anybody using a brower round metal bator?

[deerman]

They made them for Sears, I have one my Dad got in 1955, still works great. I even put one of the LG turner in it. The incubator hold 100 + eggs.

First incubator I used. Still see a few on ebay, but shipping is always high.

 

[tree13ag]

i got the brower 846 off craigslist $50. I'm a little concerned. I know you turn the screw counter-clockwise to increase, clockwise to decrease....I've had it hooked up 4days & can't get it past 96F. I'm VERY concerned, my eggs got here last night, so I have to do or die by this afternoon...any ideas?
HELP!!!!

blessings,andrea

 

[Jenski]

I thought it was the other way around. Hmmmm. . . I have a Top Hatch, though, so maybe yours is different.

You might try setting more than one thermometer in this bator. My Brower Top Hatch has hot and cool spots.

 

[deerman]

Quote:
if you turn the adjustment out until the wafer is not toughing the micro-switch. the heating unit should heat up,if not the heating unit could be broken into. Or the micro-switch

 

[jvls1942]

take the wafer out and run it under cold and then warm water..

under cold it will get skinny and under warm it will expand and get fat..

If you detect a smell like brake fluid or alcohol, the wafer is shot and has to be replaced..

run the bator without the wafer in it.. it should go over 103 degrees..

If you cannot get it up to temp without the wafer in it, then replace the heating element..

there are other tests to run, but you are confused enough already..

 

[geareduplyn]

There is only three things that can go wrong with these incubators. The microswitch, the wafer, and the heating element. The first thing to do is change the wafer. I do this on a yearly basis no matter what. They are ether filled and do leak sometimes. The microswitches in the originals were slow acting so replacing them with a faster acting switch from some of the incubator parts dealers maight be a good idea.(I can look up the WW Grainger part number for a very sensitive switch if anyone is interested) The heating element(the metal covered ring attached to the lid) is available from Brower. Turn the control knob counter clockwise to raise the temperature and clockwise to decrease the temperature. As far as simplicity these are probably the simplest to operate and most durable incubators ever. All the inexpensive foam incubators of today are mimics of this system without the toughness of the metal construction.

 

[deerman]

Quote:
Agree on the three, but disagree on replacing the wafer. When they go bad the temp. will overheat ALWAYS. If it turn the LED light on and off. Bad heating element or broken wire.
Have repaired the heating element before, just check and see if the coil is broken into. If near the end can re connect.

Wafer expand when it get hot and turns off the micro-switch. If bad will not expand so the incbator just keep heating.

 

[geareduplyn]

Deerman, you have a metal brower with a Light Emitting Diode? I don't know what you meant about not agreeing about the wafer. To me it's woth few bucks to replace wafers rather than lose a valuable clutch of eggs. You are right about the unit overheating if the wafer fails, but with some basic eletronic skills you can add a backup thermostat so your eggs won't cook if the wafer on the primary fails.

 

[twigg]

Quote:
He is simply disagrreeing with the point that the wafer could be responsible for the heater not coming on.

As an aside .... sure you can add controls, but that involves the customer re-engineering a poor product (with allowances for the 50 year old ones).

 

[deerman]

Quote:
The wafer is not bad because the unit is not heating, yes best to have a back up wire in also. The pilot light was the one I was talking about on top of incubator.

When wafer go bad then you cook the eggs, over temp.