Homemade incubator problems

[Gypsi]

I built this incubator about 8 years ago when winters and my back bedroom were colder. Have 2 inkbird thermostat controllers, a 15 watt bulb on left with new thermostat, a 20 watt on right with old. 3 thermometers. Having a problem with both inkbird probes reading 10 to 20 degrees beliw my thermometers. Eggs may already be ruined but i am persevering for now. Put eggs in friday morning Dec 6th. I'm home today, left thermometer read 111 went i went in an hour ago to turn eggs. Temp buffer at one degree and left light was on. Right came on when i opened lids is a cooler with a siliconed plexiglass view window, unheated room indoors

 

[Gypsi]

I have the inkbirds set in the mid 80s because that produces a temp around 100 Most of the time

 

[ChickenCanoe]

That is a shame. I've been through several DIY incy projects.
What kind of thermometers are you using?
I'm thinking 15 and 20 watt incandescent lamps are a bit undersized but if it worked for you before, I guess that's ok.
I base it on the fact the Styrofoam Little Giant has a 40 watt which is undersized in a cool space.

 

[Gypsi]

Not a big cooler, actually got chicks 8 years ago.

 

[Gypsi]

Now that I am home again, I have 3 AcuRite thermometers in the cooler, the little black boxes also measure humidity. I added a standard bulb thermometer a few minutes ago, behind the eggs, it read 106 but not on side where eggs were. I had set that thermostat up to the 90s and I just turned it back down. it's a wild and crazy thing here. How expensive is a cheap incubator, and what is a good one?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Now that I am home again, I have 3 AcuRite thermometers in the cooler, the little black boxes also measure humidity. I added a standard bulb thermometer a few minutes ago, behind the eggs, it read 106 but not on side where eggs were. I had set that thermostat up to the 90s and I just turned it back down. it's a wild and crazy thing here. How expensive is a cheap incubator, and what is a good one?

A cheap one is in th neighborhood of $100. Expensive ones are 800+

 

[The Moonshiner]

How expensive is a cheap incubator, and what is a good one?

How many eggs would you want it to hold?

 

[Gypsi]

well I got the manna pro Harris Farms 360, and it now has about 15 eggs in it about 10 days from hatch. but when I wasn't sure about it I set my DIY incubator back up this time with just one thermostat, an Inkbird 1000, and a 40 watt bulb, and it is holding temp around 99 to 100 and I am handturning eggs. I put eggs in last night after testing thermostat and it seems to be fine. i think having a 2nd bulb in the incubator which would not turn off (that thermostat was bad) was my prior disaster. So with 11 eggs in the DIY and 15 in the Harris Farms I think I am expecting 20 chicks give or take a few, which I will split with my friend who gave me the eggs. I'm tickled