What's wrong? Please help w incubator.

[cottontail farm]

Ok so I've been using the same hovabator for 5 years now with success. It's a still air styrofoam model and I hatch very well at 102 degrees. Last year the temp kept fluctuating and I gave up on hatching eggs that season because we had a new baby.
Last week I plugged it in to try again. Could not get the temp above 97 degrees. I set 18 eggs anyway and ordered a new one. Same model as the old one.
I cannot get the new one above 97 degrees either. I am checking with two thermometers.
What is going on? Do I need to go get a THIRD thermometer? The kicker is I candled tonight and 10 of the eggs in the original incubator seem to be developing fine. What the heck?

 

[CindyinSD]

Have you moved?

 

[cottontail farm]

No. Last year when the temps started going crazy (id go to bed at 102 and wake up to 106) I was trying to hatch in the kitchen (where I had every other year) but right now both the new and old incubator are set up on a table in the basement. Any ideas?

 

[cottontail farm]

Oh man... I just realized that I set both the old and new incubators up on a table that is in the corner of 2 exterior walls. Because I have tables there anyway to start seeds in another month.
So... I may have just needlessly bought a second incubator.

 

[CindyinSD]

It's probably cooler in the basement, so your incubators are having trouble keeping up. Ideally you'd have them in a room around 70-75°. If the basement is the best place for you, you could try setting them in their open boxes or boxes of similar size. And/or set them on a towel and wrap the sides up around the lid (but be careful not to block the vent). The thing you're trying to do (obviously) is insulate them so the heater will be able to keep up. If yours are like mine, you may end up setting the thermostat to 104° (etc) in order to achieve 102°. You'll need to obsessively check for abfew days, until it stabilizes.

As for accuracy, well, mercury is the gold standard but very difficult to obtain. You need a thermometer that can be calibrated. Otherwise you could have a dozen and no two agreeing. You also need to know your altitude. If you are at high altitude (as I am), it's also best to calibrate during calm weather because a low pressure system coming through can affect the boiling point of water significantly. Here's a graphic to help you figure out the boiling point at your altitude:

If you're at 3,000 ft and the water is boiling, you should adjust your thermometer to 206°, and so on.

 

[CindyinSD]

Oh man... I just realized that I set both the old and new incubators up on a table that is in the corner of 2 exterior walls. Because I have tables there anyway to start seeds in another month.
So... I may have just needlessly bought a second incubator.

Yeah, that sounds like something I might do. Having an extra incubator can be dangerous, you know. Seriously though, if you can't return it, maybe you could get most of your money back listing it on Craig's List.