R-COM INCUBATOR OPERATION TIPS

We introduced the Rcom 3 egg into the Australian industry a little over 2 years ago, and the Rcom 20 range just a year ago. With a large number of units now in service we have had a chance to see their performance and operation, and to learn of the quirks and nuances of their operation.

We have posted some material in the FAQ pages, and the material here is destined to be added to them.

R-COM 3 . Though primarily designed as a school training incubator, this was the first of the integrated technology machines. We have had feedback from numerous users and are delighted to see the technology has lived up to our expectations. The one disappointment has been in sales of the candler system in schools. This great idea has had a poor take-up in schools, we think in part because of the changes in the school ethics rules for keeping chickens, has mean a lot of schools have moved the responsibility from the school to a contractor who runs a program.

The most exotic report has come from the cage bird breeders who have purchased large numbers of these unit. A breeder of red tailed black cockatoos reports his delight at the performance and ease of use. (We think he should go up in technology for these exotic birds but he wont let us sell him a more expensive unit!!)

As always there are some things we find which have confused users and need better instructions.

1/ The R-Com 3 and R-Com20 Pro all have a quick start menu. Select the species, press the start button and the system is away. But these menus mean that you must also end the program after the batch is finished. Turning off the power will not do so, you must hold down both SEL and START-OK keys for 5 seconds so the incubator shuts down. We have had a number of call from people with the following apparent faults.

A/ The turning has stopped and I can’t get it to work again. The unit shows less than 3 days of incubation left, so the turning has automatically been turned off.

Solution; Shut down the incubator by telling the incubator to shut off. ( R-Com 3 press both the SEL and the OK keys at the same time, for 3 seconds. ) (Pro 20 press the stop button for 5 seconds, then OK when requested). The machines then go to standby mode and can be restarted as required.

B/ I cannot alter the species it is stuck on one species. This is a variant of the same problem. Just shut down the incubation, the machine goes to standby, then the SEL button can be used to select the species, and in the case of other birds, the incubation time.

HUMIDITY CONTROL WITH R-COM 20 SERIES.

We have had a few queries about the humidity control. Water controls can be difficult because the very nature of water means it often contains impurities like salts, dirt, and bacteria, and these tend to gum up working parts. A few different effects have been reported.

1/Humidity suddenly rises above the set point. If the top half of the incubator is lifted off, (you many need to remove the eggs from the incubator first), and the tray lifted out, water will be seen under the tray. Fault: The small water valve in the bottom of the humidity pad chamber is leaking. Solution. Lift up the valve and make sure there are no foreign objects including feather dander, hair, or salt residue around the valve and the centre of the valve assembly. Water should flow freely from the water outlet while the valve is lifted up. Wash the floater, and flush the whole of the water system under the tap. Reassemble, making sure the water valve float is the correct way up.

2/ Humidity starts to fall, but there is water in the right hand reservoir. The likely cause is the humidity pad has dried out. Causes are unknown, but is happens more in locations with salty water, and where the location is very low ambient humidity, so the pads are evaporating a lot of water. Wash the humidity pad in clean water, squeezing the sponge several times to ensure removal of the salts, will correct the problem. It is important that the pad is adequately cleaned after each hatch.

3/ Occasionally the machines display no water symbols, but the little ball shows there is plenty of water. Two causes have been found.

A/ The water is not getting across from the reservoir to the pad chamber because of salt or water sludge blocking up the water filter and the silicon pipe which takes the water across to the pad chamber. Clean the filter and the pipe.

B/ Less common is some corrosion and junk on the water sensor contacts. There are two metal rods on the side of the pad chamber. These are in contact with the water at the bottom of the pad chamber and connect to spring loaded two gold connectors next to the humidity fan. If the connections are dirty then the electrical signals don’t get to the control so the system registers no water. Clean the contacts.

4/ A couple of cases in very high humidity areas like North Qld. The size of the humidity pad is bigger then needed for correct control. I have one customer runs with no pad in the slot, another who has used duct tape to cover up half the grill so less air flows into the incubator past the humidity pad. Both are effective.