Controlling Humidity

[SunChick]

I am working with my hova-bator forced air model with an automatic turner. Each time I add warm water my humidity jumps to over 60%! This could be bad right? I am not adding a lot of water but wonder if there is an easier method to control how much is released. A sponge maybe? My eggs are on day 3 and at the moment the humidity is down to about 58%. I don't want to set them up for possible drowning. Maybe I should let the bator dry out a little and them add less water? What works for you? I am in FL, so I know that outside conditions will affect humidity. We are pretty dry here now for FL! I have a dual thermometer/hygrometer that my husband used for his wine closet, I am going to add new batteries to it soon just to make sure that it is powered up! Temp is at 99.3 and fluctuates sometimes to 99.6 depending on the time of day. I keep away from the bator as much as possible but only to take notes on what my digital hygrometer/temp is recording!

Thanks!

 

[JamesC]

SunChick:
I assume you are only adding water to the inside channel or ring, right? It's not the amount of water you add to the incubator, it's the surface area of water that impacts humidity levels. 50% R.H. is the target, up to 55% is ok for the first 18 days and remember it's the average humidity for the first 18 days that counts in the end. So at the 3 day point you have no problems, just let it run dry and leave it for half a day and make sure that you are only filling the small ring or channel.

James

 

[SunChick]

yes just the inner ring. don't understand though why it would shoot over 60%!

 

[JamesC]

SunChick:
What temperature is the water you are adding and how long does it stay high? If the water is over 105F then you are adding a lot of steam to the air in the incubator and it would take longer to cool down. The other thing is that you're in Florida I believe. Your ambient humidity is likely high because the air is warm - warm air holds more moisture than cool or cold air. That's why humidity in the summer is often so high. It might be a good idea to measure the humidity in the room where the incubator is set up. I think you'll likely find it's higher than you thought. I have a Thermometer/Hygrometer sitting outside of my incubators so I'll know what's going on.
In any case, you can offset the high humidty by running the machine dry for periods to even it out. It would be best to record the humidity throughout the day with and without water, so you can calculate the average. Your eggs have to lose approx. 15% of their overall weight through evaporation by the end of the 18th day.

James