Incubator temp help....

[kajhurley]

Just got the wiring done on my homemade incubator. When i plugged it in i used two different thermometers. I am getting way different readings from the two thermometers. One is an accu-tech and the other is a springfield. Which one should i go by?????

 

[Ridgerunner]

You need to calibrate your thermometers. This link can help you.

http://www.asianonlinerecipes.com/thermometers/calibrating-thermometers.php

Some thermometers are made to be accurate within 1 or 2 degrees, and some 0.1 degrees. Accurate does not mean they actually read the correct temperature. It means they get back consistently to the same number. Say a thermometer is accurate to within 0.1 degree but it consistently reads 5 degrees high. Once you calibrate it and find out that it is 5 degrees high, you can have pretty good confidence that if you subtract 5 degrees from the reading, you are pretty much spot on the correct temperature.

To demonstrate the differences in thermometers, next time you are in a place that sells thermometers that read outside temperature, check the readings on a few of them. They are in the same place in the air conditioned store and you would think they would all read the same. Not so! These are typically made to be within 1 or 2 degrees, not 0.1 degrees, but I often find one or two about 5 degrees off the average.

Good luck!