THE Brinsea Octagon 20 Eco Thread; Hatches, etc. (PICS)

[Lil'ChickFarm]

When you put eggs in there, that bottom temp will be closer to your thermometer. When it is empty, there is a difference. And it depends on how many eggs are in it. Mine hatches perfectly with my top thermometer at 100.

 

[Beekissed]

Alright! I'll take your word for it and no adjustment needed. I called Brinsea and they said that thermometer will be accurate to measure hatching temps, so I'll just have to trust you both and take a leap of faith!

Thank you!!!

These temps were measured with a large bowl of water and a water wiggler in the bator, so was hoping that water mass would simulate it being loaded with eggs, but I guess it's not the same, huh?

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

When you put eggs in there, that bottom temp will be closer to your thermometer. When it is empty, there is a difference. And it depends on how many eggs are in it. Mine hatches perfectly with my top thermometer at 100.

I would agree with going on the top thermometer. I have a octagon 20 advance ex and 100% trust my Brinsea temps and humidity readings on it. Good luck with your hatch I have just set tonight and can't wait already.

 

[starlingdaly]

I was reading the owner's manual for the Octagon 20 and it says to not wash the incubator parts in the dishwasher but I have been washing the black tray, the metal dividers and the yellow bottom part in the dishwasher on the delicate cycle with absolutely no issues. Any else do this?
Maybe they say not to dishwash it just in case someone was not smart enough to not put the lid in?!

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

I havnt tried the parts in dishwasher only ever washed in sink with anti bac washing up liquid and then good rinse. I bet Brinsea have to cover themselves because I bet some people have put the lid in dishwasher and then wondered why it does not work and want a replacement. Would not surprise me in the slightest.

 

[starlingdaly]

I havnt tried the parts in dishwasher only ever washed in sink with anti bac washing up liquid and then good rinse. I bet Brinsea have to cover themselves because I bet some people have put the lid in dishwasher and then wondered why it does not work and want a replacement. Would not surprise me in the slightest.

Haha that's my best guess too! I mean, it's solid, very sturdy parts. I didn't see the problem, especially with the delicate setting I am sure it'd be fine on regular. I also only put it in the top rack. My dishwasher is pretty new but I know some older ones have that really hot element in the bottom. They might be worried about that possibility too.

 

[dretd]

I was reading the owner's manual for the Octagon 20 and it says to not wash the incubator parts in the dishwasher but I have been washing the black tray, the metal dividers and the yellow bottom part in the dishwasher on the delicate cycle with absolutely no issues. Any else do this?
Maybe they say not to dishwash it just in case someone was not smart enough to not put the lid in?!

Hi Starlinglady, I suspect that the parts are top rack only and to avoid any heating elements as that could warp them. My Bosch is fine with all plastics except those that are like in plastic pop bottles.

It also says not to submerge the bottom on mine. It was pretty dirty and I went ahead and did it the first time and it seemed ok. The second batch. I went ahead and did the same thing again. This time I thought little water might have gotten into the airspace so I went ahead and unscrewed it to clean it. Much to my dismay I did saturate the foam insulating material sandwiched between the inner and outer layers. Easy enough to dry out. I also discovered that I had gotten water in there the first time as evidenced by the rust on the bottom metal bar used to weight the unit down.

I would recommend either following the directions and not submerge (or put in the dishwasher) the bottom unit, or if you need to for some reason, just unscrew the inner and outer portions and wash them without the insulation and metal bars. It did take me a bit to get the foam back in 'just so', but it did eventually close completely.

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

I know this is the Eco thread but was wondering if any one has the advance ex with humidity pump? I was wondering if any one had trouble with water draining back down the tubing once the humidity was at the set % and the pump had stopped?

 

[starlingdaly]

Hi Starlinglady,  I suspect that the parts are top rack only and to avoid any heating elements as that could warp them. My Bosch is fine with all plastics except those that are like in plastic pop bottles.

It also says not to submerge the bottom on mine. It was pretty dirty and I went ahead and did it the first time and it seemed ok. The second batch. I went ahead and did the same thing again. This time I thought  little water might have gotten into the airspace so I went ahead and unscrewed it to clean it. Much to my dismay I did saturate the foam insulating material sandwiched between the inner and outer layers. Easy enough to dry out. I also discovered that I had gotten water in there the first time as evidenced by the rust on the bottom metal bar used to weight the unit down.

I would recommend either following the directions and not submerge (or put in the dishwasher) the bottom unit, or if you need to for some reason, just unscrew the inner and outer portions and wash them without the insulation and metal bars. It did take me a bit to get the foam back in 'just so', but it did eventually close completely.

I did notice that to completely dry it after the dishwashing, I had to place it at an angle for water to drain from the inside. Is the foam inside soft foam or hard foam?

 

[dretd]

[quote name="dretd" url="/t/579490/the-brinsea-octagon-20-eco-thread-hatches-etc-pics/840#post_

It also says not to submerge the bottom on mine. It was pretty dirty and I went ahead and did it the first time and it seemed ok. The second batch. I went ahead and did the same thing again. This time I thought  little water might have gotten into the airspace so I went ahead and unscrewed it to clean it. Much to my dismay I did saturate the foam insulating material sandwiched between the inner and outer layers. Easy enough to dry out. I also discovered that I had gotten water in there the first time as evidenced by the rust on the bottom metal bar used to weight the unit down.

I would recommend either following the directions and not submerge (or put in the dishwasher) the bottom unit, or if you need to for some reason, just unscrew the inner and outer portions and wash them without the insulation and metal bars. It did take me a bit to get the foam back in 'just so', but it did eventually close completely.

I did notice that to completely dry it after the dishwashing, I had to place it at an angle for water to drain from the inside. Is the foam inside soft foam or hard foam?[/quote]
The foam was a flexible air cell foam similar to what you see in foam toppers you can buy for beds. It was maybe an inch thick or less in several pieces and filled up the space between the halves. There was a thick metal bar that ran along the bottom, maybe an inch and a half wide and a quarter inch thick. It looked like the metal bar provided stability for the base of the unit. The trick in putting it back together was getting the foam seated 'just so' in its original position.