I use an Accurite hygrometer purchased from Lowe's, and have had lots of up and down hatches.....some great, some total busts. I tried the dry incubation this last time, and had a better incubation period, only to lose most of the batch right at pip time.
My mother has 3 different hygrometers, and all 3 of her's were reading something different. She ended up talking to a lady at eggcartons.com, and the lady sent her simple instructions for testing your hygrometer. My mother tested her's, and only one was accurate. I tested mine to find it was incorrect by -20%!!!! No wonder my hatches have been so weird. I do need to note that all of our hygrometers were purchased this summer, so they aren't old. The one that was accurate was one my mother purchased from the UK...go figure! So I thought I'd share the testing procedure with everyone.....you will be quite suprised!
QUOTE:
There is an easy way to determine if your hygrometer is accurate.
You need a ziploc bag, a screw-on soda bottle cap (or other small container) a small amount of dry table salt, and water.
1. Place the salt in the bottle cap (or other small container).
2. Dampen the salt with water. Do not put so much that the salt is
"sloppy". You want a damp pile of salt in the bottle cap.
3. Place both the hygrometer, and the bottle cap full of damp salt
in the ziploc bag and seal it well. (It is important not to let air
in or out while the test is going on.)
4. Let everything sit like this at room temperature for over 8 hours.
After 8 hours in the damp salt environment, the hygrometer should read75%.
If it does not, note the amount and direction that it actually reads and be sure to add or subtract that amount when reading the hygrometer.
If the hygrometer has a control to adjust it (either the needle or the display), you can set the hygrometer to 75% immediately after the test.
You should salt test your hygrometer every 6 months or so to be sure of the accuracy.
I hope this helps!
Best regards,
Vallarie Leslie
Vallarie Leslie, Customer Service
EggCartons.com, div. of Kings Supply
END QUOTE
My mother has 3 different hygrometers, and all 3 of her's were reading something different. She ended up talking to a lady at eggcartons.com, and the lady sent her simple instructions for testing your hygrometer. My mother tested her's, and only one was accurate. I tested mine to find it was incorrect by -20%!!!! No wonder my hatches have been so weird. I do need to note that all of our hygrometers were purchased this summer, so they aren't old. The one that was accurate was one my mother purchased from the UK...go figure! So I thought I'd share the testing procedure with everyone.....you will be quite suprised!
QUOTE:
There is an easy way to determine if your hygrometer is accurate.
You need a ziploc bag, a screw-on soda bottle cap (or other small container) a small amount of dry table salt, and water.
1. Place the salt in the bottle cap (or other small container).
2. Dampen the salt with water. Do not put so much that the salt is
"sloppy". You want a damp pile of salt in the bottle cap.
3. Place both the hygrometer, and the bottle cap full of damp salt
in the ziploc bag and seal it well. (It is important not to let air
in or out while the test is going on.)
4. Let everything sit like this at room temperature for over 8 hours.
After 8 hours in the damp salt environment, the hygrometer should read75%.
If it does not, note the amount and direction that it actually reads and be sure to add or subtract that amount when reading the hygrometer.
If the hygrometer has a control to adjust it (either the needle or the display), you can set the hygrometer to 75% immediately after the test.
You should salt test your hygrometer every 6 months or so to be sure of the accuracy.
I hope this helps!
Best regards,
Vallarie Leslie
Vallarie Leslie, Customer Service
EggCartons.com, div. of Kings Supply
END QUOTE
