Need Advice First Timer using Brinsea Octogon Eco 20

I have duck eggs in mine on day 17. All has been going very well. Temperature has been very stable, I have it set at about 99.5 degrees. I have water in both troughs and the vent 1/3 open and humidity was 40-45%. I added a small damp cloth to one of the egg racks (only 17 eggs in mine) to boost humidity to 50-55%. I am using the little white hygrometer from Walmart.
I do remove the tray to add water, need to do this about every 3-4 days in my climate.
For hatching, I have a red rubber catheter (from my vet) that I will put through the little hole in the back and use to add water to a cloth stretched between the two water troughs without opening the incubator.
I turn from one side (just the next "flat" part from the center) to the other every 8 hours or so. I don't let it rest in the middle except when adding water, etc. Any more turning and the eggs would fall out of the racks, so I figure the auto-turner must do about the same amount of turning. It is very easy to turn.

 

I have the Octagon 20 Advance with the auto-turner, though I just ordered an Eco today!

As the previous poster said, you just tilt the incubator back and forth..The auto-turner does this about every hour or so throughout the day, but you would need to do it manually an odd number of times per day.

I have been filling the troughs up with water without removing them, but then again, my incubator was not full, so I had room to do so without getting the eggs wet. I also have a few pieces of sponge that I use to help to regulate the humidity. With a few days practice, you will get the hang of exactly how much water to add into the troughs to keep the humidity right where you want it. We have forced air heat in our house so I have to add water to the incubator daily.

After opening, my incubator humidity rebounds within a minute and a half, so I had no fear of causing a problem when the incubator was open.