incubator heat sinks

[ghillie]

I have read several people hear use water packs in their incubators to act as heat sinks. I am going to use a 1588 with turner to hatch 6 eggs and was wondering if I could use the ceramic nest eggs I have instead of water packs as heat sinks. Would they work as well as water packs? They would be easier because they would fit right into the turner. Thanks.....joe

 

[horsejody]

I use one of the smaller canning jars filled with water.

 

[ghillie]

Anybody have input on using the ceramic eggs instaed of water packs?

 

[Davaroo]

Go for it. As long as you have the non-productive space for them, ceramic eggs will do much the same thing as any thermal buffer - or fertile eggs, for that matter.

Thermal buffering is typically considered part of the heat control system, though, and so is separated from what might be called "the production side" of the incubating process. In other words, sacrificing viable egg space for buffering elements is not considered efficient.

The main purpose of buffering is to store heat and so mitigate temperature fluctuations. Water is often used used for this in small incubators since it holds heat well, is adaptable to the space and readily available.

But anything will work. I use bricks in the bottom of my incubators.

 

[Bettacreek]

You should be fine. I had to use scratch grain in the bottom of mine (I was desperate and water bottles and such wouldn't have worked right in my case) and it's keeping pretty even temperatures, even with a dimmer instead of a thermostat.

I think just about anything that will hold heat and slowly release it back would work just fine, including ceramic.