Storing Your Brinsea Incubator at the End of the Season

Author: Aussie Chook Supplies  

Finished incubating for the season?
Need some handy tips on preparing your incubator for storage?


Taking care to clean and store your Brinsea incubator is imperative to continuously have great hatch results, year after year. This article has some great suggestions on how to best protect your investment and retain optimal results.

Storing Your Incubator After Hatching

Your incubator should be cleaned immediately after your hatch is complete. As incubators are warm and wet they are ideal breeding grounds for bacteria and if they have been left with debris from the last hatch they will harbour germs which are highly likely to damage your next hatch.

  • After removing any old shells, fluff and dirt, it is best to soak non-electrical parts like egg trays in an appropriate disinfectant solution (obviously we recommend Brinsea Disinfectant) for an hour before scrubbing clean. Do not use the dishwasher as this will damage your incubator components!
  • Brinsea Incubation Disinfectant is a highly concentrated solution which is both powerful and safe and has been specially formulated to kill bacteria and fungi associated with hatching avian fertile eggs. Super effective and it smells really nice!
  • Clean around heaters and fans with a brush or slightly damp cloth using the same disinfectant solution. Be very careful not to let water get near any electrical parts including motors, heaters and control housings (especially given this kind of damage isn’t covered by the warranty).
  • Instructions on how to care for your Brinsea Incubators are outlined in their Product User Manual, which was included as part of your purchase. Please keep these in a safe, accessible place for reference.
  • Clean the disinfectant off and leave the incubator parts to dry thoroughly. If they are properly clean they should no longer have a strong odour. If stored wet corrosion can damage circuit boards and other components.
  • Once you have cleaned and dried your incubator, reassemble it and then ensure you run it for 24 hours before storing without adding any water. This is to ensure computerised and working parts are completely dry before storing, which prevents rust from forming if water is present.
  • Your incubator should be stored level/horizontally, in a protective carton or box in a cool dry location where it won’t get jostled or knocked over.
  • Don’t forget to clean any extra parts or equipment you used too.

The ‘off’ season is the perfect time to ensure that you have enough supplies for the next Hatching Season so don’t forget to order any spare parts or consumables, such as evaporating paper, replacement filters, silicone tubing for humidity pumps and more disinfectant.

A comprehensive list of consumables, accessories and spare parts can be found in our online shop. If what you are looking for isn’t listed, please message or email us to see if we can get it in stock as we are still uploading new items regularly.

If you have lost the instructions for your Brinsea Incubator, you can view them online here or in the Product Description of the individual incubator you purchase.