anyone know of a way to check outlet power supply

[mtngrl812]

I tried hatching something like 6 dozen eggs, all at different times, from different sources using all types of techniques and finally decided after a very high temp spike that the bator is bad. But.... could it be my outlet power? Everything else I plugged in worked normally, but I was not using the lamp or anything else steady for 25 + days, and actually the bator stayed plugged in and operating at all times except for the few times I unplugged it to clean it. So it was plugged in and running for months on end. Could there be some type of occasional power surge I could check for? Does anyone know of a way to test the power supply for one month straight? I have never heard of anyone doing such a thing, but it also is not something I would keep an ear out for.
Any ideas....

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Did you use a surge protector? Ya know, a multi outlet bar used for computers and such.

 

[zookeeper15133]

If you leave your tv and cable box plugged in, they use power constantly, even when off. What's that, years?

I think it would take a very advanced piece of equipment to do what you are thinking.

Do you have a digital thermometer with high/low memory? I got mine at Lowe's for about $15.

What are your temps running at? Your humidity?

Is it where the sun hits it? Is it where the AC blows on it?

There are so many variables, it is highly unlikely it is your outlet, unless the breaker trips a lot.

 

[rekabnivek]

What kind of bator are you using? We had an LG bator that ended up killing all but 2 of 41 eggs. It took a 108 degree spike at day 14 or 15. Ended up taking that one back where we bought it. The other one (old wafer style thermo switch) we were using at the same time on the same circuit in the house hatched the 6 that would not fit in the newer one (thank god they wouldn't fit). Now we have 19 in an old redwood Brower we are trying out after the restoration.

 

[mtngrl812]

I had everything plugged in the surge protector plug bar, just in case. I had the bator in a small closet located in the middle of the house so there would very little temp flux. I used some many different types of thermometers it's not even funny.

And the clincher...... wait for it....... it was an LG. It only had a 30 day return policy for the place I bought it, so it was too late to return. I bought it in March, I think, and it will be such a pain in the ars to return it, I don't think it is worth it.

I kept buying different thermometers because I couldn't believe the readings I would get. I would NOT touch the temp gauge, but when I would tip the bator (or turn the eggs, I tried both ways) the thermometer would read way too high, it wouldn't ever drop too much, but the temps would spike very high at least once during a hatch. One time it spike at 120, the other times not as bad, but 108 for a few hours, give or take, is enough to kill embryos.

My humidity was pretty good, that was all good. The bator was in a safe controlled place. I tried to do everything just right.... I just kept getting temp spikes with in the 21 days. So I wanted to check the outlet before I bought another bator. That closet is the best place for hatching and so that outlet is the closest.

Maybe I should plug it in and run it on a different outlet and see if it spikes!

 

[zookeeper15133]

I found this link, maybe it will help you. Good luck!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=3506-lg-incubator-journel

 

[ki4got]

Quote:
sounds like you've got a sticky thermostat. the voltage coming out of the wall may fluctuate by maybe 5% but with resistive heating of an incubator it would take a massive spike over a long time to get that kind of temp spike. likely it would blow the circuits first though. and even then the thermostate tells it when to take juice or not... so it would be the thermostate I would look at first.

just reading up on the incubator, sounds like temp spikes are common...