Brinsea Eco 20 Question

[marathonmultiplesmom]

Hi, I ran the machine for 2 full days and it maintained temps just fine. I set the eggs about 21 hours ago and the temp is still only 98 degrees. Should I wait longer or try and adjust the temp. It DOES say in the manual that it can take 24 hours to get to temp after setting the eggs.... but I am nervous. First hatch of the season and its a new incubator. I previously used little giant bators and had less than happy results. I did hatch SOME birds, like 10 out of 70 chickens...

I read wonderful reviews about Brinsea products and bought this one for more than both my other incubators and turners combined and it holds half the eggs, but if it hatches better it should be worth it, huh?

 

[jerseygirl1]

I have the same one - the temps go crazy once you take the top off, so yes, I woudl wait the 24 hours THEN adjust it
Good luck, I found that mine is very stupid-proof, which basically means I can't screw it up no matter how hard I try

 

[marathonmultiplesmom]

Quote:
Stupid proof... haha I like that. I purchased the correct model

 

[chicken stalker]

Wait a little longer... if it doesn't come up by then tweek it a little. Just turn it a quarter turn then wait an hour. Repeat if necessary. Come join us on the Brinsea Feb hatching thread

 

[pascopol]

I have Brinsea ECO bought about 3 years ago, many great hatches.

There is no need to "stabilize" it for 24 hrs or days like most styrobators.
Mine comes to set temp in about 10 to 15 min.

If the temp is 99.5 after 15 min, you can put your eggs in, but now is the catch. If the eggs are large, they have large thermal mass, it make take up to 24 hrs to warm them up to 99.5.

DO NOT MAKE ANY ADJUSTMENTS (asssuming it was holding steady 99.5 when empty before you put the eggs in).

Your thermomether will probably read like 98 or 98.5 for hrs, thats OK. Eggs are slowly warming up and are absorbing all the surrounding heat, that,s why temperature drop.

I recently put 12 large duck eggs in my Brinsea, it took about 24 hrs with the eggs to reach 99.5.

Eggs will warm up slowly, Brinsea has relatively small cubic volume.

With chicken or quail eggs this may take less than 24 hrs.

 

[marathonmultiplesmom]

After about 26 hours and it was holding at 98 degrees, I adjusted the temp the slightest bit, and over the next 6 hours it brought us up to 98.5, then I adjusted again and now we are up to 99. I will wait it out for another few hours and adjust again if necessary. I think slow and steady is the way to handle this, that way there are no sudden changes.

Other than the temp not getting to 99.5 right off the bat, the incubator seems great. It does hold a steady temp with no sudden drops or spikes. If I were using my Little Giant, surely I would have panicked half a dozen times already... over SOMETHING

 

[chicken stalker]

I would keep it at 99.1 because once those little ones start to form they will generate some heat so in a few days you might be spot on. just my .02

 

[pascopol]

The bottom line is this:

Did you ever have it running at 99.5 steady empty?

Before you put your eggs in.

 

[marathonmultiplesmom]

Quote:
It was running at about 99.0 - 99.3 which I thought was good enough. I questioned then whether or not to adjust and decided not to, then after 26 hours with several hours at 98, I felt a slight adjustment was appropriate.
I had it running for 2 days prior to setting the eggs.