Wafer thermostat care

[FenDruadin]

Anyone here want to take a stab at a "wafer thermostat care guide"?

For instance, when storing one's incubator for the season... or a few years... what can be done to help the thermostat stay in good condition? Should it be dried after each use? Can/should it be washed, ever? What if it gets wet by accident, or sprayed with bleach or vinegar during cleaning?

How long should it be expected to last, and what are the signs that it is ready for replacement?

Etc.

For those of us running homemade or styrofoam incubators, and who intend to incubate over a period of many years, this kind of guide would be invaluable.

 

[Bill 101]

I think that what people forget is that just because you stop using the incubator the wafer does not stop expanding & contracting.
It depends on where it's stored, of course, but even in a house the temperature rises & falls especially if it's not Ac/Heat controlled. If it's gets 80 -90 degrees in your home during the summer that wafer is expanding & then when it cools at night, it's contracting . If you store it outside in an unheated building, it even worse. There is probably a certain temperature that it stops expanding &contracting, but I don't know what that is.
There also made of metal, so in time, the expansion & contraction will eventually cause cracks that allow the material inside to escape, then they would be useless - Just me thinking outloud

 

[FenDruadin]

Very interesting! I have never really even looked into how they work, so this is fascinating information to me. I'll have to do more research. Thanks!

 

[Peep_Show]

I don't think they're designed to last forever. Probably a good idea to replace them every once in awhile because gas (which is the interior) no matter how contained (or not) tends to go flat.