Will meat thermometers and oral thermometers take accurate air temps?

[shandiane78]

Something I should have asked BEFORE setting up the homemade incubator! What I've done is poke 3 thermometers (2 oral, one meat) through the sides of the incubator at 3 points around the egg area. Is there any reason this type of thermometer would have trouble reading air temperature? Would it be more affected by humidity? I just have no idea. It seemed reasonable at the time that temperature is temperature, but now I'm not so sure...

Thanks!

 

[Penturner]

Oral thermometers have a very narrow range. If it is a liquid one anyway. if the temp spikes it could break your thermometer. I think the digital ones are only real acsurate for a very small range of temps that falls right where you need it to though. 98.6 and 99.5 are prettl close as far as accuracy needs go and the thermometer shoudl be calibrated for dead on at 98.6 to 103 degrees.