why does temp drop when water added??

[mtngrl812]

I added hot water to my bator trays and the temp dropped nearly 10 degrees. I don't know how long it was that low, but it has me worried now. It may have been for a complete night that the temp was down. I made sure the water was warmer than the bator, I used a syringe and tubing to add the water. So why did the temp drop so much? I am using an LG that is surrounded by water heater insulation to protect it from drafts and stuff.

I am currently working on getting the bator back up to temp, and the water I added is nearly gone. So how do I keep this from happening again?

Any ideas or suggestions?

 

[brahmapapa]

water uses energy (heat) in the evaperation process. so when you add water it evaporates and lowers the temp of the incubator. is the incubator that you are using a forced air incubator with a fan. if so and the fan blows directly over the water surface the air movement causes constant and swift evaporation which cools the bator down. the best way to regulate this is to fill the water resevoir to the top and try to keep it that way so you can adjust the temp to compensate for evaporation. a note to remember. if you keep the resevoire full and adjust for evaporation, but then you let the resevoir go dry, you could get a temp spike. you didn't say what stage of development these eggs were in, what day of incubation. that can have an effect on the success, eggs that are close to hatch can usually survive a temp drop because they are already generating some of thier own heat. if the water that you added was too hot (it really needs to be close to 100 deg.) the hot water may have caused rapid evaporation which took the temp down. good luck with your hatch.

 

[mtngrl812]

thank you for that information. Yes I am running a fan, a pc fan I installed. The water must have been close to 100 deg, it comes out of the tap hot and by the time I get settled in and all, it isn't quite as hot. I filled the two small trays and in about 18 hours they are empty. The fan is making a bigger difference than I realized.
I am about 7 days into the incubation at this time.

I will try this time to fill the trays a little at a time until I get them filled up with out causing too much temp change. I am home most of the time so I should be able to keep a close eye on the water level.

 

[shelleyd2008]

Hmmm....

Sorry, I had said something else then went back and read the OP. I have no idea what would cause it other than it is an LG. They are notorious for being finicky.

 

[chickenfeverforever]

You should use room temp or warm tap water. Not hot.

 

[Barrdwing]

Quote:
I'm curious. Is that because of the evaporation factor that brahmapapa mentioned, or is it because hot water can damage the incubator? I've been trying to figure out what temperature the water I add to my own incubator should be. The manual just says "very warm," which is not exactly helping me. I'm using a Brower Top Hatch, and the eggs are currently on their twelfth day. So far I've just been running it as the manual recommended, 99.5 degrees and 52-55% humidity. I candled them last night and there's movement in nearly all of them. But come lockdown I'll have to crank up the humidity, and now I'm rather nervous about adding a bunch of water to it then! I don't want to send the temperature all over the place.

 

[aprophet]

Quote:
this is kina what I was thinking I lift the top on my hova bator every coupla days to add water but I leave it alone just check the temps 2-3 times a day and each time I check the temps are OK I am sure the temps are probably a little low right after I add the water but it comes back up

 

[shelleyd2008]

Quote:
I'm curious. Is that because of the evaporation factor that brahmapapa mentioned, or is it because hot water can damage the incubator? I've been trying to figure out what temperature the water I add to my own incubator should be. The manual just says "very warm," which is not exactly helping me. I'm using a Brower Top Hatch, and the eggs are currently on their twelfth day. So far I've just been running it as the manual recommended, 99.5 degrees and 52-55% humidity. I candled them last night and there's movement in nearly all of them. But come lockdown I'll have to crank up the humidity, and now I'm rather nervous about adding a bunch of water to it then! I don't want to send the temperature all over the place.

I hatch mine with humidity in that range, I would just keep it where it's at.

 

[Pathfinders]

Quote:
I agree. Get the humidity too high and they'll drown in the shell. Leave it there. Just don't open the incubator once they start to pip for at least 24 to 36 hours. DO NOT OPEN.

 

[Barrdwing]

Okay! I think I'll write myself a note and stick it on the incubator--something along the lines of "NO! LEAVE IT!" when we get to lockdown. I've got it set up so that I can add water through a straw, and I think I can fiddle the hygrometer so that it will read constantly (it's a wick-type model). That should be enough to make me keep my hands to myself.