PSA: red wire heating element in Lil Giant and 2020 Nurture Right 360 out-gassing latex?

[atalanta]

LATEX ALLERGY ALERT!
Hi all, I was wondering if anyone else experienced this...
I purchased a Little Giant with the Red wire heating element. Plugged it in, brought it to temperature, and then noticed it was smelling like plastic. Checked everything. Nothing was melting. Finally determined it was the red rubberized coating on the wires. Cleaned it off with some hydrogen peroxide and proceeded to put some eggs in it. Next day...opened the incubator and this smell filled the room in my house. I'm allergic to latex and walking in a tire store is even difficult. The oder irritated my sinus and lungs. I threw the incubator outside to see if the plasticizers would burn off. Even after running it for several days it continued to gas. Reported it to the manufacturer who said that "it should burn off after a hatch"... that's 21 days! Returned it to Tractor Supply to send to the manufacture as defective. Though I moved my eggs from the Little Giant to a "non-gassing" heating method they did not hatch. Other eggs that had been in the "non-out gassing" heating method for 100% of the time hatched. The box did not say "don't use if you have latex allergies."

When I returned the Lil Giant to Tractor Supply I found a Nurture Right 360 new for 2020 "dome" style machine (really cute). Took it home and found it too had the "RED WIRE" heating element. It too outgassed on heating. The box did not say "don't use if you have latex allergies." Took it apart and cleaned the wire, this time with a little Dawn soap. Still the red wire stunk up the house and caused the same sinus and lung irritation. I took it apart again and pulled the red wire OUT of the machine and then ran it outside the machine...the wire heated up and then stunk the whole house! What's this doing to eggs if it is irritating my sinus and lungs that much? I cut the Red Wire to see what was inside. Basically it is a rubber coated very thing gauge copper wire. Why are the manufacturers switching to this rubberized copper wire heating element? It is possibly latex because I am allergic to latex dish gloves which I get a reaction to within minutes. This can be toxic to your other birds in the house. Contacted the Nurture Right manufacturer and did not get a response. I have not returned it yet because I'm going to install another heating element and see if that works. I really like the machine but the heating element is dangerous.

I'll add pictures later.

 

[hysop]

I have a Little Giant incubator that i bought last year and I have not experienced that but I did read a review about that just yesterday actually.

 

[atalanta]

I have a Little Giant incubator that i bought last year and I have not experienced that but I did read a review about that just yesterday actually.

Hi hysop, do you have the red wires or the metal heating element. This is the red wires. The machine I had was made in November of 2018. There is a numerical stamp on the inside of the lid that tells when the machine was made. There is also a stamp inside a circle on the inside of the lid that tells when the case was made.
There could have been a change in the manufacture or sourcing of the Red wire.

 

[atalanta]

I got a Hovebator with the metal heating element and the wafer thermostat. No latex smell.

 

[hysop]

Hi hysop, do you have the red wires or the metal heating element. This is the red wires. The machine I had was made in November of 2018. There is a numerical stamp on the inside of the lid that tells when the machine was made. There is also a stamp inside a circle on the inside of the lid that tells when the case was made.
There could have been a change in the manufacture or sourcing of the Red wire.

I’ll check in the morning and let you know!

 

[CluckNDoodle]

I was just recently concerned about a similar experience with a Brinsea Mini Advance II. It was a used unit that I purchased on eBay but it was still really expensive and she said it was successfully used to hatch chicks once before they bought a larger incubator. So I was stunned because I didn't smell anything when I initially opened it and sterilized it before starting to run it. The smell worried me so much that I took the entire thing apart and cleaned it again including inside of the top portion that needed to be unscrewed. It still smells when running it and I too am questioning the red rubbery material around the copper heating wires.

What I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around is that I've used several table top incubators now and I've never smelled this before from any of them. I have 2 Nurture Right 360s (a V2 & a V3), an IncuView, a Hovabator 1602N, and I've also had a Little Giant (old model with hand dial) and Farm Innovators 4250.

None of mine smell like this Brinsea but I did just now look in the Nurture Right and there is still some sort of red wire in there even in the older versions so maybe it's just a different material wrapping them. The IncuView has plenty of wires but I don't see anything rubbery if that might be helpful for you to get one that at least doesn't aggravate your allergy.

I haven't used the newest 2020 dome style Nurture Right but I recently saw them and I was thinking about switching this Brinsea Mini out for another Nurture Right but now I'm not so sure since you're experiencing the same stink.

 

[atalanta]

So

I was just recently concerned about a similar experience with a Brinsea Mini Advance II. It was a used unit that I purchased on eBay but it was still really expensive and she said it was successfully used to hatch chicks once before they bought a larger incubator. So I was stunned because I didn't smell anything when I initially opened it and sterilized it before starting to run it. The smell worried me so much that I took the entire thing apart and cleaned it again including inside of the top portion that needed to be unscrewed. It still smells when running it and I too am questioning the red rubbery material around the copper heating wires.

What I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around is that I've used several table top incubators now and I've never smelled this before from any of them. I have 2 Nurture Right 360s (a V2 & a V3), an IncuView, a Hovabator 1602N, and I've also had a Little Giant (old model with hand dial) and Farm Innovators 4250.

