tips and secrets of the GQF 1502 sportsman...

[cmom]

Hopefully someone can help. I just bought a used 1502. At first everything was working great, then I started getting an alarm code for not being able to read the outside temp. Does anyone have a tip or trick to try and remedy the situation before I spend more to order a new part? Is reading the outside temp that important? Thanks for the help.

I wish I could help you and am waiting to see if someone posts a fix. My cabinet is an older one I have had for many years. It doesn't have an outside temperature sensor. I would think as long as your incubator maintains the proper temperature inside it should be ok, but I really don't know.

 

[as41983]

I feel so so blessed to have found this thread you have no idea, I have felt like I am as slow as can be trying to get this bator working, I have the older one with the bottom tray I got it about a month ago, have had problems the latest is that the thermostat has decided to go out, but it didnt go out all at once it kinda slowly died, it took 3 days no sleep and me sitting there for hours staring at a thermometer. Finally the guy I bought it from got back to me, helped me set up the backup wafer another two days to fine tune it and now I finally have it ready to go again, mind you I had 2 1/2 trays of ordered eggs in there lost a lot. right now everything is in my homemade back up bator. when I talked to the guy I bought it from he said that he just replaced the electric thermostat back in March this past year, and when that one went it did the same thing. Anyone have any ideas?? I am thinking about replacing the electric one and upgrading it to a digital one. I honestly have had better luck in my home made bator. I also have been battleing wiht the humidity being so low, Any help would be welcome thank you

 

[chickengeorgeto]

The water tank is a 5 gallon bucket. If the lid on this bucket is airtight you can create a vacuum at low water levels because the weight of the water column in the bucket is not great enough to overcome surface tension, or the vacuum.

I have also had problems with dead bugs stopping up the water hose and forgetting to release the little clamp thingy that stops water flow, and with lime deposits doing the same thing as the dead bugs did by restricting water flow.

 

[cmom]

I feel so so blessed to have found this thread you have no idea, I have felt like I am as slow as can be trying to get this bator working, I have the older one with the bottom tray I got it about a month ago, have had problems the latest is that the thermostat has decided to go out, but it didnt go out all at once it kinda slowly died, it took 3 days no sleep and me sitting there for hours staring at a thermometer. Finally the guy I bought it from got back to me, helped me set up the backup wafer another two days to fine tune it and now I finally have it ready to go again, mind you I had 2 1/2 trays of ordered eggs in there lost a lot. right now everything is in my homemade back up bator. when I talked to the guy I bought it from he said that he just replaced the electric thermostat back in March this past year, and when that one went it did the same thing. Anyone have any ideas?? I am thinking about replacing the electric one and upgrading it to a digital one. I honestly have had better luck in my home made bator. I also have been battleing wiht the humidity being so low, Any help would be welcome thank you

I don't know why the thermostat went so fast. I have had my incubator for several years. It is an older one too. It's been now probably around 5/6 years ago since I replaced my wafer thermostat with a electronic one and it still works great. I did buy the thermostat from GQF. Do you have the bucket for water for your incubator? I really haven't had any issues with the humidity in my incubator but I do dry incubate. My humidity is around 35%. I adjust it with the vents in the back of the incubator. My humidity was running too high so I put a license plate over the pan in the top on the incubator that holds the water. I don;t hatch in my cabinet, I use my styrofoam incubators as hatchers. I had more fluctuation with the temperature with the wafer thermostat than with the electronic one.







This was after I put the electronic thermostat in.

 

[Rcwarrior]

Just bought my 1502 and am preparing for my Java Greens to begin laying. Anyone have any advice on the settings of the 1502 and peafowl hatching?

 

[HickoryHollow]

I was going to set my first batch in my new GQF this coming Friday, but the weather has been so darn cold I can't get to the eggs after work before they are frozen, or at least way too cold. Starting tomorrow, we are supposed to have a week of temps in the 40's I will begin collecting this coming Friday and hope to have a full try of eggs (90) by the following Friday (Janurary 23) That will make my first hatch valentines day!

 

[cmom]

I was going to set my first batch in my new GQF this coming Friday, but the weather has been so darn cold I can't get to the eggs after work before they are frozen, or at least way too cold. Starting tomorrow, we are supposed to have a week of temps in the 40's I will begin collecting this coming Friday and hope to have a full try of eggs (90) by the following Friday (Janurary 23) That will make my first hatch valentines day!

Good luck and have fun...

 

[HickoryHollow]

Thanks Cmom!

 

[as41983]

Hill TopFarm I do have the Bucket on the top, do you use the humidity pads? I think I see part of the problem on the back of mine I only have the medal parts to cover 4 vent holes on the back of mine. how many do you end up leaving open when your in lockdown?

 

[cmom]

Hill TopFarm I do have the Bucket on the top, do you use the humidity pads? I think I see part of the problem on the back of mine I only have the medal parts to cover 4 vent holes on the back of mine. how many do you end up leaving open when your in lockdown?

I had the incubator, hatchers and brooder in an apartment we have on our property but because we were and are expecting company who will be staying in the apartment I have had to move everything into our garage. I don't use the sponges because I don't hatch in the incubator. I used to but for the past few years I have been using my styrofoam incubators as hatchers. Years ago I used to incubate and hatch in the styrofoam incubators. If you have 6 vent holes like I do and only 4 are covered you can put tape over the ones with no cover and adjust the others to maintain the humidity. Over the past several years I do mostly staggered hatches so it works better for me to use the styrofoam incubators as hatchers. I have a hygrometer inside the door of the cabinet to keep track of the humidity and also inside the hatchers too so I can monitor the humidity. I hope this helps you. You just have to experiment and see what works best for you. Good luck and have fun...

When I used to hatch in my cabinet. You can see some of the chicks have started to pip the eggs.


This is my hatchery now.


Incubating


Now I have GQF sponges but I used to use a large household sponge in the beginning.




I usually dry incubate and try to keep my humidity around 35%. I like to keep it under 40% and if it is lower than 35% that is OK. My hatches have turned out much better since I have been incubating this way. I bump it up to no less than 70% or a bit higher, around 75% is ideal for me during lockdown. I use the license plate to help keep the humidity lower as well as adjusting the vents on the back of the incubator. A few years ago my DH and I did change the thermostat from wafer to electronic. The temperature holds great. That is the yellow thing in the photo.