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Well first of all my still air was converted to a forced air with a PC Cooling fan. I placed the cooling fan directly under a ventilation hole to draw in new air. (one of the big holes with the red plugs.)
I also added a digital hydrometer for a more accurate reading of humidity. And this was what I found....
When I plugged the hole over the fan, humidity SOARED! When I completely unplugged it, it DROPPED. So what I did was take some eletrical tape and cover half the hole, so that enough conditioned air was sucked in to ventilate, but not enough to drop humidity. Through some tinkering, and moving the tape to make the hole bigger and smaller, I was able to regulate my humidity. Its kind of like regulating water pressure in a garden hose, if you tighten the nozzel to much all you get is a little mist, and if you open it all the way all you get is a gushing flow, but tighten it just right and you get a steady stream. Apply the same principle with the ventilation holes. Plug them too much and humidity is going to soar and drown the chicks. Open them too much and the shells will dry out. But cover them jussssst enough, and you can get it where you want it. (I've actually got about 3/4 of the hole covered.)
Now the second ventilation hole is completely open. No plug and nothing covering it.
AND... I did add a very shallow grease tray that actually goes under the George Foreman grill. Its about 6 inches long, and about 4 inches wide. I placed it under the wire and filled it up also to increase the amount of water surface in the bator. So far I haven't had to add any extra sponges or damp paper towels.
