Dickey Incubators

[rick54]

I was wondering if there is a YouTube video on this particular incubator and it's operation? Just out of curiosity I did look into the Dickey over the smaller table top models. It seems that for a few hundred $$ more, one could have a larger and more reliably consistent incubator. At least, comments from folks tend to lean in this direction, especially with the humidity control portion of the unit. Frankly, my search and the lack of information on this particular incubator system has dampened my interest.

It seems there is an incubator for around $631 and then there is a hatcher for $500+. So one needs both to get the job done? Then there is the dual wafer thermostat or the electronic thermostat and the wafer backup. So what's the difference between the two types and what is the backup feature?

Humidity control?

I did email the Dickey folks, but the reply to my questions only created more confusion. A good YouTube video or series of videos would certainly go a long way in promoting sales, at least for this product line, I'd think.

 

[HatchCraft]

I'll take a shot at answering your question. While I have never owned a dickey's, I'm familiar with their operation. Duel wafer is the base model thermostat. A primary wafer thermostat with a second wafer thermostat wired in series . The secondary thermostat is set slightly higher than the primary thermostat and will turn off the heat if the the primary fails. Wafer thermostats rely on a mechanic micro switch. After numerous on off cycles the switch can stick in the on position due to normal wear or the wafer can develop leaks. The backup thermostat negates this short coming of wafer thermostats. The electronic thermostat is an up grade and uses solid state switching with no moving parts with increased service life and reliability. Like all electronic components they are subject to fail at some point without warning. As solid state switching will usually fail in the on position the backup wafer thermostat will again prevent overheating. As a side note, don;t confuse electronic with digital. To my knowledge no dickey models have digital temperature controllers. Humidity control is passive, controlled by adjusting the exposed surface area of the humidity pan. I have read Dickey discourages the use of sponges to increase humidity as used by the sportsmen incubators. The use of a separate hatcher is optional if you order a unit with a hatching drawer but nice to have for a number of reasons . The egg tray tilt angle is increased by removing the hatching draw at the bottom of the incubator on some models, which will require you to use a separate hatcher. It is said the steeper tilt angle will improve hatch rates.

 

[rick54]

Thank you very much for the clarification!