incubator thermostat failed

[angry gary]

good morning everyone. yesterday my thermostat failed on me on day 15. i have a home made incubator i made out of an igloo cooler. we have used it before to hatch out eggs with zero problem.
last night i bought a new thermostat from lowe's and swapped them out. now my temps are running between 96.7 and 101.9. it fluctuates between a much wider range than the previous one. the previous one would cycle on and off every minute or so and kept temps within a degree at all times. this one is far more ranging. since friday will be day 18 and lock-down should i buy and try a new thermostat and tweek it or just continue on with this one?
i do not want to lower the temps again when i go in and change the thermostat so i am leaning towards riding it out with the unit installed.

thanks

gary

 

[angry gary]

no comments? no help?

 

[mayberrygirl]

What type was the failed? Did you drill in extra holes in the new one from Lowes (assuming the new one is hot water heater thermostat). Where is it installed in relation to the heat source? What kind of heat source are you using?

 

[quintinp]

What type was the failed? Did you drill in extra holes in the new one from Lowes (assuming the new one is hot water heater thermostat). Where is it installed in relation to the heat source? What kind of heat source are you using?

Yeah, if you can take the thermostat out fairly quickly and put a heat pad in the incubator on low, sitting on top of the eggs, you can take the thermostat out fairly quickly and without problem. Yes, the placement of the thermostat, and whether it has holes in it will determine the temperature fluctuations.

 

[angry gary]

i replaced it with the identical lowes hot water thermostat that previously was in the inc. the previous one worked like a charm. i did not drill any holes in it and the replacement was put back in the same spot. they are acting differently. with the first one very accurate and the second one fluctuates. today is day 18 and i guess i gotta go to lock down with the one that is there and hope for the best.