Just started up the incubator 2 days before setting the eggs in & wanted to use a "water wiggler/weazel/snake" with a glass thermometer for another temperature guage, for the first time. The wiggler was brand new when put into the heated bator & gave off a heavy plastic smell, but a little less smelly after 2 days. It's like leaving plastic in the hot sun, but a little sweeter smell; so I'm assuming that it is "gassing out." I am concerned that it will cause bad air quality for the chicks to grow & hatch in. Has anyone had any experience with using the "water wigglers"? Any problems with hathcing with it?
In the pic below, it's the green squishy thing with the glass thermometer sticking out of it (also have a "top of eggs" thermometer). The "wiggler" idea is to try & judge what the temp of inside an egg would be, as apposed to temp above, under or around it may be. Also got a Brinsea Spot Check digital thermometer to try too. Am trying to find what the true bator temp is & also inside the egg.
Edit to include that have just used the Brinsea Incubation Disinfectant (for cleaning inbetween hatches), it is no rinse & has a little fragrance. The smell that Was strong on the first day at starting up the incubator again was most likely a combo of the wiggler & the sanitizer "gassing out." 3-4 days later there is no smell, all is well on that issue. Also, I have concluded that the temp of the glass thermometer & the Brinsea Spot Check (very accurate) are the same inside the "water wiggler"; that is what I am using for the temperature to set at 99.5 degrees F in my forced air/fan incubator (instead of the air around eggs). Will also try making a wiggler from a ziplock. Thanks for sharing all of your comments, they were all very helpful & informative.
Here is a quote from one of the posters on this thread: "I actually found the idea somewhere here on BYC. What I did was fill a sandwich bag with about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of water. Laying the bag on the counter with just the zippered end up remove all the air (it will just flatten out by itself and the air will be gone). Once the air is out zip it closed. I rolled it up into a cylinder then folded the cylinder in half, end to end, so it was nearly the size of the eggs and secured it with packing tape. I was then able to insert the probe from my indoor/ourdoor thermometer and set it inside the bator and it was ready to go. ............................... The new design made for easy placement of the probe, it stayed put the entire 22 days and never leaked. In fact I'm using it on a new batch of eggs right now." (Thanks for sending that info to me, sounds like something worth trying!)
In the pic below, it's the green squishy thing with the glass thermometer sticking out of it (also have a "top of eggs" thermometer). The "wiggler" idea is to try & judge what the temp of inside an egg would be, as apposed to temp above, under or around it may be. Also got a Brinsea Spot Check digital thermometer to try too. Am trying to find what the true bator temp is & also inside the egg.

Edit to include that have just used the Brinsea Incubation Disinfectant (for cleaning inbetween hatches), it is no rinse & has a little fragrance. The smell that Was strong on the first day at starting up the incubator again was most likely a combo of the wiggler & the sanitizer "gassing out." 3-4 days later there is no smell, all is well on that issue. Also, I have concluded that the temp of the glass thermometer & the Brinsea Spot Check (very accurate) are the same inside the "water wiggler"; that is what I am using for the temperature to set at 99.5 degrees F in my forced air/fan incubator (instead of the air around eggs). Will also try making a wiggler from a ziplock. Thanks for sharing all of your comments, they were all very helpful & informative.
Here is a quote from one of the posters on this thread: "I actually found the idea somewhere here on BYC. What I did was fill a sandwich bag with about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of water. Laying the bag on the counter with just the zippered end up remove all the air (it will just flatten out by itself and the air will be gone). Once the air is out zip it closed. I rolled it up into a cylinder then folded the cylinder in half, end to end, so it was nearly the size of the eggs and secured it with packing tape. I was then able to insert the probe from my indoor/ourdoor thermometer and set it inside the bator and it was ready to go. ............................... The new design made for easy placement of the probe, it stayed put the entire 22 days and never leaked. In fact I'm using it on a new batch of eggs right now." (Thanks for sending that info to me, sounds like something worth trying!)
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