homemade incubator question

[shaggy]

how do you control humidity?

how do you measure humidity?

 

[plecostrum]

its all to do with water and surface area. the bigger the area the more humidity.

I have found that a wet damp cloth on the bottom has increased the humidity more than a dish with a sponge.
if the water is warmed and in front of the fan this also will increase the humidity but the water will evaporate alot so make sure you install a pipe to fill from outside.

measuring i am using some wall hygrometers for indoor outdoor off ebay

http://cgi.ebay.com/Hygrometer-Temp...322?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43a26f0002
http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Temperature...181?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item45f63147b5
http://cgi.ebay.com/Indoor-Wall-The...334?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item230b05bb2e
http://cgi.ebay.com/Digital-Tempera...824?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a5a1e2f68

any of those but they must be inside the incubator including the digital.

you can also do something called wetbulb but i think this seemed complicated lol when you can buy something for $99 lol someone else might be better to explain that you use medical glass bulbs one with a wick on the end in water. you then have to work out the % of the temp to the dry temp yeh i thought bla bla bla so gave up.

a plastic dial was perfect! for me at 99p here on ukebay. and my digital was £3.99 also brought a reptile stick on one too the more the merrier lol

 

[Kassaundra]

Quote:
Good old Wally World (walmart) has thermometer that measures humidity also for around $10

 

[plecostrum]

did i put that $99 does that mean dollars wow very expensive plastic lol i think it must be in your equivalent is it 99 cents lol

for me its £1.00 uk pound lol so for you im guessing $1

 

[Pemburu]

Shaggy, I'll go ahead and throw this in the thread to save you some hunting time. As Kassaundra said, Wally world does have a small digital temp/humidity monitor ~$7 . Petsmart, and stores like that have an item in the reptile area that is about $5. It's analog. You will need to make sure whatever you get to check humidity is close to accurate as most cheap items will be up to 10% off.

So... here's the directions most use to check those gauges:

***How to Calibrate a Hygrometer

To calibrate your hygrometer you will need table salt, a see through container such as a Ziplock baggie, and a small shallow open container, like a bottle cap.

Place a teaspoon or so of salt in the shallow container and add a few drops of water to get it wet. ( I do a 2:1 salt:water ratio. ) You don't want to dissolve it, just get a good damp pile of salt in your container. Remember, you don't want a salt water solution, just damp salt. Place the shallow container in the baggie along with the hygrometer.

Seal the baggie with some air trapped inside (so it is not tight against the hygrometer) and let it sit. Allow this to stabilize for at least 6 hours (Most say 8-12 hrs). After it has stabilized, check the hygrometer reading without opening up the baggie. It should be exactly 75%.

If your hygrometer doesn't read 75% after calibration then you have 2 choices. First you can remember the deviation of y our hygrometer. If it read 80% then you are 5% off and have to subtract 5% from whatever it reads. The second option is to adjust the hygrometer if your model allows for this. Some hygrometers have a dial on the back or side that can be turned to adjust the unit to 75%. If yours doesn't have this, then go with option 1.

Have fun and good luck

*** from cheaphumidors dot com

 

[shaggy]

Quote:
Good old Wally World (walmart) has thermometer that measures humidity also for around $10

Quote:
thank you both ... very helpful

 

[shaggy]

Quote:

 

[tallyho]

Be careful! I bought a $7 therm/hygrometer and it was waaaaay off, especially the hygrometer. The thermometer was off by 2-3 degrees and the hygrometer was of by 40% according to my wet bulb set. I'm going with the wet bulb.

 

[plecostrum]

the wet bulb is supposed to be very very accurate can you explain how you use it? where it was from? how to convert to humidity? i was lost on the weather site that explained it all.


I have 3 hygrometers one digital and they are all pretty much the same

is a wetbulb thermometer a medical under your tongue one or will a fishtank glass one do the same.

i was under the impression humidity didnt have to be tooo accurate not like the temperature. as some do it dry till the last few days?

can you tell us the best hatches with your choice of humidity during hatch and then at lockdown please.


Did you really mean 40% off that is like not working at all surely??

i made the mistake of not putting my first one into the incubator hence measuring my room so had far too much humidity for a few days till someone pointed it out lol i was soo glad i worked that out quick else i would had 80% for 21 days.

Can you also put the results of poor low and too much humidity? I know the air sac on candling can show humidity.

any info to help beginners