Calling it Quits

[nittanyxi]

I have my overpriced fertile eggs from ebay. I have my hovobator with a fan, and I have 3 digital thermometers all with different temperatures and no way to know if any of them are actually reading the correct temperature. I could buy another thermometer but that would just be throwing more money away. what good is another thermometer with a 4th reading going to do. How can I trust any of these thermometers.

calibrating in ice water and boiling water wont work. There is no way to calibrate them. I've just had it.

 

[fduncan]

You can calibrate about any of them if there ones you cant get wet just stick them in a ziplock bag when you do the ice test or hot water test

 

[nittanyxi]

I can't get them wet. Plastic melts in boiling water and I have been told even if you do calibrate it at freezing it means nothing when you try to set it at the oposite end of the spectum at 99.5

 

[bilder]

How far apart are they?

You do not have to be exact in your temps, 99-100 is ideal, but you can be off a degree and still get results. Most thermometers are plus/minus 2 degrees in accuracy.

Momma hen does not fret over three thermometers, why should we?

Here is a good write up that talks about temp ranges and incubation.

http://www.brinsea.com/customerservice/poweroff.html

 

[fduncan]

The point of the ziploc is they dont get wet because there in the bag. Never heard that about the ice water that's how I did all mine and there all reading the same just had to deduct a couple degrees off my one digital .

 

[Bill 101]

OH, wa-waaaa Eat a hard boiled egg & call me in the morning
Do you actually think you are the only person here that has had that problem? I don't know how many members are on this forum, but there probably 1/5 of all the people that have had the same problem (that's supposed to be a pep talk)
So here is what you do: go on like to Lyon Incubator, find their thermometers & order a 6" Mercury thermometer 500-011 or a Mercury/hygrometer #500-016 (the Hygrometer works as a wet bulb) There both accurate to 1/2 degree. I've had one for 30 years, still accurate.
OR if you have the room, (you need at least 11" of space) (or you can drill a hold through the side of you bator & stick it through. It has a bump pert way up to stop it from going further) A Thermometer made by Kessler Instrument (their I NY) & you want thermometer # 1067 It reads from 94 - 108. Its also a mercury thermometer & its pretty hard to read because the line is so thin, but it's the one I use to check all my other ones - I have 3 & all them read exactly the same
I don't know the price of these, the price list I have is , like me, OLD But you will never be in doubt about temperatures again
Kessler also has one specifically for wert bulb Humidity readings, have a couple of those too>