petWALK - Dialog

If my pet “nibbles” at the power cord of the petWALK pet door, can that be dangerous for the animal?

If my pet “nibbles” at the power cord of the petWALK pet door, can that be dangerous for the animal? No, because the petWALK pet door uses an AC adapter which converts the 230 V mains voltage to safe 24 volts. If your pet gets in contact with the power cord, it will not suffer any damage.
If you use a flush power supply, which is recommended for wall mounting, the cable will be hidden in the masonry. The flush-mounted power supply unit should be located in a junction box or outside the tunnel (in the wall lying on the tunnel).
What happens during a power failure?

In case of a power failure, for example, by a storm the petWALK pet door switches to a special mode that is also visually and acoustically announced and ensures that all your pets can come back to your home and that the door is always securely locked. This emergency operation is ensured for several hours due to a built-in backup battery. Upon completion of the power failure, the animal door returns to the operating status, as it was originally set, and the battery is recharged.
This ensures that your pet will never be locked out and that the petWALK pet door can never remain open.
How long will the backup batteries last?

petWALK pet doors feature a power management system that keeps the internal battery always fit and loaded. Nevertheless batteries are subject to a natural aging process and must be replaced after a few years (4-6 years). The capacity is dimensioned such that in case of a power failure, for example, all your pets can come home through a storm and the door will be locked firmly.
Is the petWALK pet door operated by batteries?

Basically, you could run the petWALK pet door also with a battery. But it is designed to plug it to a socket of your house’s power supply system. Especially for wall mounting the use of our optional in-wall power supply is recommended.
Nevertheless, our petWALK animal door is equipped with a backup battery. So you can be sure that the animal door is always tightly closed, even after a power outage and your pet will nevertheless not be locked out and can still enter back home for several hours. If the current is switched on again, the petWALK pet door will return to the operating state as before the power failure.
Is it difficult to teach my cat / dog the use of petWALK?

The use of the petWALK pet door is very easy for your pets as they do not have to push the door with the head in order to open it.
The petWALK door can be used with the built-in motion detector as well as with an RFID chip. From our experience we know that both, dogs and cats will learn the function very quickly. In order to make your pets familiar with their new possibilities, we recommend operating the pet door for the first few days by motion sensor. If your pet moves in the vicinity of the pet door, it will open. Your pet will first of all examine this very interesting change, sit curiously in the pet door to inspect the new clearance. But after a short time your pet will of course be able to use the infinite possibilities of the door.
If you want to avoid the use of your pet door by strange animals, such as a neighbour's naughty cat, it is now time to switch to RFID (animal chip) control. For this purpose we advise in the first phase the enclosed RFID collar chip. This collar chip shows in most cases a greater range than the chips implanted by the vet (25-30 cm) and is therefore easier to use for the adjustment period. Has your pet been accustomed to the door, you can switch to door control by implanted RFID chip.
Usually the chip is implanted at the shoulder of the animal. We have found out that the chip might move over time, also the quality of the used animal chip used may vary. So in rare cases it can happen that the petWALK door opens only if your pet is already very close to the door. Once your pet has learned to appreciate the new freedom, it will also have learned very quickly how to deal with this condition. At least this is what happened in our field trials.
Are petWALK pet doors watertight?

Yes, petWALK pet doors are tested and certified to meet class E1350 according to EN 12208 - 1999–11 test standard for windows, doors, which was the highest possible limit of the test fence at the accredited test institute.
In other words: petWALK stay absolute watertight even at wind speeds of 160 km/h and heavy driving rain.
petWALK pet doors have a large rain manifold with two front drain holes. This ensures that even large amounts of rain at high wind speeds can be reliably inferred outward.
In this case, under normal circumstances the rainwater passes invisibly between the outer frame and the decorative plate to the lower edge of the appliance.
If the pet door installed in a wall reveal, we recommend the installation of a weather sheet. This prevents that the rain water from drainage runs over the wall or into the masonry
Are petWALK pet doors suitable for Passive and Minergie P buildings?

petWALK doors are the perfect solution for modern ultra low energy consumption buildings with controlled ventilation, as they are absolutely airtight and provide already by default extremely good thermal insulation.
petWALK pet doors meet all the requirements of a Passive House suitable component. They offer a standard U-value of 0.811 W / (m² K) m with optional frame insulation even of 0.523 W / (m²K).
They are absolutely airtight (n₆₀₀ = 0.0 m³ / h, Category 4 acc test standard for windows, doors EN 12207 -. 1999-11) and driving rain resistant (class E1350 according to test standard for windows, doors EN 12208 - 1999-11)
In our download area you can find all information relevant to planning and calculation including thermal bridge calculation and installation details.
Can a petWALK door be installed in a crooked old wall?

The petWALK tunnel system is designed in a way that a difference in wall thickness of 1cm can easily be compensated. However, if the difference between minimum and maximum measured wall thickness is greater than 15 mm, the difference has to be compensated on site. If this is not possible, you can cut the tunnel plates to different lengths.
Wall Mount
Installation in thick components
General
Wall mounting is certainly the most elegant and optimum installation option as to building physics. For retroactive installation in masonry only a suitable opening must be provided, which is clamped by the petWALK door system.

