Planned power outage during hatch?

[fishforbrains]

So some stupid cop managed to hit a telephone pole a high speeds and turned it into toothpicks. The power company strung a temporary line. And they just told us they are planning to turn off the power for 6 hours in a few days to put a new pole in. Fine, except this 6 hour period just happens to coincide when I am expecting a batch of rather expensive eggs to be hatching. I expect the house to drop to 40 degrees F during this period. I COULD go buy a $$$$$ battery to run the incubator during this period, but is it worth it? How cold-sensitive are they during hatching? I could just pile a lot of blankets and hot rice packs on top of the incubator and hope for the best.

 

[lost-duckling]

power outages have happened to me in all but one of my attempted hatches they all failed.

 

[Nabiki]

6 hours, huh? I would start by wrapping your incubator/brooder in towels to help it keep the existing heat in. Then you could add rice sacks that have been preheated and kept in something insulated like an ice chest to help keep an even temperature. If you heat a large number of them and take one out at a time, the main mass will hold the heat for quite some time.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

Terrible timing on the outage...but that's how they seem to occur, and at least you have warning. I have a gas-powered generator (primarily to power a sump pump and secondarily, the fridge), which allows me to plug in the incubators if needed, too. This may not be a practical expenditure for just incubator backup, but it provides me with some serious peace of mind regarding the dveloping eggs. Personally, I'd have at least a battery backup if the eggs are valuable to you.

 

[heatherbeast]

A good Uninterrupted Power Supply runs at least $100. Depending on the wattage that the incubator is pulling, it would keep the incubator going during that time. I have aquariums, so the UPS was a pretty good choice for me. That said, if you don't have any other use for it, I agree the rotating heat packs inside an insulated box is the best approach.

 

[DatCampG]

So some stupid cop managed to hit a telephone pole a high speeds and turned it into toothpicks. The power company strung a temporary line. And they just told us they are planning to turn off the power for 6 hours in a few days to put a new pole in. Fine, except this 6 hour period just happens to coincide when I am expecting a batch of rather expensive eggs to be hatching. I expect the house to drop to 40 degrees F during this period. I COULD go buy a $$$$$ battery to run the incubator during this period, but is it worth it? How cold-sensitive are they during hatching? I could just pile a lot of blankets and hot rice packs on top of the incubator and hope for the best.

I experienced this once for six hours. I was so scared my "first time" hatches would die.
I immediately wrapped the entire incubator in a wool blanket and rugs and slid that wrap on a piece cardboad.
I then started a fire outside and boiled some water. Poured the water in tea pitchers and set it beside my wrap on cardboard and covered that with rugs again. I never opened my incubator.
My chicks hatched fine.
I wish you the very best with your hatch.

 

[Meyer_Hatchery]

I wrote a blog about my experience surviving a power outage! Can you get a power inverter and use your car battery to power your incubator? One big enough to power an incubator should cost less than $30.

 

[DatCampG]

GoodRead

 

[Nabiki]

A good Uninterrupted Power Supply runs at least $100. Depending on the wattage that the incubator is pulling, it would keep the incubator going during that time. I have aquariums, so the UPS was a pretty good choice for me. That said, if you don't have any other use for it, I agree the rotating heat packs inside an insulated box is the best approach.

Just FYI, but a UPS isn't intended for long periods of power loss. They are intended to give a sys ad enough time to gracefully shut down all of their servers in case of a power outage. An incubator draws a lot less power than a server, so it might work, but if you choose to do this, make sure to check how long the power is supposed to last.

 

[NY Coturnix]

Any chance you know someone outside the outage zone where you could take it just for the day? Pack it in blankets for the trip.