Thermal air fan???

[Bananas]

Hey everybody, I'd appreciate some opinions...

I have a Hovabator still air incubator with egg turner. I had a bad first hatch and I thought it was because my thermometer was off. I have since acquired 5 different thermometers from around the house and I purchased a digital hygrometer/thermometer as well. I put them all in the incubator and every single one of them was reading different temperatures!!! They ranged in temperature from 96 degrees to 105 degrees. They were all placed on top of the egg turner/eggs near the center of the incubator.

I was completely frustrated that I couldn't seem to get a thermometer that worked properly and accurately. Then it occurred to me to take the thermometers out and put them all side by side in room temperature air. Guess what??? The thermometers all read approximately the same thing.

My conclusion is that the temperatures in my still air incubator really are that different. Can temperatures range from 96 to 105 degrees in a single still air incubator?

This is NOT going to help my eggs hatch. I know they can't have that much variance, and the eggs on the outsides are going to develop differently than the ones in the center.

So my question is....how important is the thermal air fan? I looked on eBay and I can buy the fan to add to the incubator.

Have other people had this problem with still air incubators? I am really frustrated, but I don't want to spend more money unless I am fairly certain it will correct the problem.
Any advice would be appreciated!!!

 

[Kennyog]

Still air,styrofoam incubators are notorious for this type of problem.I have had several.The fan will help.But my advice to you is to get away from these type of incubators.Yes,they work,but you have to watch them constantly.Save your pennies and buy a Brinsea,or maybe even a cabinet type incubator.You will notice a big difference in your hatching success rates.Take care.

 

[jvls1942]

I would say, keep the bator you have and learn how to operate it correctly..

learn how to calibrate a hygrometer..

get a thermometer that you know is correct..

learn what a thermostat actually does and understand it..

do some research and testing of your bator until you understand what makes it work best..

then,add eggs/.......

 

[FenDruadin]

I really like my Hovabator WITH fan. I'm sure there are better incubators out there, but for the price, this one works great. It keeps a steady temp, and did a decent hatch for my first try. I know folks on here and IRL that have used them for a long time with good success.

I don't know if circulating air will help in your particular case. It's hard to know what caused a poor hatch without knowing a lot of other factors--humidity, turning, condition of eggs, type of eggs, etc. all affect outcome.

It does sound like your thermometers were not the problem, given their consistency *outside* the incubator. You can check if they are close to the *right* temp by taking them outside and comparing the result to the local weather station. It won't be exact because of microclimates, but it will at least tell you if it's in the ballpark.

I have heard that inconsistent temps throughout the bator are a problem with still air, but that does seem like an awfully large variance.

Good luck figuring it out, and especially with your next hatch!

 

[Junkmanme]

My guess is that a fan will fix the differences you are experiencing.

 

[2txmedics]

Sorry, was reading and I had a bad hatch with my LG 9200...am currently researching a few things: for one...when you buy a hydrometer for some reason they are all off...to CHECK calibration:

get 1/4 water and 1/2 salt...stir it real good, place it in a zip lock bag and also place the meter in the bag, seal it tight and leave it in for 12hrs. You will get your humidity reading I found out mine is NOT reading right, so since its off by 8% I have to add those 8% to all my readings. Im told that all most all of them come this way when you buy them, you wont get a correct one in the store. and not a way to fix them.

the person who is helping me through all this, now is having me run a test starting tonight, with the meter in and my bator running at 99.5 and we are shooting for 28-30% humidity to see if I can get it. Im too leave the water out to see what I get, if still not my goal of 28-30, then Im to take a plug out and come back and read it 6hrs later.

This means that when my readings during my hatch were 64% they were really 72%, which means thats too much humidity and I drowned my chicks, as they cant absorb in the shell.

 

[jvls1942]

Quote:
may I ask who s helping you??

 

[2txmedics]

Another person that belongs to BYC...and so far so good....Ive done all I had to on checking and monitoring my bator...and Im on day 2...and yes so far, Im gettting alot better readings....

does it really matter who? just another BYCer I talk to alot of you on here and meet a few, and after we talk a few times, we become friends and keep.

 

[jvls1942]

who ?

 

[2txmedics]

out of this forum...they had all these how toos and details, took advice from several people also and combined it all. Why? Are they giving me the wrong info?!