Thank You

For

Purchasing the Mailbox Door Alert System

The manual will walk you through the construction and installation of this fine product.

There is also a video for those that prefer seeing me actually make and install the Alert System 

Mailbox Door Alert System

Materials list:

Rod: I recommend using 1/8 inch aluminum rod, 14” long. You can use steel, but steel is harder to bend and it can rust. Smaller than 1/8 inch rod is flimsy. Larger rod will be even harder to bend. I get my rod from the welding supplier. Though I buy mine in packages with 22, 36 inch rods, you may be able to buy just one. If that doesn't work, go to a welding shop and ask them to sell you one piece. Brass rod, used in brazing, is another good rod to use.

Ball: The ideal ball I have found is plastic, about the size of a hard baseball. The balls in the picture are bright colored and have holes on one side. The holes make it easy to tie the string. If you use a ball with no holes, you will have to tape the string or make holes for the string. I do not recommend using a heavy ball like a real hard ball.

I purchased the balls in the picture at Walmart. I had to buy them in a six pack. If you just want one, garage sales, flea markets and neighbors would surely have one.

String: The line I use is actually 8lb. Fishing line. I find this size very flexible for tyeing yet strong. You can use string, but string will fall apart after a while. Talk to a fisherman if you don't have any fishing line.

Tape: The tape I use is Gorrilla Tape. I got it at Home Depot. I found this tape very durable and has great adhesive qualities. You can try other tapes, some may be just as good. The tape I use is one inch wide.

Note: Home Depot, Gorilla Tape, Walmart are registered trademarks of their respective companies

Making The Ball Holder

Grab the end of the rod with the pliers and begin a slight bend.

Move the pliers back about ½ inch and bend a little more.

Bend a little and move back a little to bend more.

The rod should be taking shape by now.

Continue bending, if the circle is to small you can use your fingers and open it up to the right size.

Just Right

The 90 degree bend is bent away from the ball holder end

about 4 inches as shown.

The last bend is 90 degrees pointing up at about 4 inches from the last bend. Refer to next picture also.

Refer to your pictures for your up bend. Be careful to bend it the right way. Aluminum is very forgiving, so even if you bend therod the wrong way you can bend it back the right way once.

Still not sure, watch the video of me making the ball holder.

Installation Instructions

Step 1. Check that you have all the parts.

The aluminum ball holder

The ball with line attached

The 3 pieces of tape

Step 2. Position the rod as shown in th picture about 1 inch from the bottom of the door. ( about a fat finger )

Step 3. Tape the vertical arm of the rod with a piece of tape.

Step 4. Tape the horizontal rod close to the ball end to the mail box.

Step 5. Tie or tape the string to the ball.

Step 6. Tape the line or ( string ) to the mail box behind where the ball rests. (As shown in the picture )

Step 6. TEST

Place the ball in it's holder. Open the mail box door. The ball should fall. ( If not OK, go through the steps again ) If OK set the ball in place and when the ball drops, your mail should be in the mail box.

Tips and Notes

The Mailbox Door Alert System was designed for a metal or plastic standard configuration mailbox. If your mailbox has wood around it you will have to screw the rod to the wood on the box instead of using the tape.

The tape seems to be a one time application. If you have to remove the tape do not try to reuse it. It will stick for a while and then let go.

Do not put the Mailbox Door Alert System on the flag side of the mailbox. It could interfere with the flag and you could get a note from the mail carrier.

The ball I use has holes on one side and is solid on the other. The holes just make it easy to tie the string. I have used a ball that has holes all over it. I found this ball light and a heavy wind would blow it off its holder. I stuffed the ball with nylon rope which made it heavy enough to stay put. If you try to use a heavy ball like a real baseball you will see the rod bend or the tape will give way.