None of mine smell like this Brinsea but I did just now look in the Nurture Right and there is still some sort of red wire in there even in the older versions so maybe it's just a different material wrapping them. The IncuView has plenty of wires but I don't see anything rubbery if that might be helpful for you to get one that at least doesn't aggravate your allergy.

I haven't used the newest 2020 dome style Nurture Right but I recently saw them and I was thinking about switching this Brinsea Mini out for another Nurture Right but now I'm not so sure since you're experiencing the same stink.

CluckNDoodle,
So far I've gone through:

1) Little Giant 9300 with red wires (killed my eggs in 3 days, bad latex smell, reported it to the manufacturer and sent the machine back to the manufacturer as defective);

2) Nurture Right 360 (2020 dome), with Red Wires, took it apart, cleaned it with alcohol and heat cycled it because it gassing so bad (I get anaphylactic type reaction to latex gas so I know its there) reported to manufacturer twice, still waiting for response. Will be sending back as defective.;

3) Kebbonixs, $79 on Amazon, nice little machine, red wires gassed also. Heat cycled it to 127 degrees and cleaned with alcohol for 10 days. After a week+ the red wires are brittle but it gasses a lot less, still can smell it a little. Not having anaphylactic reaction to it after heat cycle/cleaning. I did put eggs in this one. Have to keep opening up during the day to let the air out and leave the lid open for air to escape. I have 12 eggs with little hearts. Will be replacing wires with this https://www.ebay.com/itm/100-Watt-R...606759?hash=item3f654edca7:g:DkgAAMXQgfZRCvRe ;

4) The Hovabator has a metal heating element and doesn't gas the same way as the Redwire heating elements but does smell, even with two fans in it have to continue to manage it for hot spots and cold spots. :/ .

Will add to this because just ordered another incubator and a heater and thermostat Might end up making my own but I really like these little dome ones like the Kebbonixs and Nurture Right 2020... I like to see my eggs.

Go ahead and get the Nurture Right 2020, if it stinks, call them, tell them its defective and send it back. A company that big can do some quality control. Its a 50 cent heating element to them! I still have the Nurture Right2020, will send it back after I experiment with a new heating element.

 

[Chickassan]

The wires don't off gas unless they are running at a temperature much higher than intended.
Not much consolation to a very sensitive person or someone who lost eggs.
The fault lies either in the probe or the thermostat and the probe is set to fail straight out of the box.
That plastic sheet stapled to it throws everything off to a point there is no saving the hatch or your lungs apparently.
If you're stuck with an LG that sheet has got to go.

 

[CluckNDoodle]

So


CluckNDoodle,
So far I've gone through:

1) Little Giant 9300 with red wires (killed my eggs in 3 days, bad latex smell, reported it to the manufacturer and sent the machine back to the manufacturer as defective);

2) Nurture Right 360 (2020 dome), with Red Wires, took it apart, cleaned it with alcohol and heat cycled it because it gassing so bad (I get anaphylactic type reaction to latex gas so I know its there) reported to manufacturer twice, still waiting for response. Will be sending back as defective.;

3) Kebbonixs, $79 on Amazon, nice little machine, red wires gassed also. Heat cycled it to 127 degrees and cleaned with alcohol for 10 days. After a week+ the red wires are brittle but it gasses a lot less, still can smell it a little. Not having anaphylactic reaction to it after heat cycle/cleaning. I did put eggs in this one. Have to keep opening up during the day to let the air out and leave the lid open for air to escape. I have 12 eggs with little hearts. Will be replacing wires with this https://www.ebay.com/itm/100-Watt-R...606759?hash=item3f654edca7:g:DkgAAMXQgfZRCvRe ;

4) The Hovabator has a metal heating element and doesn't gas the same way as the Redwire heating elements but does smell, even with two fans in it have to continue to manage it for hot spots and cold spots. :/ .

Will add to this because just ordered another incubator and a heater and thermostat Might end up making my own but I really like these little dome ones like the Kebbonixs and Nurture Right 2020... I like to see my eggs.

Go ahead and get the Nurture Right 2020, if it stinks, call them, tell them its defective and send it back. A company that big can do some quality control. Its a 50 cent heating element to them! I still have the Nurture Right2020, will send it back after I experiment with a new heating element.

Oh my, with your allergy being that bad I think making your own might be the safest bet.

 

[atalanta]

The wires don't off gas unless they are running at a temperature much higher than intended.

Three thermometers, all confirmed 99.5 F.

Not much consolation to a very sensitive person or someone who lost eggs.
The fault lies either in the probe or the thermostat and the probe is set to fail straight out of the box.

Interesting... I ran many tests. The Thermostat was working. The rubberized wire might have been a different formulation than what was originally spec'd out by the engineers. I called Little Giant and they ran through tests with me then advised I send it back to them.

That plastic sheet stapled to it throws everything off to a point there is no saving the hatch or your lungs apparently.

What plastic sheet?
If you're stuck with an LG that sheet has got to go. [/QUOTE] It was sent back to the manufacturer. What sheet are you speaking of?