1st time hatching advice in a GQF Sportsman

[dbcooper02]

Depending on the age of the 1500 series Sportsman incubators I believe the wafer is there as a back up to be plugged in in case of a failure of the electronic thermostat. They are an either-or setup. They are not wired in series like the older 1200 series. Refer to the instruction link I sent on the other thread and you will see what I mean. If you find that your thermostats do have the ability to be unplugged and you are unable to dial it in with the electronic one then unplug the electronic and plug in the wafer.
Carefully turn it in clockwise till you hear it click and the pilot light goes off. Back it out about 6 turns and watch the thermometer. When the temp hits 99.5 turn the stem in til the light goes off with a click. If it clicks off before reaching 99.5 then turn it out till desired temp is reached. Watch the temp rise and fall through a few cycles and fine tune it as necessary.
hth, db

 

[Emptywagon2]

Thanks for the advice. Do you have any other suggestions of hatching in one...dos & don'ts?

 

[ga_goat]

If your 1266 is like mine you can pull the knob off of the electronic theromostat and it is hollow there is an allen screw adjustment down inside the hole that the knob covered , very small allen wrench ,. They were origonally setup for ostrich eggs and are a little too hot for chicken eggs , but can be adjusted down ,my 2 are working fine .

 

[dbcooper02]

I wouldn't be concerned about the room being kept at 60. GQF says you are OK down to 55 and consistency is more important than actual temp.
You are fortunate to have the clear door, level the trays and unplug the unit and let the fan stop before you open the door for candling or whatever.
This will be helpful in maintaining the humidity. Just don't forget to plug it back in when you're done.
If you find you are having a hard time getting the humidity you want check the door gasket for leaks.
You can do this by closing it on a dollar bill all around, or going around the outside with a lit candle watching for drafts.
If you only have one hatching date you can just turn off the turner and let them hatch in the tray. Put some paper towels on the floor of the 'bator to provide traction and facilitate clean up.

 

[free_loader]

Quote:
I thought they were all set up more or less the same way, so I can only speak to mine (a 1266 i think)...

the wafer is there in case the electronic thermostat fails, that's why you set it at 102, the bator will never exceed 102 (anything over 102 will kill the eggs) in a perfect work the wafer will never come into play

regarding hatching tips... I'll let you know I've got my 1st set of eggs in there now & they should hatch next week

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