HELP fire in incubator and brooder room, filled with smoke

[Syreis]

So my dad came home and he said that it was because I took it from outside and didn't warm it up or let it dry...I feel terrible about it, I wish I had called him and asked what to do but I thought I was good.

 

[SourRoses]

So my dad came home and he said that it was because I took it from outside and didn't warm it up or let it dry...I feel terrible about it, I wish I had called him and asked what to do but I thought I was good.

Erm, maybe. Maybe not. I use 3 heat lamps for brooders, because they just seem to make chicks more comfortable in my view - BUT I definitely encourage you to experiment and find what works for you!

I do maintenance on them for every batch of chicks... and one thing I have noticed is the ceramic base frequently comes loose from the socket. They often come from the store all loose, and then the bulb will wiggle.
To tighten it, I have to remove the bulb, stick my fingers in the socket to get an internal grip, while rotating the ceramic base. There are a couple washers at the connection made of a rough material, if it's loose moisture and dust can get inside the lamp where it gets very hot. Tightening it makes screeching noises on every lamp.

Next I clean (dry) the inside and outside of the metal shied. Chicks shed SO much dander.
Then I lightly buff the bulb with a soft cloth to get any dust off.

It's important to never touch the bulb with bare hands because oils from the skin can cause extra hot spots on the bulb that can then shatter.

They should also be hung directly from the little metal hook, not from the clamp, and with a metal chain, not rope, in an area they won't bang into anything if they get to swinging.
So, you can see there's quite a few different ways that using heat lamps can go wrong. It's not necessarily a temperature differential as your father said, but that is possible.
I wish they sold them with care guides and warnings, instead we have to figure it out.
In any case, don't be hard on yourself for not knowing. A lot of us didn't know.
And there could still be faulty wiring involved - it happens with electronics, even with heating pads.
I read in the news a few years ago about a girl who died when she plugged in her phone and fell asleep with it on the bed... the battery overheated.
We do what we can, and sometimes poopoo happens.

 

[ChickNanny13]

So glad you were around to respond to a potential disaster Sorry for your loss

Have you considered a Heat Plate or Mama Heating Pad?
I'm in HI & those red lite heat lamps sold for the purpose of brooding chicks, I started using a Incandescent Bulb (40 - 60watt) which are hard to find now days, and a clamp on Reflector. Then I read the article by @Blooie and switched to the MHP, never went back. I find the chicks are quieter & calm; less skittish. There's no lite on 24/7 they have a nite/day adjustment. Maybe it won't work for you but it's less of a fire hazard ... IF you decide to try this, make sure the heating pad does NOT have an auto shut off.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...-heating-pad.67728/?page=2#ams-comment-510283

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=heat+pla...heat+plate,aps,253&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_1_10

https://www.amazon.com/Woods-Clamp-...80045149&sprefix=lamp+for+work,aps,229&sr=8-2

https://www.amazon.com/Sunbeam-732-...5477&sprefix=sun+beam+heating+,aps,198&sr=8-6

 

[Syreis]

Erm, maybe. Maybe not. I use 3 heat lamps for brooders, because they just seem to make chicks more comfortable in my view - BUT I definitely encourage you to experiment and find what works for you!

I do maintenance on them for every batch of chicks... and one thing I have noticed is the ceramic base frequently comes loose from the socket. They often come from the store all loose, and then the bulb will wiggle.
To tighten it, I have to remove the bulb, stick my fingers in the socket to get an internal grip, while rotating the ceramic base. There are a couple washers at the connection made of a rough material, if it's loose moisture and dust can get inside the lamp where it gets very hot. Tightening it makes screeching noises on every lamp.

Next I clean (dry) the inside and outside of the metal shied. Chicks shed SO much dander.
Then I lightly buff the bulb with a soft cloth to get any dust off.

It's important to never touch the bulb with bare hands because oils from the skin can cause extra hot spots on the bulb that can then shatter.

They should also be hung directly from the little metal hook, not from the clamp, and with a metal chain, not rope, in an area they won't bang into anything if they get to swinging.
So, you can see there's quite a few different ways that using heat lamps can go wrong. It's not necessarily a temperature differential as your father said, but that is possible.
I wish they sold them with care guides and warnings, instead we have to figure it out.
In any case, don't be hard on yourself for not knowing. A lot of us didn't know.
And there could still be faulty wiring involved - it happens with electronics, even with heating pads.
I read in the news a few years ago about a girl who died when she plugged in her phone and fell asleep with it on the bed... the battery overheated.
We do what we can, and sometimes poopoo happens.

Woah I didn't know any of this! I agree, they absolutely need to come with warnings and guides...Thank you so much for clearing this up, you helped a lot today and I appreciate it very much. I might try heating lamps again in the future because of you

 

[Syreis]

So glad you were around to respond to a potential disaster Sorry for your loss

Have you considered a Heat Plate or Mama Heating Pad?
I'm in HI & those red lite heat lamps sold for the purpose of brooding chicks, I started using a Incandescent Bulb (40 - 60watt) which are hard to find now days, and a clamp on Reflector. Then I read the article by @Blooie and switched to the MHP, never went back. I find the chicks are quieter & calm; less skittish. There's no lite on 24/7 they have a nite/day adjustment. Maybe it won't work for you but it's less of a fire hazard ... IF you decide to try this, make sure the heating pad does NOT have an auto shut off.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...-heating-pad.67728/?page=2#ams-comment-510283

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=heat+plate+for+chicks&crid=2M9YZDH4PRS3D&sprefix=heat+plate,aps,253&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_1_10

https://www.amazon.com/Woods-Clamp-Aluminum-Reflector-Listed/dp/B000HHQ94C/ref=sr_1_2?crid=10YI7SST643DB&keywords=shop+lamp+for+workshop&qid=1680045149&sprefix=lamp+for+work,aps,229&sr=8-2

https://www.amazon.com/Sunbeam-732-500-King-Heating-UltraHeatTechnology/dp/B000FGDDI0/ref=sr_1_6?crid=12KMI0ZW8JMUB&keywords=sunbeam+heating+pad+12+x+24&qid=1680045477&sprefix=sun+beam+heating+,aps,198&sr=8-6

Hey, thank you for your response. I am very lucky I was home! I keep thinking about what would've happened if I was gone. We just bought a heating plate last week to try out and so far I'm loving it! After the fire I went out quickly to try and find another heat source and decided to just spend the money on another plate...So far they seem to like it a lot, and I agree definitely less of a fire hazard! Thank you for all the recommendations, I might try some of them out and see if I like them more than the one I have now!

 

[aart]

So my dad came home and he said that it was because I took it from outside and didn't warm it up or let it dry

Makes sense, just the cold glass could have caused it to explode.......but if it was wet, especially the socket, that could do it too.
Glad you were home.

 

[kubotafoot]

I'm new, so I'm hoping I posted this in the right forum. A couple of hours ago our heat lamp caught on fire and exploded, over our 4 newborn chicks. One died, but the other three appear to be fine. I put the fire out as quickly as I could but there was a ton of smoke. I took the chicks out of the room to breathe easier. My question is, are the chicks okay? Is there any way to tell if they have further issues? Also the vent on my incubator was open halfway, will the smoke affect the eggs at all? The incubator was right next to the fire and I could barely see with the smoke.

Praise you for quick thinking. Hard to say but they should've ok. I would give them electrolyte in their water for a boost.