Ventilation is the key not humidity!

[BeardedChick]

For those of us at high altitude, I think the other problem is that as humidity goes up, air gets 'pushed out' of the 'bator by water molecules. So our air that is already lower in oxygen (by volume) is even more deficient. Think of jogging in a sauna...

Keep in mind that you can easily pre-humidify air by placing a water jar in your 'bator and pumping air into the bator with a small fish tank air pump and a bubbler stone. I got a setup for that and didn't use it last time, but may try it this time. Then you KNOW fresh air is being pumped in constantly.

 

[walkswithdog]

In my Ugly Bator I just pop the top about 3/16 of an inch(lol lid rests on a drill bit) since it's not finished and I'm not getting time between hatches to finish it. It works great that way and I'm much more comfortable with the air/humidity balance with it than I was with the LG I had.

I needed a heat sink to do it that way but I did figure that out. After that, it's done well.
I'm rapidly becoming pretty darn good at "fix-its and make-dos and by-golly-that-works-anyways." When I actually start having cash again (omg the vet bills) then I'll go back to some of the traditional things. But you know what? Not all of them. Eventually I want a Dickey. Until then UglyBator's are going to suit me to a T.

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

I had to google my altitude, 1550 feet at my house. Not sure thats right, sounds low. I was thinking 3500 feet. So I dont guess altitude really effects me. I do know I can breath better when its foggy.

You could use a aquarium air pump to create a positive pressure ventilation system. Then you could figure how much ventilation you have. The prehumidification idea may not work to well unless you preheated the air before it went threw the bubblier. Putting a large coil of metal tubing in the incubator for the air to flow threw an heat up before it goes in to the bubblier should work.

I dont think any of this is necessary for the average person. In an incubator with less than 50 eggs in it a vent hole in the top an bottom about the size of a sharpy is all that is necessary. If you started there an added ventilation till you got the evaporation rate you needed then you would be set. But that may take several hatches to get right.

 

[BeardedChick]

If the water jar is in the 'bator and the water is warm (99.7f), the incoming air should be warmed as it bubbles up, right? I didn't see a big need for a coil. I would not be suprised if the air pump itself doesn't contribute some heat to the pumped air as well.

I'm at about 7,000'. Not sure about GH, probably about the same, though. So we already have about 20% less O2 (by volume) than you... Then add 70% humidity and the O2 starts to get pretty thin.

I would love to find a solution.

 

[Akane]

The only problem I see with aquarium air stones is that it throws actual water droplets up on to anything in the area. Having hard water and many many fish tanks over the years I found a surprising amount of water got splattered out of the tank by air stones and created a layer of hard water deposits over lights, filters, and even the nearby wall. All that water would be splattering directly on the eggs and not into the air. You'd have to put it well away from the eggs or they might get soaked. I also wouldn't do it with my well water or I'd be cleaning hard water deposits not only off the water tray but the styrofoam sides of the bator as well.

 

[BeardedChick]

I ran my aquarium pump all day in the empty hatcher and didn't see that it raised the humidity any. Granted, my fan is running and there are a couple of small air holes open... The hatcher humidity is sitting at 22%. I tried it first without the fan and the temperature soared at the top of the hatcher, so my air pump does not move enough air to nix the fan.

It's disappointing that it doesn't do more for humidifying the air.

As for splashing, you could put a piece of veterinary guaze or something over the top of the jar.

But I don't really see that the air pump has the positive effect that I'd like to see. And it's noisy. Maybe there's a better way to do it, but I'm not psyched about using it.

Bah!

ETA: I checked the water temp and it's sitting at about 100 f. Double bah!

and another ETA: I am using a pump for hydroponics, so you can turn it way, way down. That also might help with splatter.

 

[BeardedChick]

Ok, I could use some suggestions. I'm trying to increase ventilation, decrease humidity some (in my hatcher). I have the fan and water pan located below the shelf the eggs sit on. I recently moved the fan down there because I could not keep humidity high enough... Now I think it might be too high - around 80%. Ducks hatched just fine, but not chicks. :-(

I have a smallish water pan, no sponges just water.

I opened the two big 1" ventilation holes to see if that would draw humidity down in the bator, and it doesn't. Normally I have one of the big holes half open, and there are 5-6 smaller pencil sized holes drilled in it, too.

So should I just be happy with the increased ventilation and leave the humidity alone?

Or try to decrease the humidity, and if so, how? Smaller water pan or ??

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

Take a piece of bubble rap an float it in your water tray. It covers some of your surface. The bigger the piece of bubble rap the lower the humidity.

 

[BeardedChick]

Good plan, very easy to use.

I pulled the water pan out and noticed some condensation had collected & pooled on the bottom of the bator. That surely wasn't helping, either.

 

[dancingbear]

I have no water in the 'bator at all right now, my temp is holding steady at 99.5, (or as close as I can tell, my thermometer doesn't have .5 marks) humidity is at 35%.

After reading the ventilation /humidity info that everybody has posted, I was concerned that by air flow may not be adequate. I have an LG, w/fan, and auto turner. I took 4 q-tips, and laid the sticks across the corners between the lid and the bottom. This raised it lid just very slightly, if I bend down and look I can see a tiny space between where light comes through. The temp and humidity haven't changed at all, they've held steady.

March 30th is day 10, and I'll candle for the first time. Wish me luck!