Should I trust the thermometer on the incubator?

[Uff Da]

I am test running the Brinsea Eco Maxi II I recently purchased. I also purchased 4 cheap thermometer/hygrometers, since there is no hygrometer with this model. I stuck two of them in the incubator. They both read the same for humidity (46%) but one says 95.1 degrees and one says 95.5 degrees. The glass thermometer built into the incubator says about 99 degrees. It has been running for about 6 hours.

Are the incubator thermometers on this model generally accurate? Have I let it run long enough to get an accurate reading?

Thanks!

 

[Kiki]

No.
I would never trust a built in thermometer.
Can you calibrate one of the ones you bought separately?

 

[Uff Da]

Hmmm. I did some research, and it looks like the digital devices I have are not able to be calibrated at home. I adjusted the way they were sitting in the incubator--I had them lying down, and I set them upright. Hopefully I will have some matching temps by the time I have to put the eggs in this afternoon! Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Trux]

What you need is a thermometer you can calibrate by sticking the probe into a glass of icewater. If it is reading right with the probe in icewater it should read 32 degrees. Then you can take that thermometer and put it inside your incubator and compare readings after 6 to 8 hrs. if they match great! if not then adjust for the difference

 

[LynnaePB]

I don' have that exact model but I do have a brinsea incubator (the octagon eco 20) that came with a glass thermometer. When I first got it the thermometer read around 99.5 but my trusted thermometers read around 105, it would have cooked my poor eggs had I left it at the factory setting. I definitely wouldn't trust it until you can test a calibrated thermometer in it!