My first incubator, purchased on a whim. After purchase, I started to read other reviews, so I felt I had to respond here. I concur with others that the enclosed instructions offer precious little significant information for a beginner. There is a plethera of very important data that they could have included, but unfortunately, it's just not in there. However, the biggest issue...PLEASE do not rely on the enclosed dial thermometer. I already had a couple of other thermometer/hygrometer units at my temporary disposal, so I put them all in there to find the two that read the closest to each other. I let everything stabilize/equilibrium overnight. Seriously, they should just package the incubator without the POS dial thermometer and instead just enclose a friendly note telling the end user that you have to go get your own thermometer. My enclosed POS dial thermometer was an easy 15 degrees off of the next highest thermometer! Additionally, I could not adjust it and I would not have trusted it even if I could have tweeked it. Thankfully, I had read other reviews before setting my eggs. So, that's all my bad news.
Now, I did go to Walmart and purchase a ten dollar Accurite thermometer/hygrometer. I yanked the dial POS thermometer out of it's styrofoam insert and wedged my new digital into it's place so it can be read from above. I easily created a new clear plastic cover over that circular hole in the lid, but my new digital thermometer/hygrometer was a very convienent fit inside the incubator, on the bottom side of the lid, clearly visible through that large circular hole. I let everything stabilize again, and incredibly, my new digital thermometer is exactly matched to the bulb thermometer that was enclosed with the purchase! The other thermometers were all within a couple of degrees of these two, so I'm confident with the 99.5 simultaneous recording on these two separate units. Now, to beat that, this Accurite unit also registers a 24 hour max and minimum extreme. Let's talk about stable...I'm on day four now and this digital has registered the same temperature in all three categories exactly the same: current, max high and min low.
My observations about why others may have had unacceptable fluctuations in temperatures. The wire for the automatic egg turner exits through a very tiny port. If the incubator lid is not jockied about appropriately, then the lid may not seat down onto the base properly, thereby leaving a considerable vent completely encircling the incubator. Also, the location is very important I believe. Mine is in a north facing bedroom with zero direct sunlight through the window. Also, being October here in Tennessee, our windows are open with no AC or heater air circulation. Indoor ambient temps are very stable, not much work required for the thermostat, so far.
A note here regarding the thermostat dial. Yes, it is very, very sensitive, as noted in other reviews. Farm Innovators could have done a better job with this issue. Due to the fact that we have very many three year old fingers in the house, I have opted to install a plastic security cover over this dial. I took the removable lid off of a shaving cream can and placed it over the thermostat dial. Then I tightly stretched a strip of clear plastic tape from the right side to the left side of the incubator, with the apex of the tape peaked onto the plastic dome cap covering the thermostat dial. Hopefully, this tiny deterrent will suffice for 18 more days!
Guess that's about it for now...good luck.
-Spence
Now, I did go to Walmart and purchase a ten dollar Accurite thermometer/hygrometer. I yanked the dial POS thermometer out of it's styrofoam insert and wedged my new digital into it's place so it can be read from above. I easily created a new clear plastic cover over that circular hole in the lid, but my new digital thermometer/hygrometer was a very convienent fit inside the incubator, on the bottom side of the lid, clearly visible through that large circular hole. I let everything stabilize again, and incredibly, my new digital thermometer is exactly matched to the bulb thermometer that was enclosed with the purchase! The other thermometers were all within a couple of degrees of these two, so I'm confident with the 99.5 simultaneous recording on these two separate units. Now, to beat that, this Accurite unit also registers a 24 hour max and minimum extreme. Let's talk about stable...I'm on day four now and this digital has registered the same temperature in all three categories exactly the same: current, max high and min low.
My observations about why others may have had unacceptable fluctuations in temperatures. The wire for the automatic egg turner exits through a very tiny port. If the incubator lid is not jockied about appropriately, then the lid may not seat down onto the base properly, thereby leaving a considerable vent completely encircling the incubator. Also, the location is very important I believe. Mine is in a north facing bedroom with zero direct sunlight through the window. Also, being October here in Tennessee, our windows are open with no AC or heater air circulation. Indoor ambient temps are very stable, not much work required for the thermostat, so far.
A note here regarding the thermostat dial. Yes, it is very, very sensitive, as noted in other reviews. Farm Innovators could have done a better job with this issue. Due to the fact that we have very many three year old fingers in the house, I have opted to install a plastic security cover over this dial. I took the removable lid off of a shaving cream can and placed it over the thermostat dial. Then I tightly stretched a strip of clear plastic tape from the right side to the left side of the incubator, with the apex of the tape peaked onto the plastic dome cap covering the thermostat dial. Hopefully, this tiny deterrent will suffice for 18 more days!
Guess that's about it for now...good luck.
-Spence
