Brinsea Maxi 24 Ex Grinding Noise from Turner

[Waterfaery]

I bought this incubator brand new just 2 months ago and have just started my second lot of eggs. After the first hatch, I was so careful to follow the manufacturer instructions for cleaning it. I basically followed this video exactly and also vacuumed carefully with a small brush attachment as per the manual. (That video shows a Maxi II but it's basically the same machine with different egg trays.)

Now I have just started my second lot of eggs and the turner is making a crazy, grinding noise every time it turns. It's still turning but it sounds like the motor is going to die. I'm so annoyed that I didn't test the turner before setting the new eggs. The last time I used the turner was just 2 weeks ago before my last lot went into lockdown so I had no reason to assume it would be different now.

I'm wondering if some dander or fluff could have gotten into the motor? Has anyone experienced this before? I did very carefully vacuum out the bits I could reach, but obviously I didn't open up any parts other than what was shown in the video. Should I have done that? There was quite a lot of visible fluff and dander everywhere but the turner motor is inside a separate area. Could anything have gotten in there? If so, will it work its way out over time? Or is there a safe way to open that part up to clean it? I need to be especially careful since I'm part way into a new incubation.

Otherwise, what else could be wrong with it? I'm certain no water got in there so I can rule that out. I would have thought it should be designed to last more than one incubation!

Any help would be appreciated!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

If it's operation right now, I think I'd wait until the hatch is finished, then try cleaning it again.
You may want to contact Brinsea for more tips as well.

 

[Waterfaery]

If it's operation right now, I think I'd wait until the hatch is finished, then try cleaning it again.
You may want to contact Brinsea for more tips as well.

Thanks. I'm on day 4 now and it's still operating despite the noise so I'll just have to hope it keeps going until the hatch is finished. Yeah, I'll give it another good clean then and see. If it's still doing it after that I'll have to contact them.

I'm having humidity issues as well. For my first hatch, I had it set to 40%. The automatic pump would turn on every now and then to keep it at 40%. This time, I decided I wanted to try to do it dry so I've set it as low as possible and have no water connected to the pump but the humidity won't go below the mid 40s. It's staying between 42 and 48%, which I'm a bit worried about. I have a dehumidifier running in the room now and the ambient humidity is quite low so I'm not sure why it's so high in the incubator. Do you think it could be related to the other issue in some way? I don't know why it's being so different this time around when the conditions are the same.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Do you have a separate hygrometer you can put in the incubator?
A lot of times the readings on the incubator are inaccurate, so you need to check with other devices.

 

[Waterfaery]

Do you have a separate hygrometer you can put in the incubator?
A lot of times the readings on the incubator are inaccurate, so you need to check with other devices.

Yes, I have done that and it is accurate.

When I had it running before I put the eggs in the humidity was in the low 30s and I was happy with that, but since the eggs have been in I can't get it to come down below the mid 40s.

These eggs are a different breed from the first lot. Could they be putting out more moisture? I'm worried because they are La Bresse eggs and I've read that they need really low humidity even more so than other breeds, although I'm not sure how accurate that information is.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Even if you don't add water, humidity from the eggs and a little from the room will show up.
Dry hatch is just not adding extra water to your incubator. Hopefully things will be o.k.