Just scored a HovaBator 1588 on Craigslist! How to test?

[lceh]

I just picked up a HB 1588 for $50, complete with egg turner and instructions! The lady said she'd only used it a couple of times, than moved to a cabinet incubator. Don't know how old it is, probably a few years, but I sure hope it works. I have 2 4-Hers hoping to hatch eggs and I was wondering how I could spend the $160+ for a new setup.

So, how do I test this thing? Other than plugging it in an listening to the fan and turner motor, I mean. Do I just pop some fertilized eggs in there for a test run? Any add-ons I should consider? We're hatching newbies, so any advice is welcome!

 

[happytxchick]

Plug it in and regulate the temp. Do you have a thermometer to go inside the incubator? I keep mine at 99.5 degrees. It takes about six hours to get it to stay there. That temp is at the TOP of the eggs, though (that's where the embryos develop. So, if you get it around that level, put in the eggs you want to hatch. Place the thermometer on top, and tweek your temp setting from there.

Remember to put warm water in the water chamber first.

 

[happytxchick]

Did your seller not send instructions? Just curious...

Oh, and I just use an inexpensive red bulb thermometer. Some folks swear by digital, but...

And get this, I do not use a hygrometer to hatch (did you hear that? ...all the gasps from the other hatching people). Seriously, though, I don't, and have always had good hatches.

 

[FenDruadin]

Get yourself a digital Acu-rite thermometer from Walmart for $10. They are cheap and reliable--much better than many others sold for the same purpose, and cheaper.

Turn on your bator. Make a note of which direction the egg turner is facing. It won't look like it's moving. Listen for the fan. Pop your thermometer in there. Let it run for an hour.
After an hour, the turner should be facing a different direction. If so--congrats, the turner works.
Let it run another five or six hours. Check the temp. If it's in the 90-120 degree range, congrats, your heating element is working.
Next, test the thermostat. Tweak the little dial just a tiny, teeny smidgy little bit. Wait another hour. Check the temp--if it has gone up or down, the thermostat is working. If not, try turning the dial a bit more this time and check again in an hour.
Now, test the stability. Gradually adjust the dial, over the course of several hours, until the interior temp is between 99 and 100 degrees. Let it run. Check it every few hours to see if it's stable. Don't panic if it's not. First-timers usually try to adjust the dial too often, and it won't stabilize. Let it run several hours between adjustments.

If it all checks out, toss some eggs in that baby and get cracking! Good luck!

 

[lceh]

Great instructions, thanks! That's exactly what I needed!

DH congratulated me on a bargain -- I think he hasn't fully thought through the implications of my own hatching factory....