Question regarding LG still air temps

[Featherlyadvice]

Day 2 of incubation. Trying Chooks dry method from her tip sheet. Lg bator, dry air. Temps are holding good at 100.5 (Its set at 101.0. Humidity is at 40-50 percent. Its in a walk in closet with no air movement or changes unless I open the door.

My question is, my 2 cheapo thermometers state the temp as 98.0. They both agree. The bator states 100.5. Do I add a plug or 2 and try and get the aquarium thermometers to read higher, counting on them to be more accurate since they agree?

 

[SunHwaKwon]

Why not turn the heat up, using the thermometers to gauge the temp? That's how I do it. Just do it slowly, allowing a few hours between adjustments. I assume its a manual adjustment, so why not dial it up .5 degrees, see what that does, and adjust accordingly.

BTW do your thermometers go down to 32 or up to 212 so you can check their accuracy? If not, do you have one (such as a kitchen thermometer) that you can check and then compare them to? It is somewhat possible they match but are both wrong.

 

[Featherlyadvice]

I cleaned a digital thermometer with alcohol and placed it inside the bator for 20 mins to allow it to acclimate. Afterwards I took the temp and it read 100.42 while the LG thermometer read 100.4. So, I'm guessing the LG was right and my cheapo aquarium thermometers were wrong. I've just read so much about the "chick killers" that I was afraid to trust it.

I did try to calibrate the cheapos yesterday using ice cold water and following instructions on youtube. They only got to 40 degrees each, which really confused me. Lol. That would mean they're reading warm, not cold.

Oh well. Experience is experience, good or bad. Im learning.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

You only use enough water to ensure it is not getting an air temp, so really not ice water but a bunch of ice with just a little water. That may be why it read warm (liquid water is greater than 32 degrees). Elevation can throw it off a little as well.

I'm glad you checked them though!

My aquarium thermometers don't even go that low so I can't even check them the right way. Grrr.

 

[AmyLynn2374]

If you are using the digital Little Giants (9300/10300) they are notorious for being very off. Many people I know that use the digital models have to set them 1-3 degrees higher than recommended temps just to get the inside at the temp they need. (I've seen a couple need to higher even more, but most fall in that 1-3 degree range, with more being toward the 3.) And the hygrometers for them are fairly useless reading between 40-50% whether there's water or not. So definitely don't go by the bator's gages and expect accuracy.

 

[Featherlyadvice]

Thank you both. Ill get a nice therm/hygro shipped quick from Amazon. I couldnt find one while I was out today.

Im using the 9300. :/