Is it time to ditch my incubator?

[Madie'sOddFlock]

So I started out my operation on a little giant still air and fell in love. I know many people don't like using styrofoam or still air incubators but it's what has worked for me, and I can do an abundance of eggs in a cheap setup. I got my first one the summer of 2018. Since then I've bought two more(of a different brand, and circulated air, but I can't remember what brand exactly and I don't have the patience to go look). Anyway, when I bought the two new ones I decided that for now those would be my turning incubators and my original one would be my lockdown/hatching one. But the thing I'm running into is that my hatching incubator is starting to smell after 2.5 years of good use... It's done amazing and hasn't failed me yet, but should I think of getting rid of it? I've bleached it too many times to remember(at least 10) and soaked it in hot water(obviously only the bottom), I sprayed it with air freshener... nothing seems to work to get the smell to go away. It gets better the longer that the bator's on but it's still not good. So, do you think it's time to say goodbye to the old girl? Do you have any ideas for what I could do to get rid of the smell or salvage some/all of the bator?
Thanks,
Madie.

 

[WolfLady]

Have you tried soaking in baking soda and white vinegar? I use that to get rid of cat urine smell, it may be working for other kind of funky smell

 

[Madie'sOddFlock]

Have you tried soaking in baking soda and white vinegar? I use that to get rid of cat urine smell, it may be working for other kind of funky smell

I haven't, thanks for the suggestion. I'll have to try it at some point(not right now thanks to the little fluffballs hatching now).

 

[Coops Dad]

Our Nurture Right 360 got a rotten smell to it so I took the bottom apart. Some water and chick schmoo got past the egg turner seal and was funking up the hidden space under the water tray. Cleaned it, bleached it and no more stank.

Hope it helps!

 

[Mellowmalt]

if you have bleached it the baking soda, althogh great advice, will not sort it. I completely agree with coops dad that there will be a hidden spot you are not cleaning, could even be the fan circulating the air that got some goop onto it at some point, any pipes, trays even screws can trap dirt and smells. If it isn't worth taking it all apart then maybe time to ditch it. Bacteria that causes a smell is really not good. Just a matter of time vs money on this one.

 

[Madie'sOddFlock]

if you have bleached it the baking soda, althogh great advice, will not sort it. I completely agree with coops dad that there will be a hidden spot you are not cleaning, could even be the fan circulating the air that got some goop onto it at some point, any pipes, trays even screws can trap dirt and smells. If it isn't worth taking it all apart then maybe time to ditch it. Bacteria that causes a smell is really not good. Just a matter of time vs money on this one.

At this point, I really just think that stuff has probably seeped into the crevices of the styrofoam. Otherwise, the incubator isn't all that complicated and there aren't all that many parts, plus it's only the bottom that seems to really smell and that's only the one piece of styrofoam.

 

[UThobbyfarmer]

I would try some Oxine in it. It's mixed to create a gas and will get in the nooks and crannies better. I bet it does the trick for you.

https://www.revivalanimal.com/product/oxine-animal-health-ah?sku=15101-504

 

[als77]

Will covering the bottom with some textile help? (after trying the tip with vinegar and baking soda) Unless that would mess up airflow it would just add to the insulation (of course rotten smell sounds like bad bacteria, but if you're still getting excellent hatches then might not be an issue)

 

[333113]

Last year my styrofoam incubator was getting stinky and I washed it out with a soap made for getting skunk smell out of dogs...it worked.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

Is the odor from the bottom of the unit or could it be stuff in the fan? In addition to thoroughly cleaning and disinfecting after each hatch, I also blow the fan out with a can of compressed air, and it helps keep it smelling ok even after a rotten duck egg (taken from a broody) exploded in there. Let's just say the exploder required a whole different level of cleaning...