I added a fan to ......................

[SteveH]

.................... my 1602n still air , even though it was giving me great hatches on my first two attempts at hatching . While it ran fine and cycled at 99 to 100 where the eggs set in the turner , I had discovered the edges and corners were running too cool . Keeping the eggs in egg cartons during lockdown solved the problem of hatchlings rolling the eggs to a corner , but I thought a fan might alleviate thermal stacking and make the edges run warmer too .................. possibly even stop me from having to adjust the wafer as the developing eggs started giving off heat of their own and causing heat spikes . After adding the 12 v fan wired to a 3 v transformer for a gentle air movement , I noted edges and corners were very close to rest of the bator at floor level , staying at steady temps there , and shut it off .

I decided to give it a test run before my next hatch . The fan's mounting screws had fit perfectly through the four smaller vent holes , and with the slightly larger one left in the center with the fan blowing up at it , I figured it was still getting about the same air exchange . At the center of the bator , at what will be mid egg level , I discovered the best temps now cycle from 97.8 to 101.1 ; compared to a steady 97.3 at the floor , and drilling two more vent holes did not help . I guess the fan needs to come out and the two extra holes filled back in ; so much for fixing something that ain't broke .

 

[SteveH]

Ya know , I may leave that fan in there and try hatching in it . I left the bator running with the fan shut off and the wafer left as it was ; it cycled from 86.5 to 88.2 instead of 97.8 to 101.1 at mid egg level . That fan must really be keeping the heat from stacking at the top . Would that constant temperature swing be too much for egg temperatures to stay steady in anyone's opinion ? The average at this setting would equal 99.45 at mid egg and cycles run every 4 minutes from the time the element kicks on . [ I've been testing without eggs in it , and assume that having eggs in there full will change things since they serve as heat wells ]

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

It should hatch like that but the egg will probably be colder than the mathematical average.

Ya need one of these.

or something like it.

 

[Chicken Rustler]

Quote:
OK Reb so what are those?

 

[Robo]

Look like gel bath toys...

 

[SteveH]

Quote:
Thank you for the reply Rebelcowboy . I've thought about a useing water wiggler to see what the temps would run at inside . I've always wondered how close they approximate internal temperatures of an actual egg . I assume that over a long enough period the temps would be equal .
I used to use a " point and click gun " type thermometer that instantly read surface temperatures of the floor and shallow rooting flats when I was employed as a greenhouse grower . I have no idea how they measured surface temps from a distance of several inches , but they were pretty accurite compared to the meat thermometer type where you inserted it and waited for it to stabilize . I think I'll see what one of those guns cost , but they're probably cashy .

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

Water weasels. Two $ water toy that rolls out of your hand making it hard to hold.

You put one in the incubator with the probe for your thermometer inside. That gives you the temp of the inside of the egg an not what the air is doing.

 

[daisychick]

Steve, try filling a couple of pint mason or whatever size jars you can fit with warm water. and put them in the bator for "heat sinks" then see if your temps stay stable. Just a thought. I do that whenever I am trying to get an empty bator to run at temp.

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

Quote:
I have this one.
http://www.google.com/products/cata...log_result&ct=image&resnum=1&ved=0CDoQ8gIwAA#

(Seen a lot on star trek)
Its under $50.
I mostly use it to read manifold temp on my truck but it has uses in incubation.

 

[SteveH]

Quote:
Thank you , I'm doing that at the moment .