Winter Dry Air - Incubator Humidity

[Stacykins]

So my new Brinsea Eco 20 came up to temperature in no time at all, but I am having issues with getting the humidity. Now, it may be the fault of my hygrometer, I am getting a new one tonight. I can't get it to read over 30% in the incubator. I filled one reservoir, then two, and then added a slice of sea sponge to each to add surface area. No dice! I knew the air here was dry, but not that dry. Even with the vents closed all the way, no reading. Does anyone else in the cold north have this sort of issue? Or should I blame it on the digital hygrometer (reptile one) and try out the new one tonight? I am giving it several hours between checks, I don't keep taking the top off to obsessively check since I know there would be no humidity build up then!

 

[Pascal PicklePants]

Yes, I've had a lot of the same problems here in Mn, especially in recent weeks. We've had ranged from -20 to +40 just in the last 4 weeks. That being said, it sounds like your hygrometer might be faulty. Is it digital or dial?
If it is dial there is a way to calibrated it that you could try.

 

[1MrsMagoo]

Stacykins...If I were you, I'd try another hygrometer or calibrate the one you have...or both. Although I am not in the dry north, I do have a Brinsea Octogon Advance. Whenever I filled one reservoir, which is the only one that I put water in for the first 17 days....my humidity on the factory hygrometer stayed between 42-48%: If it fell under 40...I knew I needed to add water. Now, the relative humidity of the air outside, according to my weather station, has not been below 50% the entire time, which may have helped me. Since the chicks are hatching fine....I think I will trust the built in gauges on mine.

With both reservoirs full...I had trouble getting up to 65%...so added one piece of sponge per side and some sliced off cotton string knit glove fingers to act as wicking material: Paper towels work really well too. That seemed to do the trick and humidity has been staying at 63-68%. If it gets low, I carefully put a bendy straw in through the vent hole....aim in between the eggs and use a tiny funnel to add warm water, which immediately bumps the humidity up. Good luck with your impending hatch and thanks again for the help with my parrot!

 

[Mervin]

I feel the OP's pain. I putting my home built inky through its sea trials so to speak. I can't get my hygrometer to go above 16% and it's pretty sticky in there. I'm thinking maybe my hygrometer isn't working. I think I might get an old fashioned glass thermometer and do a wet bulb reading.

 

[BerrytangleFarm]

I SO have the opposite problem! I put a tiny bit of water in a few days before the eggs and got it to 38%. After the eggs have been in a week, it's actually climbing! The ambient room humidity is 40-50% and we do use radiant heat, but still! Climbing! I'm starting to worry about a seeping egg in there!

 

[flower]

I have yet to find a hygrometer that I trust even after I calibrate. Besides adding water absorbent padding to the bottom of the incubator, I need to use a room humidifier and keep the door closed until the incubation is finished. In the summer the ambient humidity is single digit, in the winter it is usually much higher due to the condensation of the cold night and the daytime sunshine. The desert is different.

 

[Stacykins]

Thank you for the help, all! Later tonight I will be hitting up walmart for a new hygrometer. From what I've read, the brand (Zilla) is known for not being very good, which sucks, because it wasn't cheap. I got it to monitor humidity for my reptiles, but now I can do that by how their sheds go. Now I know it only gave me a rough idea of humidity, nothing exact. If only it were spring and the ambient humidity was up, but it is definitely dry due to the cold temperatures and furnace.

Flower, that is really interesting. I've never been in a desert before, so I never really paid attention to weather patterns like that. But it makes perfect sense! Learn something new everyday

 

[Stacykins]

Well, I just did a salt test on my new hygrometer and the old one. The new one is off by 5%, I can accept that! The other is off by 28%! It is going in the trash!