How does a havabator 1602N work??

[CityGirlintheCountry]

Quote:
Well, sadly there is no making out going on around here, but the 1602 seems to be doing great.

I plugged it in last night and added the thermometer that came with it just to see what it would do. I also did the humidity/salt water in a glass thing with the two Accurites I got yesterday at Walmart. That's been a bit troubling. One read 70% and the other read 68%. They should have read 75%. The vast difference between them and the correct humidity is a bit troubling. Hmmm...
Both thermometers are now in the 1602 to see what they read temp wise. I need to go get a medical thermometer to toss in there too. Hopefully I can get it all balanced out and throw eggs in tonight.
Thanks for the help!

 

[jvls1942]

with your hygrometers, here is what is recommended..

the one that reads 70%....

It is reading 5% low..

so when you take a reading in the bator, and it reads, say, 40%..

all you have to do is add 5% to the 40% and your hum% is 45%..

the same principle with the one that reads 68%,,,,,You just add 7%
to whatver reading you actually get. mark each hyrometer with the number it needs to correct it.
ie. 5% and 7% so you do not forget..

......jiminwisc.......

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

Yeah, I guess I was just surprised that they were so far off and so different. I thought they'd be only a couple of points off. Oh well.

Theremometers are in. I'll head off to the store here in a bit and get a medical thermometer to double check with. At the moment both thermometers are reading around 99.5. The one that came with it (the cheap mercury) is reading at 100.

So question- One of the accurites has a probe. I was going to make a water wiggler and stick it in there. But with further reading I'm wondering if I need a water wiggler. If I put one in there what should the temp be? The 1602 is still air so the air temp and the water wiggler temps won't be the same. Any thoughts?

 

[jvls1942]

Yes, I have LOTS of thoughts..

I never used a water wiggler.. the way I see it, the air temp has to stabilize with one anyhow.. so why complicate the matter??

I have forced air bators.. If I can get the temp to stabilize anywhere from 99F to 100.5F it is a go, for me..

it must work, because I just hatched out 200 chicks, 40 ducks 4 geese and 3 turkeys this week..

I also ran about 60% hum% for an experiment.. I had no drownings at that high %.. I prefer to run at 40% hum% and then raise it to 60% to 75% at hatching time..

I must admit, my goose hatch was not very good.. but I blame that on first eggs from first time layers.. this weekend I will have 24 goose eggs due from later eggs.. I expect a better hatch rate..

I kept the temps at 100F .....

............jiminwisc..........

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

Temp on one thermometer hit 102. I turned the dial back and it's now saying 100 again. I figure to fiddle with the temps all day and then set eggs tomorrow.

The humidity readings are at 65%. That's too high, yes? I want less than 50% correct?

The directions also say to leave the plugs in, but other articles on BYC say that air flow is crucial. Do you take the plugs out or leave them in?

Thanks for the help! This is my first incubator experience.

 

[Akane]

Preferably you need it to keep the same temp for 24hrs before you put eggs in. I would suggest filling up some water bottles or other sealed containers (if the water contacts the air it will mess with humidity in the bator) and putting them in there. When your heating just air the temp sometimes gets unpredictable and it takes a long time to see changes. You can go ahead and add water to the center square on the tray since the water will only help hold heat after it warms up. Try to wait 4-6hrs or watch the bator cycle on and off 2-3 times without the temp changing before you make adjustments. Turn the knob very small amounts at a time and then wait again. The first time you set up a bator you really should do it days in advance so you have time. My hova wasn't too difficult but my lg took a week to get it to hold the right temp the first time. After I set them the first time I usually just plug them in 24hrs before I want to set eggs to make sure they are holding the right temp still.

After you add eggs do not touch the temp knob. The bator will have to heat all those eggs before it holds temp again. If you turn it up during that time then when all the eggs reach temperature the bator will end up going past what you want and cooking the eggs. Same with when you add water. Give it time to readjust and heat everything back up. Having the sealed containers of water in there helps because it holds and radiates heat back out instead of it just all going away when you open the bator.

 

[jvls1942]

Quote:
I do not use the plugs.. I lost them long ago and learned to function without them..

the reason that I had you set the initial temp with no water had a purpose.. when the incubator sometimes runs out of water while you have eggs in there the temp will go up.. setting the dry temp insures that the temp will not spike.. when you adjust the temp with water in the incubator, and the incubator goes dry for one reason or another, now how do you know how high the temp will go?

If you only lower the temp , you should still be OK..

to get your hum% down, take a plug out.. the room hum% has a bearing on your hum% in the bator.

I can raise and lower my humidity merely by opening and closing the door to the room where I have my bators.. I keep this room at 60%..
I use a humidifier in the room at hatching to get the bators up to 70% or more..

 

[Akane]

The incubator temp should not spike from just lack of water. The only way would be if you are adding cooler water daily. Since I only need to add water every few days to my hova it's never been a problem for me. I also leave a container of water next to the bator so it's at room temp when I go to top it off. Most of the time the incubator should not run out of water anyway unless your doing some form of dry incubation. If your in a hurry your best off putting water in so you can get the humidity figured out while also getting the temp set and get it up to temp faster. Otherwise you'll have to leave it set another 12hrs or so if you want the humidity adjusted before adding eggs.

Plugs in or out has never made any difference for me. I've hatched with plugs in when hatching during dry winter weather and had just as high of hatch rates. I've also run the incubator with no plugs throughout incubation. If the humidity is too high try taking one out and then the other. If it's too low put them back in.

One other problem. If your temp runs lower with water then if you set it dry won't you be incubating low? If the bator is going to be run with water then you should set the temp based on how it is with water in it. Not that I've seen any difference in temp between a dry or full bator anyway but it seems even if it did work that way that it would not work to set the dry temp and then incubate with water in it at the same setting.

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

Okay, I did a trial run of temperature readings. I haven't messed with the temp dial since lunchtime. All four thermometers have been in there a couple of hours.

Digital human thermometer 95.9
Non-mercury bulb human thermometer 98.2
Accurite indoor/outdoor with probe 97.9
Accurite indoor w/o probe 101 (Was sitting closer to the heat wafer)


??????
This is going to make me crazy for the next three weeks, isn't it? Im inclined to trust the non-mercury bulb thermometer, but that is likely to be becasue it looks like the one my mom used all those years on us. Dunno. Who knew that temperature was relative?

With both plugs out and no water on the inside except for an orange juice glass with about 1/2" for the thermometers, the humidity readings are at 46%. It's been raining all day and the air is pretty saturated. I've been reading good things about dry incubation and think I want to go this route. I live in TN so the air is pretty humid most of the time anyway. Do we think I'm in a decent range for the dry method?

Akane- the water bottle idea is a good one. That essentially becomes a heat sink, correct? I'm thinking about putting the heat sink under the wafer (logically the hottest place in the incubator). If I then rotate the eggs around as I turn them they all should cycle from warmer to cooler throughout the day. This logically replicates what the hen does. My broodies seem to rearrange all day. It makes sense that some eggs are further up under her (thus hotter) and some are on the fringes (cooler). I'm not planning on putting eggs in until tomorrow. It's held temps fairly steady all day. I'll leave it alone and let it perk all night before I put the eggs in. Then , fingers crossed!

 

[jvls1942]

I am backing out of this thread.. I answered only because nobody else did.. I am not in the arguing mode at the moment.. now you have many people with many opinions and you are going to end up being thouroghly confused..

good luck.......