Marsh Roll-X Incubator by Lyon - User's Thread

[CrookdBeak13]

Thanks and congrats on the new incubator! I ended up passing on the one I found, but ended up buying an Incuview. I'm excited to give hatching a try too.

I thought about going brand new with something different, but for the price of the Roll-X I couldn't pass it up. For a $600 incubator, I paid $125. It needs cleaned up which is why it is sitting in CLR right now,but I am hoping once I regulate it, it will be amazing with temp control....if not....back on craigslist or ebay it will be!

Good Luck and Congrats on the Incuview as well

 

[CynthiaMQ]

I have an older model Roll-X than the one pictured. Mine has a plastic water bottle with a long neck that sits in a hole right in the corner of the lid. I love this unit, though I have had to change the wafer. I bought it used though, so who knows how old the wafer was when I got it.

I love that it has the clear lid, the fan and the turning racks. I lucked out and bought mine with 4 turner racks for about $150. Lucky me hey?

I am borrowing a Marsh Roll-X incubator that sounds just like this one. An older model. I took off the inside of the lid to clean it out thoroughly and below the wafer was a black box, held onto the lid by a zip tie. I took off the zip tie because that was attaching the little black box to the lid and I could not get the lid bottom separated from the top lid for proper cleaning otherwise. Prior to this that incubator worked like a charm. So I put the base of the lid back on and the little black box had a new zip tie to hold it in place on the lid base. But now that temperature keeps climbing and goes up to 114. I have turned the screw on the wafer and nothing will make it stay at the proper temperature. What job does that little black box do? I wonder if it is supposed to be touching the wafer. Does anyone know? Today I am going to get a new wafer and try that and see if it makes the incubator keep temperature. Sigh...feel bad, as this is not my incubator

 

[GAQuail]

The black box you refer to is called a snap switch. There is a silver pin that protrudes from the top of snap switch that is supposed to make contact with the wafer. As the wafer expands from an increasing temperature it pushes the pin down far enough that switch turns off the heat. As the temperature cools the wafer contracts enough to allow the pin to raise enough to turn the heat back on. When you reinstalled the snap switch with the zip tie did you cover up the pin?

 

[kareno]

Hello: I am using the Roll-X 2 incubator for the first time. I am in the last 2.5 days of a hatch and I can’t get the humidity beyond 88 on the wet bulb. 3 of the 4 chambers have had water in them for over 12 hours. I have tried a different wet bulb and I get the same 88. Is it possible to have water in 3 of the 4 chambers and still get 88??

The diagram in the manual indicates water in the first chamber connected to the hose will produce 87, flooding other three chambers should produce 91 or 93, according to the manual. Do you have a suggestions, any help would be much appreciated.

Karen

 

[GAQuail]

Hello:  I am using the Roll-X 2 incubator for the first time.   I am in the last 2.5 days of a hatch and I can’t get the humidity beyond 88 on the wet bulb.  3 of the 4 chambers have had water in them for over 12 hours.  I have tried a different wet bulb and I get the same 88.  Is it possible to have water in 3 of the 4 chambers and still get 88??
 
The diagram in the manual indicates water in the first chamber connected to the hose will produce 87, flooding other three chambers should produce 91 or 93, according to the manual.  Do you have a suggestions, any help would be much appreciated.
 
Karen

Do you live in a dry climate or is the humidity in the room where your incubator is located low?
If your incubator is pulling dry air into it it will be difficult to raise your humidity above 90 degrees wet bulb.
You may have to add a humidifier to the room.

 

[kareno]

No, I don't it's about 55% humidity at the moment and raining.. I did call Lyon Manufacturing yesterday and they said most people use this incubator for incubating and not hatching. She also said it is difficult to get the humidity to rise bec it is built to keep humidity at the incubating range. I find that hard to believe but If that is true why are the reviews so great regarding incubation??
Well I guess I will see what happens with this hatch, a lot of stress associated with a very expensive incubator. Sigh....

 

[WalnutHill]

I have an emergency backup humidifier: A Bissell Steam Shot handheld steam cleaner.

A puff of steam into a vent every hour will get as much humidity in there as you could possibly want. Closing top vents while leaving bottom vents open (I'm not familiar with your incubator, so just giving general advice) can help retain humidity as well.

 

[GAQuail]

No, I don't it's about 55% humidity at the moment and raining.. I did call Lyon Manufacturing yesterday and they said most people use this incubator for incubating and not hatching. She also said it is difficult to get the humidity to rise bec it is built to keep humidity at the incubating range. I find that hard to believe but If that is true why are the reviews so great regarding incubation??
Well I guess I will see what happens with this hatch, a lot of stress associated with a very expensive incubator. Sigh....

I think Lyon fed you a line of B.S. I use my RX-2 exclusively for hatching. I have mine in a basement where the basement humidity is a constant 50-55% and 70-74 temperature. I don't have the issue you are having. My recommendation would be to locate the incubator in a small room and use a small humidifier to raise the humidity in that room high enough so you can obtain 90+ wet bulb.

 

[GAQuail]

I have an emergency backup humidifier: A Bissell Steam Shot handheld steam cleaner.

A puff of steam into a vent every hour will get as much humidity in there as you could possibly want. Closing top vents while leaving bottom vents open (I'm not familiar with your incubator, so just giving general advice) can help retain humidity as well.

That will not work on this incubator. There are no adjustable vents and no place to insert a Bissell Steam Shot.

 

[kareno]

Yes, I don't think she knew what she was talking about.... When you are at the hatching stage how many chambers do you typically flood to get what % of humidity? Any info would be helpful.
I just can't believe 3 of 4 chambers flooded would only give 88% wet bulb reading.