Using Oxine to disinfect incubators and hatchers

[ChickenCanoe]

Hello all hatchers.
I have found instructions for using oxine to disinfect everything from eggs to barns but no good instructions for disinfecting incubators.
I have a gallon of oxine disinfectant and the citric acid activator. If anyone has a good set of instructions I would be very grateful.

To be specific, I'm trying to disinfect some old style GQF sportsmen incubators and a hatcher (2200 series).
I plan to someday take them apart to get to all the mechanics (the fan and turning motor assemblies at the top of the back but that will be time consuming. I want to try just cleaning the insides other than the above and run a few batches.

 

[mlm Mike]

If you find out, please share.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

They make oxine foggers but at $300-450, I'm not ready to go there yet.

 

[ColtHandorf]

I'm not familiar with Oxine, but I have used these products:

Novalsan - https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail...itemguid=30e08b5d-7b6a-11d5-a192-00b0d0204ae5

Virkon S - https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail...9nu6TyEC9zJHwDMBVznQpPff23gxt28RoCtNYQAvD_BwE

I just follow the recommended levels of dilution in the directions with good success. Uses range from disinfecting perches, nest boxes, cages, feeders, tube waterers, and artificial vegetation in my bird room for the finches and what not, to disinfecting and cleaning larger items for poultry and other pets.

 

[mlm Mike]

They make oxine foggers but at $300-450, I'm not ready to go there yet.

That seems rather expensive.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Thanks @ColtHandorf
I've got my answer.
I just got off the phone with Guillermo at Bio-Cide International. He explained that it would basically be the same mixture as when disinfecting a poultry house as long as the incubator is empty.
You want to achieve a 500 ppm available chlorine dioxide.
For that you place 3.25 ounces of Oxine concentrate into a clean plastic pail.
Add 10 grams of citric acid activator crystals (or any food grade citric acid of no less than 99% purity)
Wait about 5 minutes (citric acid crystals will be dissolved)
Add this solution to 1 gallon of water. Put that in a sprayer and saturate all surfaces, close it up including air vents, turn on the fan and let it do its thing.
The chlorine dioxide is gassing off and that should be good enough to sanitize all the parts one can't reach.
The gas is harmful to breathe so you need to use a NIOSH/OSHA respirator approved for chlorine dioxide gas.
After all surfaces are dry, ventilate it and you can wash down the surfaces with a detergent if needed.

He said you can also do it with eggs in the incubator but with a 200ppm concentrate, so the numbers will need to be adjusted.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Lysol is good for what you can reach but it doesn't gas off to reach the inaccessible places.
Activated oxine kills fungus, bacteria, virus and parvovirus.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I just got more information from Grainger industrial supply for chlorine dioxide gas and the cartridges on the respirator need to be AG or acid gas type.

 

[aart]

I just got more information from Grainger industrial supply for chlorine dioxide gas and the cartridges on the respirator need to be AG or acid gas type.

Yikes...sounds kinda scary...are those cartridges easily obtainable?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Yikes...sounds kinda scary...are those cartridges easily obtainable?

Yes, any industrial supply house should have them.
I was doing more research and was concerned when I read the need for the AG cartridges was for 2.5 ppm and the activated oxine solution is 500 ppm.
After further discussion with Guillermo at Bio-Cide International (manufacturer of Oxine sanitizer) it was clarified that the 500 ppm is in the solution, not in the air. He said that any cartridge for chemical, gas or organic vapor would be sufficient.
I looked and I just happened to have two Honeywell North half mask respirators fitted with organic vapor cartridges. He said that will be sufficient so I'm sanitizing my hatcher this morning and just in time. I have to transfer about 15 eggs that are due to hatch in 2 1/2 days.
I had the respirators from when I rewiring job in the paint kitchen of an auto assembly plant.