electronics near you and you need one now, you can git one from there.

The $13 and $29 fan at Home Depot both have the back draft prevention built in, but you still need to add one for the dryer so that the Cat Genie can not flow into the dryer. I figured for $5 I would add a second one for added safety to the fan.

I would not pay all the extra for the low noise... the fan is about the same level as the Cat Genie when it runs. So if you pay a lot for a quieter fan... you still have the noise from the Cat Genie.

The surge protector is only $29 at Lowes.

I'm just gonna have mine run all the time...not gonna spend the extra on the strip. I didn't see the Eco Saver strip at Lowes... Besides...it shouldn't suck up that much more electricity and it should keep the laundry room smelling better overall.

I also saw the eco power strips at OSH today for $24.

I also picked up a table top small room air cleaner to put on top of my unit. It now will also turn on at the same time and pick up any other smells from the unit.... my laundry room is now the best smelling room in the house!

I've tried to think about using the Broan Model 771 aside from doing the thing that had you did. The Broan Model 771 is quite more expensive, but it could offer less effort on attaching it.

jennyfan wrote:I've tried to think about using the Broan Model 771 aside from doing the thing that had you did. The Broan Model 771 is quite more expensive, but it could offer less effort on attaching it.

Lowes has Broan Model 771 fer about $30 plus tax. It's the same cost as the one from Home Depot with the same output but quieter.

That is a pretty good deal... and would drop the noise level by 30%. The noise has not been a big deal because the Cat Genie is noisier then the fan! Not to mention I also hooked up a small room air cleaner to the unit so it will change the air in the room while the unit runs. I have been very happy with the results. I can stand right next to the Cat Genie during the dry cycle and smell nothing.

I was talking to someone else in here that liked this setup, but because they live in an apartment they could not set it up. I started thinking about it and I have a solution that may work for people that can not vent to the outside. At Home Depot they see the indoor dryer vent kit. It is about $12. If you attach this to the output on the fan and fill the white box on the end with a normal room air cleaner charcoal filter... it should remove the smell.

If anyone is interested in this concept and wants me to do a trail I can buy the parts and see if it works. I do not need to do it so I will not waste the money unless it would help somone else to see if it would work before investing in the entire setup.

This is an awesome post. Thankyou.
Im about to embark on a similar mod. What did you use to drill the hole in the cat genie? Any advice there? (& how is the duct attached at that hole? ... sealed?)

psu1994ca,

I like your modification.

Can you tell me how the eco surge protector works?

Do they sell them at Home Depot?

I was going to install a new bathroom fan and was looking into inline models. I agree with you, the price was a bit high.

Then I stumbled on your method. I like it because it removes the odor from the source instead of trying to clean the entire room's air.

Was it difficult to drill the 3 and 1/2 inch hole through the catgenie plastic? I have a set of hole saws and am looking for pointers on the best way (w/ least damage to unit) to make the hole.

All in all, it looks like a great idea...

Just looking for some feedback on:

1. how the surge protector works,
2. If Home Depot carries them,
3. How to wire the extension cord to the fan, and
4. Best way to cut hole into CG plastic.

Thanks in advance for your help. Looking forward to removing the smell from our house!!!

eco surge protectors are designed to stop small standby current drains from auxiliary devices when the main device is off. IE, no reason to keep your printer using a couple watts when the computer is powered off.

They have one master outlet which you plug the computer (or in this case the CG) into. That outlet has a current sensor, so when that outlet starts using a certain number of watts the other outlets are turned on. When the master outlet power usage drops below the threshold, the other outlets are turned off.

OP is saying that not all of the CG cycle uses enough power to be above the threshold, tripping the surge bar and turning the extra outlets (aka the blower) on. But the drying cycle definitely uses enough power (as CG has a fan and heater running) so the blower will always run during the granule drying cycle, thus removing the baked poo smell.

1. how the surge protector works,

The surge protector splits the outlets into 3 groups

A. Always on
B. master power. This one is always on, but when it senses a large draw of power it turns on the passive outlets. This power draw happens when the motor to start grinding the poo kicks in.
C. Passive power. Thess outlets only get power when the master senses use

This surge protector is designed for a computer. You plug the main computer into the master outlet. You plug the monitor and accessories into the passive and you plug the router or wifi into the always on since you may want to use them when the main PC is off.

2. If Home Depot carries them,

You can buy them at Homedepot target Walmart or amazon.com. Here is one you can buy at amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Smart-Energy-Savi ... pd_cp_hi_1


3. How to wire the extension cord to the fan,

When you buy the exhaust fan you will see that the fan has a small plug the plugs into a small outlet in the fan. What I did was pull out that small outlet...run in a extension cord and plug the fan into the cord. Now to get the extension cord into the fan you can run it in through one of the small openings that will exist between the back board and the fan. I recommend you put some electrical tape on the fan so it does not rub through the wire over time. Also you should glue down the head of the extension cord to it can not slide into the blades of the fan.


4. Best way to cut hole into CG plastic,

I used a drill bit that also cuts side to side. The whole is ugly, but is covered by the PVC Cap as long as you make it small enough.

5. How to attach PVC adapter to CG...and

I used a glue that was designed for plastics and heat. You want to use multiple layers of glue and maybe finish off with a silicon. If not over time the heat will cause the glue to seperate.

6. Any suggested modifications to your design?

I have a couple tips:

1. Buy a strong fan. When I first set mine up I used the $15 fan and it was not stong enough... Then I moved up to the $30 fan.... At times I think maybe I should have gone inline since it would have been easier and maybe stinger.

2. Make sure you include back flow adapters especially of you tie it into a dryer.

3. I also added a small air cleaner that turns on when the unit turns on.

The one modification I wish I could make that I could it figure out was a way to have the fan and air cleaner fun for 20 to 30 min after the process is done. If you have a really bad cat poo in there after the cycle completes you. Can start to smell it