Genesis 1588 running a bit too low temp?

[Momo]

Hi, all. I have a batch of eggs to set (thank you, Jean!) but my new Hovabator Genesis 1588 doesn't seem to be running warm enough. I plugged it in this morning and the temp in the room is pretty steady around 70. The little thermometer that came with it shows 97; the new Acurite shows a steady 98.6.

Do I just need to be patient and let it run for a day or two, or should I be fiddling to try to increase the temperature?

I thought I was going to be so cool and casual about hatching the eggs, but they're not even in the bator yet and already I'm fussing and worrying!

 

[silkiechicken]

If it's been up and running for like 12 hours, go ahead and try and bump up the temp a tiny bit and then check it again in like 12 hours. Any water in the bottom will have to stabilize before you can get accurate temps, and you'll want to make sure the thermometer is measuring at the egg level. Hatching is a patience game. Wait for bator to stabilize, wait for eggs to come in, wait for eggs to incubate, and the hardest, duct taping your hands back to wait and not open that bator for the last 3 days, and not "helping" as that often is worse in the long run than just waiting.

 

[CindyS]

I would make sure the thermometers are accurate before fiddling with it! more than likely they are off a bit. If the incubator is new it is probably set correctly.

 

[EweSheep]

If you get those cheapo thermometers that came with the incubators, throw them away! They are worthless and your other Acurite temps are right on. Give it some time to get it established and it will set itself.

Is your heating element wafer heated or auto temp?

 

[Momo]

I think it would be auto temp ... it's brand new and has an electronic thermostat. It's still holding steady at 98.6 according to the Acurite. I'll get another thermometer today and see if it concurs. I am nervous about resetting the thermostat on the incubator as it comes with all kinds of warnings saying that its thermostat is preset for 100 and is more accurate than a thermometer.

 

[Momo]

Thanks for all the replies. You guys were right; it seems that the incubator is fine. The $20 Acurite is not accurate! I bought a couple more thermometers, an ExoTerra (for reptiles) that is reading 99.7 and an Accu-Temp that's fluctuating between 98.4 and 100.2. I tend to believe the ExoTerra since temperature is so important for reptiles and the Accu-Temp is more of a general household thermometer. The Acurite is still reading 98.6.

Now I just have to get the humidity down (the Acurite says it's 57%, the Accu-Temp says it's 65% and the ExoTerra says it's 70%, so I don't really know how humid it is in there, but I do know it's too much).

When I was a kid we just marked the eggs and turned 'em once or twice a day and never added water and they seemed to hatch just fine. Now here I am going nuts with all these gadgets!