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stabilizing temp in home made incubator HELP

Discussion in 'Incubating & Hatching Eggs' started by watersoflethe, Jul 7, 2010.

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  1. Jul 7, 2010 #1
    watersoflethe

    watersoflethe Songster

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    so i built myself one of those styrofoam incubators with a water heater thermostat. i have heat sinks in there as glass bottles of water..
    but i can't get the temp to stabilize with a smaller range. the thing turns back on exactly at 95 and turns off exactly at 102 how can i get this range smaller? please help
     
  2. Jul 7, 2010 #2
    Kedreeva

    Kedreeva Longfeather Lane 8 Years

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    Jun 10, 2010
    Michigan
    Well you'll probably have to tell us more than that about the incubator before we can help you.
     
  3. Jul 7, 2010 #3
    burquechick

    burquechick Songster

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    Your thermostat might not be sensitive enough for a tighter range.
     
  4. Jul 7, 2010 #4
    Whitehouse Quail

    Whitehouse Quail Songster

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    Drill three holes in the black casing. PM me for more info, I am not on my own computer at the moment.
     
  5. Jul 7, 2010 #5
    Backyard Farm

    Backyard Farm Certified Personal Chicken Attendant

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    My guess is that the differential on your thermostat is too wide for the narrow range you need. If this is true, there is nothing you can do, that I am aware of, that will help. It simply was not designed for the narrow range you need. You should be able to read the info and contact the manufacturer and find out what the differential is. If it is any more than +1/-1 ... I don't think you will have much success.

    ...not good news... I know.. sorry:hugs
     
    Last edited: Jul 7, 2010
  6. Jul 7, 2010 #6
    aprophet

    aprophet Songster

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    Quote:some folks put the t-stat and heat source really close together 2-4 " apart my light bulbs are 10-12" away from the t-stat bulb but my t-stat has a 1* differential
     
  7. Jul 7, 2010 #7
    Charles07

    Charles07 Songster

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    Sheridan, Indiana
    1. Wait 24 hours for it to stabilize

    2. Make sure the thermostat is almost right on top of the heat source, the farther away it is the more fluctuation you will have.

    3. Experiment with different wattage light bulbs if applicable, you want to go smaller watts before going larger

    4. Get a water wiggle, this will reflect the temperature inside of the egg(s). Eggs themselves are heat sinks.
     

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