How to lower humidity?

[ohnoicantfly]

Yes, that should bring it back down again. Can you post some photos of your incubator? I'm most interested to see what kind of water reservoir(s) you have, and the vent(s).

The water reservoir.

Here's a little hole in the side of the incubator that leads to the water reservoir. I've been using it to fill the reservoir (I use the left one) The right one leads into the rest of the incubator.

The vent.

The fan.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

So it looks like just a tray reservoir - one big flat tray, with a little circular cup in one corner? That means you keep water only in the little cup during most of the incubation period, and overflow the cup only during lockdown. That sound right?

So... if you can't see how much water is in the cup (mine is annoying like that, too) you'll need to measure how much it holds, and never add more than that amount at any one time (until lockdown of course). I also taped a long straw to the end of a big syringe (like the ones used for turkey roasting injection), so that I can insert the straw through the vent hole and into the channel (or cup, in your case), and draw water out without opening the lid - for when the humidity is too high.

Concerning the two holes in the side of the incubator: You can cover one of them IF you ever have trouble keeping the humidity UP. Otherwise, keep them both open and just operate the proper vent as needed. At least one vent should stay open at all times.

 

[ohnoicantfly]

So it looks like just a tray reservoir - one big flat tray, with a little circular cup in one corner? That means you keep water only in the little cup during most of the incubation period, and overflow the cup only during lockdown. That sound right?

So... if you can't see how much water is in the cup (mine is annoying like that, too) you'll need to measure how much it holds, and never add more than that amount at any one time (until lockdown of course). I also taped a long straw to the end of a big syringe (like the ones used for turkey roasting injection), so that I can insert the straw through the vent hole and into the channel (or cup, in your case), and draw water out without opening the lid - for when the humidity is too high.

Concerning the two holes in the side of the incubator: You can cover one of them IF you ever have trouble keeping the humidity UP. Otherwise, keep them both open and just operate the proper vent as needed. At least one vent should stay open at all times.

There is no cup, just the tray. It looks like there is, but there ain't Should I make my own little cup out of one of those little cups that you get sauce in? And then fill the rest of the reservoir at lockdown? Thanks.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

There is no cup, just the tray. It looks like there is, but there ain't Should I make my own little cup out of one of those little cups that you get sauce in? And then fill the rest of the reservoir at lockdown? Thanks.

You can try a few different sizes of containers, as long as you can add water to it without lifting the lid. A syringe and straw or piece of tubing/hose works great. The little sauce cups, a small shallow dish, a jar lid or two, etc. You'll just have to start small, and keep increasing the size of the container (or multiple cups etc.) until you reach the right humidity.

 

[ohnoicantfly]

You can try a few different sizes of containers, as long as you can add water to it without lifting the lid. A syringe and straw or piece of tubing/hose works great. The little sauce cups, a small shallow dish, a jar lid or two, etc. You'll just have to start small, and keep increasing the size of the container (or multiple cups etc.) until you reach the right humidity.

I have a syringe like this. Do you think it would work for filling?

 

[BarnyardChaos]

I tested a friend's incubator for her once, a Little Giant foam thing with no fan and no turner. It had channels in the bottom. But it seemed the foam was absorbent, so no matter how much I wiped the water out of it, it still stayed HIGH humidity. So finally I dried the whole thing out, then put little cups (like those on bottles of cough syrup) in each of the corners. I added or removed cups to control the humidity, and it worked fine.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

View attachment 3509353
I have a syringe like this. Do you think it would work for filling?

It should! How much does it hold?

 

[ohnoicantfly]

It should! How much does it hold?

It's not big. maybe 20 ml, so I just have to fill it up a lot to get a substantial amount of water in the incubator. I could look for a bigger one though, as this one might become a hassle.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

It's not big. maybe 20 ml, so I just have to fill it up a lot to get a substantial amount of water in the incubator. I could look for a bigger one though, as this one might become a hassle.

Maybe, maybe not.
My incubator is kind of similar, but has three different size channels in the bottom. It holds 27 eggs. One channel holds 60 ml, the second 120 ml, and the third 180 ml. Through the first 18 days, I found I needed to add 60 ml in the morning and 60 in the evening to hold humidity at about 40%. I cut holes in the mesh bottom so I could stick the straw into whichever channel I wanted, but I could not see how much water was already there. It was fine for the first 18 days, but during lockdown it was a huge hassle. I got too much water into all of the channels and didn't know it, humidity was perfect; but I found water was pooling in one corner and coming up through the mesh, getting the eggs wet!!!

Your incubator may be easier to avoid that, if you use cups or jar lids that you can see into. A bigger syringe would be fewer squirts, but the smaller one will give you better control over the amount of water you're adding at any time.

 

[BastyPutt]

Joining late here, but I do have some input. We had this same incubator (it is made in China, mass produced and sold under a variety of different names/brands - none recognizable.

We hatched some in it, but it was an absolute chore to do so. I won't be too much of a Debbie downer, but I will give you some pointers.

- ultimately, we ditched this thing because the humidity was impossible to control. Just as you are dealing with. Science says something should work, but we couldn't get the dang thing to hold anything kind of climate

- the idea is you put the eggs on those rolls and they turn. Great idea in theory, however - because of the shape of the egg, they will all eventually roll to one side, bunch up and stop turning. We had to reposition the eggs a few times a day. What I ended up doing was putting zip ties around the rolls on either side of the egg which held them in position.

I know there were a few more things, but those were my biggest gripes.

But, you can hatch eggs in it. We did it. Just make sure to check it every few hours if possible.