stressing over temps in new incubator...

[gumbii]

mini fridge incubator... so far i have NOT drilled the holes to make vents or anything... so it's closed off, has a turbo style fan, two 40W bulbs, the water heater thermostat is on the far side towards the front, but in the way of the hot air sort of...


okay... i have two thermometers... i got an aquarium one from petco... it's the one with the metal backing and stuff... i didn't know which one to get... i should've gotten the one with the suction cup in the glass thingy... anyways... i also got a zoo med thermometer... the yellow digital one... i hear it's pretty good for incubator according to the reptile people...

so... i'm running it, and i barely lowered the thermostat and i have it dialed on like this...

100.4° but the temp still rises and peaks at 101.6° then within a couple of minutes... probably like 8 or so... i really should time it... LOL... it turns back on at 97.5° what a huge ball of fail... i guess i have to put the thermostat closer to the bulbs...? but wouldn't that make it harder to fine tune...? i just barely turned it down a notch, and it dialed in at what it's doing now...



man, i'm stressing out sick with this...


oh and also... the glass thermometer is always above 100° but like a lot... right now the digital one says 98.3° and the glass one says 103° but the glass one is stuck to the glass, and the other one is where the eggs will be (in the middle of the incubator in the air held by suction cup) so what do you guys think...?

any advice...


thanks in advance...!!!


♥

 

[scbatz33]

ooooooooo! I have a mini fridge! I was just tonight trying to decide what to do with it! Brilliant! Now how do I convert it?????

 

[gumbii]

Quote:
is that your picture in your avatar...? very handsome... LOL...


sorry.... anyways, i'm going to make a build thread later on... i've been taking pics on my phone and junk... i was just talking to my homie over it, and i think i'm going to convert a full size fridge into one of these... just need to save up for a motor that will be able to turn a couple hundred eggs... it's just that i'm at the part where it sucks... i rather be watching my cartoons than standing in front of a thermometer looking at numbers fluctuate...




anyways... i think i have it down... i moved it a couple of inches away from one of the black bulbs... now it fluctuates from 90.1° to 90.5° pretty dope... and i drilled two huge vents on the top of the fridge to control the humidity... i might make some small ones on the lower sides for ventilation... but the top ones will be for humidity... i'll cap them or cap them with the caps with holes during lock down... is that cool or what...? i think i'm almost there... it capped at 98.5° got to turn it up some moar... man, it's almost all the way up... crazy how this works...

 

[scbatz33]

Quote:
is that your picture in your avatar...? very handsome... LOL...

sorry.... anyways, i'm going to make a build thread later on... i've been taking pics on my phone and junk... i was just talking to my homie over it, and i think i'm going to convert a full size fridge into one of these... just need to save up for a motor that will be able to turn a couple hundred eggs... it's just that i'm at the part where it sucks... i rather be watching my cartoons than standing in front of a thermometer looking at numbers fluctuate...




anyways... i think i have it down... i moved it a couple of inches away from one of the black bulbs... now it fluctuates from 90.1° to 90.5° pretty dope... and i drilled two huge vents on the top of the fridge to control the humidity... i might make some small ones on the lower sides for ventilation... but the top ones will be for humidity... i'll cap them or cap them with the caps with holes during lock down... is that cool or what...? i think i'm almost there... it capped at 98.5° got to turn it up some moar... man, it's almost all the way up... crazy how this works...

That's my husband.

 

[galanie]

Putting the thermostat closer to the bulbs is tricky and it can take a while to get it tuned the way you want it, but you're already having trouble so I fail to see how it can get harder. I've had the best luck not by moving the dial a tiny bit, but by moving it way off then back to where you think it should be.

You can use temporary blocks/etc to move the thermostat closer/farther. Mine was at zero variation till I put it in place permanently, then it varied from 99.1 to 100.4. Took me a while but I think it was worth the fiddling with it.

 

[greenriver]

Try some thermal mass.

Loaded with eggs the temperature swings should be less.

 

[youngbiddy]

That's my husband.

I didn't think he looked like the kind of guy who would type "ooooooo!". LOL​

 

[gumbii]

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lucky you...

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i have it closer to the bulbs now... last night i had it fluctuating at 100° to 99.5° and i went to sleep happy... but when i came back in the morning, i saw it at 102.2°-101.9°... sucks... so earlier today i adjusted it again, and now i have it bouncing from 100.1° to 99.9°... should i mess with it some more...? or should i be happy...?

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i thought the ceramic base the bulbs were in would be enough... it's just that the fan blows past the bulbs directly and the thermostat... i wonder if that's a problem...

Quote:
I didn't think he looked like the kind of guy who would type "ooooooo!". LOL

LOL... i'm not the type of guy to type "ooooooo!" either...

 

[gumbii]

okay, so another post without the multiquote...



i moved the thermostat closer to the bulb and get a -/+ 0.8° it spikes at 100.7° and lowers to 99.9°... should i adjust it again..? or just leave it alone...? i see some people incubating at 100° and get faster hatches... i don't care how long they take, i just want them to hatch really... if it's fine there, then i'll leave it alone... or what do you think...?

also, i put two holes in the top of the bator with 1/2" PVC sticking out of it... did i mess up for making the holes on top..? should i plug them up and put the holes on the sides instead... i'm kind of having a hard time raising humidity without plugging them up all the way... i can put PVC end caps with a smaller hole on it... how big should the holes be for ventilation...?

the glass thermometer measures 102°... i hope it's wrong...

 

[scbatz33]

Quote:
I didn't think he looked like the kind of guy who would type "ooooooo!". LOL

Yes he does on occasion. More of a two finger, hunt and peck technique though. LOL!