Brinsea Ovation 56 EX

[angnic22]

Has anyone bought the new Brinsea Ovation 56 EX? I'm ready to buy but can't find any reviews or videos on how to use it.

 

[MLay]

I spoke to Brinsea this morning and will be sending the unit back. The hose was not pinched. It continued to put water into the unit to the point it flooded the floor. I removed water 3 times from the unit because in it's attempt to get the humidity up, it pumped more and more water without evaporating resulting in water on the floor. I've gone "old school" trying to save this hatch by turning off the humidifier feature, filling both reservoirs with water,and adding 2 additional small trays with paper towels and water. These efforts got my humidity up to 69%.

That being said, the instructions for the unit were missing key steps that the helpline told me about. The most troubling part of this conversation was about the conditions the unit can operating in effectively. This is the reason I am sending it back. The unit is in my basement with an ambient temperature of 66-68 degrees and RH of 50-55%. The helpline told me the problem was the ambient humidity. The ambient humidity can be no lower than 60% and they said 70% is better. The unit will flood if operated in a lower humidity. The rep further explained that northern states have this issue and southern states do not due to the higher humidity. I can find nothing online or in the manuals that indicate this but I believe it because the unit continued to flood until I turned the humidity feature off. I live in Missouri.

That being said - I lived and learned. I will continue to look for an incubator that does a better job of regulating humidity.

 

[enggass]

Have you set any eggs yet in your new Ovation? I got the Ovation 28 Adv - will be setting eggs March 3rd.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

I am bookmarking this so I can watch your video when I get home. I would LOVE to have one of those

 

[angnic22]

True, however, I find some breeds do better under different humidity so it allows me to separate them but hatch at the same time.

I'm keeping my Styrofoam bators and plan to use them for temporary brooders or when I get a chick that isn't as healthy as its peers.

 

[angnic22]

Update on brinsea: my hatch rate sucked but I feel that had to partially do with the eggs I set (shipped Olandsk & hedemora). Of 9, 3 hatched. My first time with hedemora but second with Olandsk. Last time I only got 1. Both are very temperamental on humidity. Thought Brinsea would ensure good hatch rate since it 'controls' it, but no such luck.

The cover of the Brinsea is all clear - see through. However, it's wavy so hard to clearly see at all angles. That really sucks. Thought I'd have a good view but no.

In the future I will set some local eggs along with some shipped for comparison. Knee deep in chicks at the moment so it'll be awhile.

Do I like it, yes. Love it, no. Is it better than Little Giant 9300 (digital) - most definitely. (It spiked to 105 this morning on 2 separate thermometers. Digital reading was 92). Definitely not worth $600. Glad I bought it but feel what I paid was way over priced.

I've got babies in it drying off but will post a video when they transfer to the main brooder.

Happy hatching!

 

[howesmr]

Just ordered a 28 EX from Amazon, gets here in 2 days. Just had a disastrous first Incubation attempt with Farm Innovations 4250 that we got from Tractor Supply in Jan 28. Heater started malfunctioning at day 17, by day 23 it was dead. Only 2 chicks. At least the 30 day warranty should apply. Brinsea 3 year warranty sounds much better and ever one loves them. Looking forward to batch #2.

 

[enggass]

I am setting my first eggs in my new Ovation 28 Adv March 3rd. Also some in my Oct 20 Eco that I love... 52 total at least.

 

[greatconductor]

I am on my first batch in a Brinsea 28 EX and have found the temp and humidity rock steady. The EX was definitely worth it. The temp range has only been .4 degrees according to my remote sensor. And humidity is fun to watch. Once it gets a couple percent low the little pump puts a drop of water in and you can see it rise then briefly settle before the next drop hits and it climbs again. Then it sits for awhile until the cycle repeats. See the pictures below. My only criticism of the 28 and 56 was no pad for the chicks tp hatch on like the mini 7 and maxi 14 have, We will use shelf liner to solve that. Day 4 down , 17 to go.

That's awesome that you have a sensor that works with an app so you can monitor the temp and humidity. What is the name of this product? I'm interested in getting one.

 

[bostonsharbor]

I have left my Brinsea at the factory settings.  I put the sensorpush in one of the racks in place of an egg and it kept the last egg from falling over.   I usually use nice round rocks as place holders.  When transitioning to the hatch i tucked the sensor to the side in one of the slots where the racks normally sit.  My sensor push usually sits around 98.5. Yours seems low. might want to put some others in for a spot check to see who is right.  4 degrees is a lot.

Once you are happy what the actual temp is then you can adjust the sensor push and it will save that setting. I added +1.0 F and it stays right at 99.5 to 99.6.

I got to talk to the Brinsea Rep and they take the temps 1 inch off the floor (so in the egg rack) and at the level of the 2nd and 3rd egg rack ( so in my unit, right under the center control unit). Once I went there, I'm running the temp about 1.5 degrees higher to get a 99.3 -99.5 degree reading on the sensor push. The one thing about the unit is that it is very consistent for temp and holds humidity well.

Those spikes on the SensorPush during hatching were very cool. I hope to see they also. My second canceling happens tomorrow at day 15.