Specific question: how to lower the humidity in a hovabator

[cicene mete]

I'm unclear about how to deal with the humidity in my forced air hovabator. I read most of the lengthy discussion about humidity, and I would like to get my incubator down to around 40%. If I fill up the central channel in the tray, the incubator gets a humidity of 60 to 65%. I guess I could put very little water, but then I feel like I would have to open the incubator every day to put a couple more teaspoons in.

How do other people deal with getting the appropriate humidity level?

My situation: the incubator is in a room in my house away from any windows. We do not have central air. The relative humidity in my town in Western Massachusetts was 76% today. Because the humidity in the house is so high, I have both red plugs in.


Thanks!

 

[azelgin]

Pulling the plugs out would be the first step to lowering your humidity. Even thought the air in your house is @ 76% RH, as it is heated in the bator to 99*, the RH will go down. If pulling the plugs doesn't do it for you, start covering the water channels with sections of tin foil. Less surface area, will mean less water absorbed into the air in the bator. Hope this helps.

 

[cicene mete]

Thanks for the advice. I'll try this at once. On a related note, why do I read so many different opinions about the appropriate temperature? Some people say 100, some 99, etc.

 

[azelgin]

Quote:
Ideal in a forced air is 99.5. In still air bators, the air stratifies, maybe 102 at the top of the bator, 99 or so where the eggs are. The forced air moves air around better, so you get a more even temperature, from top to bottom. You also get faster temerature recovery and better humidity control. Moving air vaporizes water much better than still air. 99 ~ 100 is fine in you forced air bator. Most thermometers are not that acurate anyway.

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

I cover some of my troughs with tin foil

 

[cicene mete]

Thanks; it's all a learning process.

 

[Germaine_11.20]

I keep a water bottle near the incubator and when it gets low I add a few teaspoons and leave it be.

I add every day until lockdown, but this keeps it right where I want it.