Love/hate relationship with my thermometers!

[Avonshire]

OK I have 3 thermometers. 2 mercury and one digital. So one of the mercs is the one that came with the LG bator. This is my second hatch. It was holding steady at 102 and my digital was holding steady at 100--they are at a different level. I calibrated all 3 therms at the beginning and they read the same temperature at room temp. Anyway one day last week my original merc dropped to 98 with the digital holding steady. So I put another merc therm in there. It is a fish tank therm and a little hard to read. It was reading 102. Then the next day the fish tank merc therm read 104. I was a little worried about how high it was. I am on day 15 of the incubation at this point. So then I just took both merc therms out and put them at the same level at room temperature. Sure enough there was about a 4 degree difference. So I just left them out and relied on the digital which was still holding steady at 100. Now today my digital says that the temp spiked to 102 so I threw in the merc therm again. The original one says 100 and the fish tank therm says 106 but now the digital is back down to 100. I just don't know what to believe or do!!!! I have not touched the pot adjuster on the bator. I am inclined to just leave it alone but I am hating all the variances!! I need a therm I can trust!!!

 

[gabrielle1976]

I hope someone knows I shure dont

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Now that's just confusing. If you calibrated then use one thermometer at same level for every hatch. It will save peace of mind, save many hatches and keep your hair from being pulled out. You simply can not drive your self nuts or risk constantly adjusting thermostat due to having far too much input. One calibrated thermometer placed at same height and use that same thermometer at that height every hatch. From what occurs this hatch you'll know to tweak your thermostat for that particular thermometer at that exact height to get a better hatch next time. Tweak after that one with same thermometer at that exact same height the next hatch.


You see where I'm going with this. Consistency with less input will give far greater results in the long run than confusing and irritating bulk readings at varying heights. Too many variables and no way to adjust for next hatch for better results. You'll be fighting yourself and incubator every hatch without improving hatch rate each hatch.

Glass liquid thermometers read air adjustment much faster than digital. When your incubator turns on it looks like a temperature spike as they read the change that fast. The heat element turns off for two minutes and those glass thermometers read super low. If you use them then know to take the average reading. Wait at incubator for heating element to turn off, take reading. Wait 2 minutes or so until heater turns on again, take reading. Average them and that is what the temp is at that height in incubator. Digital is far less frustrating as you simply want to glance in to keep peace of mind temp is fine not wait five minutes to average and verify.

 

[Avonshire]

I have read about an egg thermometer. I may get one of those. It measures what the temp at the center of the egg is. What started out as a small, fun project has turned into a VERY expensive obsession. lol!!

 

[cva34]

Sometime when nothing is going on put all thermos together maybe under a container so you can see all . See what they read .or all side by side in Inc just for a test.Might figger it out...cva34