Homemade incubator thermostat!

[silkiechicken]

The humidity is all based off the surface area. Open pan of water, net area on open pores in a sponge, rope or any other wick will be the same if the surface area is the same. I think the big expensive gfq's have a humidity wick pad that you connect with a wick rope, into an optonal bucket on top, that wicks in water to keep the pad moist to maintain humidity inside.

 

[aprophet]

Quote:
Another version of this is wiring a push button to a light so you can see into the bator when the t-stat has cycled the lights off I am a big fan of at least 2-3 bulbs in case one burns out.......

I was too lazy for that. I mounted another box and receptacle. It powers 12DC converter for the fan which is not controlled by the thermostat as well as a low-wattage night light with an electric eye which should come on when the bulbs for heating are not powered. I also wired two lights inline to the thermostat for a backup.

To be honest, I started with a wooden crate but I didn't like it. I thought it might absorb too much moisture and tend to get funky and be hard to clean up. So I built the new and improved out of rigid foam insulation.

I use wood as well to clean it I just let the bator run @ about 105 110* with out any water in the pan and cook the moisture out then clean with bleach water / alcohol in between hatches I have been known to open the door on the bator and just let the sun cook it for a coupla days UV kills a lot

 

[ScaredOfShadows]

I have a regular icechest cooler, after a day of fiddling with the water heater thermostat and water wicks its held a constant swing of 98.7-102.5 for 18 hours now. And a constant 45-52% humidity. I can not complain. Now one more day to see if it keeps holding, and I'll add eggs.

 

[Davaroo]

Quote:
Place some thermal buffering inside and that may improve even more.
You can use anything for this - pieces of tile, flat river stones, etc. I like 20 oz soft drink bottles filled with water, or any other bottles that fit. Ive even used a couple of clean bricks!
The idea is that once these items heat up to the chamber temp, they hold heat and so help to resist, or "buffer," temperature swings.

Remember that the thermostat in our incubators is actually working to maintain the temperature in an air mass - NOT in the eggs themselves. So anything you can do to help hold or regulate the air mass at a stable temperature, the better.

 

[ScaredOfShadows]

Dave, yep I stuck some paver pieces in there after warming them in the oven so as not to throw off the temp with them being cold this AM. I also took out one of my water wicks to pull the humidity down.

Seems its staying 99-102.5 and for 4 hrs the humidity is at 35% humidity needs to be no higher than 40 45 till day 18 right?

 

[Davaroo]

Quote:
Oh dear, I would never tell you what it MUST be - there are too many answers for that! Every book, expert and amateur has their own, trust me.

I will tell you that you need to know what your humidity is to start with, and then watch the eggs for air sac growth to determine if you have too much or too little.
The air sac is where the chicks takes its first breath. This structure becomes critical at hatch time, and humidity control is our only tool to ensure all goes well.

The egg loses moisture through the porous shell as the embryo develops, via respiration. This allows for the emergence of the air sac.
Too little humidity and the air sac will grow too large; there will be now room for the chick to properly develop.
Too much humidity and the air sac will be stunted and filled with water; the chick will drown at its first breath.

The main reason for candling is to monitor this air sac - not to watch the "babies" grow or to cull 'clears'. There is plenty of information on the internet to help you do this, so I wont belabor it here. As for your numbers, I feel it is safe to say that 40-45% rH is adequate, providing the air sac growth is within bounds. That has always worked for me.

If you have not read the article on dry incubation, you really need to. I prefer to call it "Required Humidity" incubation as opposed to "dry," but by any name it is crucial information, IMHO.

Here is the link: https://www.backyardchickens.com/LC-DryIncubation.html

As you read it, avoid taking every word Mr. Worrell says literally; rather, read it several times to grasp the concept.