Hi! I just bought a Brinsea Eco 20 that was previously used. It came with a thermometer that is located near the top by what I assume is the heating element. It registers @ 100. 2 degrees. I placed an aquarium thermometer @ the bottom and it reads 99.8. Should I try to lower the temp or leave it as is? Thank you for your help. Oh, I have no eggs in there as of yet. Just trying to make sure I the temp is ok. I have a bid on some Ebay eggs. Fingers crossed!
Hi suiedoozie, you should always calibrate thermometers no matter manufacturer or bought separate so that you know they are acturate, hyrgo too! see the section on calibration in the article here https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/hatching-eggs-101
I'm not familiar with that incubator personally. Does that incubator have a fan or is it still air? If it's still air the temperature should be 102 at the top of the eggs. If it is forced air with a fan then that temperature should be fine.
X2...^this. There is no way to know what the temps really are unless you know that the thermometer is accurate. Because 10 different thermometers could say 10 different things. But if you calibrate a thermometer, then you will know exactly what the temp actually is. So that would be my first step before adjusting the temp. Also, there is no way to calibrate the glass thermometer that comes with the Eco because it only reads like 75-105 or something like that. So you need to calibrate the other thermometer that's in there and then check it against the one that came with the brinsea.
