Why temp not consistant in forced air?????

[rancher hicks]

One thing I took more seriously this time is the "room" temp. I now have this incu in my office w/ an avge. temp of 80. The instructions state, "Caution: the thermometer may not be as accurate as the thermostat and should not be trusted on the first couple of hatches. " and

Location

"An incubator is designed to bring normal room temperature to the desired temperature. Room temperature of 60*F, or below will reduce the temerature in the incubator. Room temperature change of 10*F, or more will change temperature in incubator & is more pronounced below a temperature of 70*F. The location of the machine is important to successful operation. A room temperature from 70* to 80*F is ideal, and fresh air without drafts is necessary. Be sure no direct sunlight strikes the incubator and that it sets level. A consistent room temperature within a few degrees is best."

So check the temp of the room, I have a thermometer taped to the wall. Make sure your incu is in a room that the door is not opened alot. Especially the door to the outside. Not near the heat vent or cold air vent these cause drafts. I notice that when I open the incu this time to turn the eggs slightly the temp does not drop as drastically as before. My old location was in a high traffic area and we have an open house you can see from one end to the other. There were times when the house felt cold. I try to keep my office at 80* and check the room temp as well as the incu temp. The room is always between 70* and 80* .

I don't know that a home made incu would work the same as these styafoam incu's do.

All the best

Rancher

 

[RoRoinGA]

OK how about this scenario, I wake up at 3 AM, the usual to check temp, at 12:00 all was well with99.5 - 100. I have 3 of the same thermometers in the LG forced air. 2 are on top of the eggs, one is taped to the turner where there aren't any eggs. 1 said 102, 1 said 97 and 1 said 100. WHat now?? Are there any more chicks I can kill out there, I'm reall good at it. HELP

 

[al6517]

The LG is your first problem, sorry just not a fan of the chinese products...............just sayin

AL

 

[seminolewind]

I have a 1588 with fan, and it's not consistent, but more consistent than a still air. It's more consistent if I lay a piece of bubble wrap over the top, and have it in a stable room. I also have an r-com too and that one is set it and forget it!

The 1588 also has areas in it where the temps are different, so I rotate the eggs from the middle to the outside, etc, once a day too.

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

First, a couple of degrees probably isn't going to make any difference in a hatch. With that said, it's the very reason I got rid of my Genesis. I had 3 dismal hatches and had GREAT hatches in my homemade bator. In the homemade bator, a light bulb is the source of heat and it is off to the left of the eggs by 8 or more inches. Right above the light bulb is the computer fan. So the air is forced over to the side where the eggs are in a more even distribution. The reason I ditched it is because I spent a HUGE amount of time fiddling with the hot water heater thermostat and humidity to get keep it within an acceptable range.

The bators with the element within a few inches over the eggs have got to spell trouble to some extent...even with the fan in the center blowing the air around. Certainly the eggs right under the element are going to get hotter than the others.

I am on day 20 of a hatch with a Brinsea 20 Octagon EX advanced that I borrowed from a friend. Yep...gonna get me one of those as soon as I save up the $$. Everything is absolutely automatic, including the humidity. It's truly "plug and play". Well, I guess I should say...if this hatch goes pretty well. I have 11 eggs in it that were good at the day 14 candleing. I didn't candle at day 18 so there could be a couple of quitters. If I get 8 silkie chicks from these 11 eggs...I'll be happy as a pig in mud.

 

[Penturner]

Turn in the television and wait for the discovery channel to show or search you tube for anything that is being filmed in infra red. notice how many different colors you see in it and how they are sort of a halo around objects and such. well that is how temperature acts around objects. including eggs. it has to do with how well an object can absorb the heat energy compared to air. when something will absorb heat better than air it will suck away the heat as it gets closer to the object. this creating layers of different temperatures around the object. the very walls of your incubator itself is an object. the thermometer is an object. each egg is an object etc. and each creates it own little rainbow of temperature differences around it. even the object itself will not be all one complete temperature. I believe one of the very frustrating things about incubating eggs is that you are told to control temperature to within 1 tenth of a degree, when temperature cannot be controlled to 1 tenth of a degree. I really think the directions need to be re written. I am sure there are plenty of people that will say I keep my temp at such and such exact temperature. and I say you are keeping your thermometer at such and such a temperature. film your incubator in infra red and see if it is even throughout.

 

[RoRoinGA]

All of you have great comments, and I think the Brinsea is the way to go. I have 2 LG's 2 turners, only 1 has a fan though. after this hatch, I am gonna put them for sale. This hobby is turning my hair grey, my house to not get clean and no one has clean clothes cause I cant pull myself away from the bator long enough. It was heartache last wekk when none of my eggs hatched and I thought I was diligent that time. Now with the temps all over the place, I'm going biserk. Oh and I also have 2 hens with eggs in the nest. I'm leaving them there, she can deal with it for now. My hatch should be on the 24th, i'm just gonna try to let them be keeping the temp somewhat stable and humidity low. I also have a humidifier running in my room cause we heat with a wood stove. Can you say dry? What I really want to do is pull all the thermometers out and use only one. But which one?

 

[Penturner]

From everything I have read you are good within that entire range of temps. the 102 would concern me just a tad as your are pushing it but I would ask where that thermometer is in regard to your turners motor or any other heat source. I have read that the motors on the turner will actually increase the temp in the incubator by a degree or two. You also want to re arragne the eggs during the entire incubaltion period so that those in warmer spots get moved to cooler ones etc and helps even out the development of all the eggs.

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[RoRoinGA]

Ok Penturner, you might have something, the thermometer with the higher reading is sitting on top of the eggs with the mercury ball under the fan. the other thermometer is in the same position, just about 3 inches over, and more or less under the styrofoam. I did move all the eggs around last night before I went to bed to kind of mimic what the hen does.

 

[abanjaf]

I have 3 different thermometers. All 3 give me different readings, in the same spot no less!!! Have no idea which one is correct and just how many thermometers do I have to buy to get an accurate one? So, I picked the thermometer whose temp was in the middle of the other two and am hoping for the best! If anyone has any suggestions on how to deal with that problem, I'd love to know!