ALWAYS CHECK AND MONITOR NEW INCUBATORS FOR TEMP AND HUMIDITY!

[LadiesAndJane]

So we are always told to check our incubators and hygrometers frequently even in new and older trusted incubators. I have always done so. I just want to emphasize the importance of this to everyone out there that may be complacent or does not bother with new incubators. I just bought a second NR360 and after checking temp and humidity with independent monitors put my day 18 Silkie eggs in there as I prefer the NR 360s for hatching over the Brinsea, which they had been in.
Only to find this morning that the temperature was quite a bit lower on my independent thermometers. The temperature was still showing 100° on the incubator’s temp reading, which is what I set it to, but in reality it was only reading about 95°. I transferred the eggs back over to the Brinsea.
We checked the thermometers and added a few others to verify the incorrect reading. It was still only measuring 95°. Hopefully these little guys in lockdown did not suffer too much, we will see.
Keep in mind this is a brand new out of the box NR 360. Generally a very reliable and trusted incubator brand. Should not be so off in temperature. It was also reading incorrect humidity. It’s going back to where it came from.
Moral of the story, even brand new incubators can be faulty and it’s always important to check them every single time.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

This is very good advice.
I was a longtime industrial electrician and then automation engineer. We frequently needed to swap out failed electronics in the harsh industrial environment that would occasionally cost up into the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, when they failed. When spending that kind of money, one would expect precision controls - and they were usually great but not always.
Just because something is new, doesn't mean it is perfect. There were many times I would install a new controller or sensor and it was faulty out of the box. It stands to reason that an incubator costing hundreds of dollars can be expected to be off a bit.

 

[GingerRose]

All above advice is excellent.
Also, always check and double check your back up hygrometers and thermometers. Even if calibrated for your current hatch.

I had 2 new TheroPros and we had them calibrated to the room my incubator was in.
They were not correctly calibrated and we didnt double check them. We just trusted that they were correct, just like all the past times they were calibrated.
Was a terrible mistake on our part.

 

[Honey Meadows]

All above advice is excellent.
Also, always check and double check your back up hygrometers and thermometers. Even if calibrated for your current hatch.

I had 2 new TheroPros and we had them calibrated to the room my incubator was in.
They were not correctly calibrated and we didnt double check them. We just trusted that they were correct, just like all the past times they were calibrated.
Was a terrible mistake on our part.

Do you have a recommendation for hygrometer/thermostat?
I'm waiting and hoping I can get an incubator around Black Friday sales and if I can find the other items that would also be a bonus!

 

[GingerRose]

Do you have a recommendation for hygrometer/thermostat?
I'm waiting and hoping I can get an incubator around Black Friday sales and if I can find the other items that would also be a bonus!

I have always used the ThermoPros.
All, ALL.... ALL hygrometers need to be calibrated to the room the incubator will be in, at what ever steady temp the room will stay at.
Any decent priced hygrometer will work, MUST be calibrated to the room..
Very important...

Somewhere on here, I did read of a long time memeber stating which ones are not good to trust.
I will try to find it and post the link.

Someone else may can recommend them better than me.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

As for thermometers, these 3 are my go-to options that won't break the bank but are quite accurate out of the box.

https://www.thermoworks.com/rt301wa/

The Brinsea spot check. Try to buy from Brinsea if possible because knock offs have been on other sites.

My favorite, a Bluetooth thermometer/hygrometer combination
https://www.amazon.com/Govee-Thermo...t=&hvlocphy=9022891&hvtargid=pla-768559077094
The following is a new model (more expensive). I haven't spoken to the Govee people in a while, so I don't know the difference between the two.
https://us.govee.com/products/wi-fi-temperature-humidity-sensor?currency=USD&variant=37592920686777&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=Google Shopping&gclid=CjwKCAjwh4ObBhAzEiwAHzZYU-KPoN9c2LzGLsT6EUoHm15ZvNT10x6KvkrpNgMCsTOJ7P-RxbSo9hoC-koQAvD_BwE

For humidity, I have found that a gram scale to track moisture loss is a much more accurate way to track humidity.