looking for votes on temp for hovabator 1588

[Sazbaby]

Hi all, I recently bought a hovabator 1588 (prior to 2012, so no digital display, but has the pre-set thermostat with toggle switches for raising/lowering it if needed). It is in nearly new condition, was used about 3 or 4 times before they sold it to me. The original owner said she used it at factory settings and found she needed to tweak the thermostat a little bit but couldn't remember exactly how much she altered it. I reset the factory settings, ran it for about 3 days and the temp seemed slightly low, but it was in a cold room and that probably affected things a bit. Left it alone for a week or two and now have it set up in another room (right by my house thermostat which currently reads 64 degrees, typically goes between 60 and 68 degrees, as we mostly use a wood stove elsewhere in the house) and it's been running for a good 3 or 4 hours now, at the factory setting. I don't know which thermometer to trust, so I've thrown them all in there, laying on top of the turner. Here's what I'm getting:

Human digital thermometer: 99.6
Radio Shack digital thermometer with wired external thermometer: Reads 101.5 to 101.7 on the external thermometer and 99.9 on the internal thermometer, both are positioned side by side inside the bator.
Somewhat expensive Acu-rite digital thermometer (has a wireless external thermometer that is outside), inside thermometer is reading 100, does not provide any decimal points on that reading.
Cheaper Acu-rite- reading 100.5 to 100.6
I have a meat thermometer that I checked in boiling water (should have reached 212 and it got to about 208-209), read about 95-96 when stuck in through the cord exiting hole.

So... votes on whether to leave it alone or mess with it??? The 101.5-101.7 on the Radio Shack external thermometer has me a little worried but I think maybe all the other readings that are fairly close to ok maybe it's just that one thermometer isn't accurate???

I don't have any water in it yet, and the 3 thermometers with hygrometers are all reading differently too- 16,21,26%. The one reading 16 for some reason always seems to be roughly half of what the other two say... I'm thinking I'll just follow the directions and fill the inside trough for 18 days and then fill both inside and outside troughs for lockdown and not watch the numbers...

If you can't tell, this is my first go-round incubating without a broody, and I'm stressing over the numbers!!! lol I have eggs I'm planning on setting tomorrow but can wait until Saturday if need be, the oldest eggs were collected on Sunday.

Thanks for any advice and hand-holding!!

 

[Sazbaby]

Just checked with the human digital thermometer again and got 100.7

I can just tell this is going to be stressful for me for the next 3 weeks!!!

 

[Sazbaby]

Ug. Now the expensive Acu-rite is reading 101. The Radio Shack is steady at 101.7/99.9, and the cheap acu-rite is steady at 100.6. What to do, what to do...

 

[ftwchopper]

Calibrate your thermometers in a glass of icewater.It should read 32 degrees or very close to it.

 

[Sazbaby]

I did try the boiling water calibration check with the meat thermometer, but the other ones can't be submerged unfortunately... they are digital display boxes with an internal thermometer, 2 of them have a wired "exterior temperature" probe, one of these is broken, and the third has a wireless exterior probe that is hanging up outside and also isn't meant to be submerged... can't figure how to go about calibrating a thermometer like this... Here's an example of what I've got:

http://www.acurite.com/weather/5-wh...ecast-temperature-humidity-clock-00837w1.html