Especially in new construction, replacement of windows or thermal renovation petWALK proves its strength and flexibility, because here you have the opportunity to integrate the door system in many ways perfectly, with regard to building physics, into the building.
Cut out aperture
For the correct installation of a petWALK pet door the aperture for your chosen model has to be as precise as possible.

The dimensions of the aperture are 38 cm ± 1 x 53 cm ± 1 cm for the model „Medium“.

For the model „Large“ the aperture must have a size of 48 cm ± 1 x 73 cm ± 1.

It must be ensured that at least 30 mm space up to a bound of the component is available around the aperture so that the frame of the petWALK pet door can be mounted easily.

For your pets’ comfort use we recommend positioning the opening as low as possible
Tips
For some installation options a so-called "mounting frame" may be helpful , which is attached to the building shell and until which the exterior and interior plastering works are carried out. The installation of the petWALK door will take place after completion of the plastering works.

The space inside the wall between the outer and the inner frame is hermetically sealed by a tunnel.

Furthermore, we recommend the installation of an external sill (weather sheet) below the door module for the drain of driving rain and protection of the thermal insulation.

On request, the thermal insulation of the building can also be “pulled over” the frame and thus thermal insulation properties are further improved.

Alternatively, for an outstanding degree of insulation you can cover the frame of the pet door with an additional frame insulation.
Installation Video

Einbauanleitung

Download Quick Guide - Wall Mount.

Einbaudetails

Mounting detail in solid wall

Mounting detail in solid wall with mounting frame

Mounting detail in solid wall with mounting frame and additional insulation

Mounting detail in solid wall with mounting frame and thermal insulation covering outer frame

EMounting detail in solid wall with panel cladding with mounting frame

Mounting detail in solid wall with panel cladding with mounting frame and covered frame

Mounting detail in solid wall with ventilated lining and mounting frame - flush interior and exterior

Mounting detail in wood construction with covering and mounting frame
Installation Examples
Exquisite Country House (York, GB)

Location: Living Room

Mounting Type: Wallinstallation

Requirements: Airtightness

Customer Comment:
Jimmy, a black and tan Jack Russell, Zita, a tiny toy dog and Alice, a mongrel and their friends are probably one of Britain’s happiest rescue dogs. They already had an electronic sliding door, which they didn't like and which was too small for Linda. As you see they immediately enjoyed their new tailor made petWALK door.

The befitting outside with the royal coat and the family crest printed on the door cover matches the aristocratic manor, while on the inside a cheerful picture seamlessly integrates the door into the existing photo gallery.

Detached house (Victoria, AU)

Location: Kitchen/Dining/Lounge & Laundry Room

Mounting Type: Wall- and Door-installation

Requirements: Flexible and safe usage

Customer Comment:
"The intention was to have two pet doors at the rear of the house, one exiting through the laundry door to provide the pets with access to the garden during the day. The second door exiting from the Kitchen/Dining/Lounge area allows the pets onto the back deck without access to the garden. A barrier is installed to separate the rear deck in two areas, which will not doubt need refinement to ensure the cats cannot jump over it. This allows free use of the deck for both us and the pets without worrying whether they can escape at night, particularly the cats who can jump the fences.
The house is built on a large 2200m2 block allowing plenty of room for our animals to roam and play and is near a lake and wetlands where our dogs will get plenty of walks.

Hannah (white) 2 years 10 months and Henry (black and grey) 2 years enjoying their new ‘freedom’. They have lots of fun and we too."

Passive House (British Columbia, CA)

Location: Living Room

Mounting Type: Fully Integrated Wall-Installation

Requirements: Air Tightness and Insulation

Customer Comment:
" In building our 'dream' home we knew that we needed a dog door - an automatic door would be nice for our dogs and for security. With not many options available to us we settled on a door that we thought we could camouflage subtly with the surrounding architecture.

However....this door was just not effective in keeping the winter weather and storms out, as you can see in the picture below. Not good. The dog door is near our kitchen table so sitting by it in winter proved to be unpleasant.

Alas, a search for a dog door that was designed to keep the weather out. We came across the Petwalk door designed to meet Passive Home requirements. Thats more like it... a door that actually has some weatherstripping - not one but 3 levels to seal plus being insulated.
I also loved the fact that we could 'hide' the door on the outside with our exterior cladding - looks seamless on the outside and good for security. The door is also very quiet in operation.
We love it! and our dogs love it! No more snow inside. In fact when it is cold outside, and you put your hand on the door it does not feel cold nor can you feel any cold air escaping to inside - not like the other door. "
The door does not close (can not easily be moved in the closed state)
- - Basically, the door panel is factory-set in the way that the silicon sealing is pressed against it with a gentle pressure and closes completely air tight. Over time, however, the pressure can change.
- - For a high quality closure, an asymmetrical mushroom cap is used, which enables that a manually opened pet door can be turned frontal with a TORX T15. By rotating (up to 360 degrees), the contact pressure of the door leaf can change.
- - The door closes more easily when the flattened side of the pane is facing inwards