HELP, QUESTION: Water Heater Thermostate

[2txmedics]

Trying to try making a bator...we bought a water heater thermo...from Home Depot...for 7.00.

Question:
We installed it and wired to a light bulb, coming on. Set as close as we can to 99 comes on, heats up to the temp. light shuts off when it reaches temp..BUT

Doesnt come back on until temp. drops to 92...and we have it attached to a 25 watt bulb.

ANY IDEAS????

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

Turn it up till it comes on at say 98* then put the flat side right beside the bulb. You may have to go to a bigger bulb. The thermostat has to be so close to the light that it gets direct heat off the bulb.

 

[2txmedics]

thermo. is right next to the light...but this is the kind of thermo. I need right?...I also bought a computer fan at radio shack. I have an LG, and I installed a fan like this works great.

Now Im doing dry incubation, DH..read to put a tiny bowl of water in the bator...I say this will affect the way I incubate....correct?

 

[GreenGoddess]

If you put the thermostat right next to the bulb, it will heat up fast than the rest of the bator and the temp of the eggs will never reach their ideal temp.. Wouldn't you have to put the thermostat as close to the eggs as you can get?

Goddess

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

Quote:
thermostat to close to bulb= not enough heat to heat the incubator
thermostat to far away from bulb= large temperature fluctuations.

You have to figure out how close it needs to be in your incubator

 

[chickenlittle32]

Thats what the thermometers are for...I have a question...txmedics..I am not trying to hijack...but, my question is I have 4 thermometers...2 digital..(different brands...2 regular thermometers) None of them are marking the same at all...so should i get an average on them? Mine is a homemade cabinet....

I just realized our issue...the thermometer/hygrometer ...lower shelf...higher temp/lower humidity

upper shelf....lower temp/higher humidity....how can we fix this?

 

[lostsoulhelpmejebus]

Water heater thermo is no good in a styrofoam incubator...there is about a 10 degree fluctuation. Found the only way it works is if you modify the incubator to make it taller, thus less fluctuation because you have more airspace. Did that with my LG and it works great.

 

[GreenGoddess]

Maybe I am thinking about this the wrong way but i figured that common sense would dictate the closer to the heat source you have the thermostat, the faster it would absorb heat and read a much higher temp than is actually in the bator where the eggs are.. Unless you have the light right against the eggs.. Ok.. you have central air in your house.. You have a thermostat to control the temp in your whole house... You would not put the thermostat right in front of a vent because the rest of the house is not going to be the same temperature as the air coming out of the vent.. So, saying you did put it right in front of the vent, the air in the rest of the house would be much colder than the air coming out of the vent but because of it's placing, it will shut off when it *thinks* the air is warm enough... Does this make any sense?

Goddess

 

[2txmedics]

oK...so we get more confusing...as makes sense...close to the bulb, heats bulb and not enough heat for rest of bator....further away...gets too hot as it takes longer to get to the thermo...

so whats the happy medium?...

Terri how is yours doing on keeping temps?...its night time again....last night you had problems....

 

[Rollins2708]

I also have a hot water heater thermo on my cooler bator. I had to mount it to a piece of wire to tie the thermostat to to get it to read properly. It is designed to get temp from metal around heater.