Incubator Temperature?

Tahir · **Posted:** Wed Jul 09, 2008 9:37 am

Hi everyone. We recently purchased a new Fan Forced Hova-Bator incubator. My problem is the temperature, the light which tells you that the heating rods are on goes on at 99.2'F and it turns off at 99.5'F, but the temperature continues to increase to 100.4'F. Is this temperature alright? or is it a bit to high. How do decrease the maximum temperature so it doesn't go over 100'F?

moonshadow_dancer · **Posted:** Wed Jul 09, 2008 10:06 am

Hi Tahir,

I believe we have the same incubator, so this is what I did and so far so good.

Every 2 hours approx I went to check the temp, and if I felt it was to hig I decreased it by turning the knob thing clockwise, if it was close to ideal temp then I would turn it just a little until finally I got it 95.5F.

Mine did get up to just over the 100F mark so I kept adjusting it till it was right, I adjusted every 2 hours so it would tell me what it was doing. Also while this was going on I made sure I never opened it till I got it right.

My hygro is reading betwen 50-55%. I will be candling tonight so will let you know how that went and it will tell us if it had any bad effect.

Next time I will stabalise it before adding the eggs, so once I have ordered my eggs I am after I will fire it up and have it ready for when they arrive.

Oh and one more thing, I haven't gone overboard with the water, I have only added more once in a whole week. As per the dry incubation artical I posted under dry incubation in INCUBATION & CHICK RAISING.

If we compare notes on failures and successes for the hova bator then we can only learn quicker how to maximize its use.

Take Care
Deb

Egglive · **Joined:** Fri Dec 14, 2007 10:58 am **Posts:** 267

I think it's the average temperature that counts. But if I were you, I'd try and adjust it down a very tiny bit - adjust the range to 99.0 - 100.2.
My Multiplo is a different machine, but I set it to 99.0 - 100.0F and that works really well for me. I guess it depends where exactly the thermometer is reading from and whether the temp is consistent throughout the incubator. It probably is, being fan forced.

Put some eggs in there while you are stabilising in - ones that don't matter, old fridge eggs or something. When I first used a foamy I got it exactly right with no eggs in there, and then added a dozen cold eggs which brought the temp down for hours and then it wasn't stable - disaster.

moonshadow_dancer · **Posted:** Wed Jul 09, 2008 10:08 am

Oh and I also noticed that red light go on when adjusting the temp and goes off when it reaches it, which is handy for checking the thermometer and knowing if the temp needs more adjusting.

County Lodge · **Posted:** Wed Jul 09, 2008 10:59 am

I am with eggsalive on this one.

If your temp varies a lot try to keep it at 99.0 to 100.2 F. The ideal of course is a steady 100F or 37.7C. Put your thermo in some different places around the unit and see if the readings overall are at least consistant. It is the high spikes that will be a problem for th ehatching eggs.

Tahir · **Posted:** Wed Jul 09, 2008 11:24 am

I can only get 98.9-100.2'F so thats acceptable i suppose?

How much does your incubator read Deb?

moonshadow_dancer · **Posted:** Wed Jul 09, 2008 11:28 am

Hi Tahir,

Mine reads between 99 and 100F, my eyes aren't as good as they use to be so really should put the specs on but that what it reads.

Do you use the thermometer that came with the bator? And is yours the 1602N Model?

Egglive · **Joined:** Fri Dec 14, 2007 10:58 am **Posts:** 267

That temp range sounds ok to me Tahir. The thermometer is measuring the air temp not the egg temp so you'll find that your eggs don't get to 100.2 anyway. As soon as it gets that warm it will start dropping again.

The better quality the thermostat, the smaller the range. For instance a very expensive thermostat might have a range of only half a degree, and a more usual one might have a range of one degree. When I was looking around to buy one for a home made incubator I had to be careful not to get one that had an even bigger range by mistake. I had an old cheap foamy that had a range of 2 degrees. I gave up on that one and got a new one.

Tahir · **Posted:** Wed Jul 09, 2008 11:58 am

the temperature is 99-100.2'F so its even better now

we have an electric thermometer so it is fairly acurate un like the other ones that come with the incubator.

moonshadow_dancer · **Posted:** Wed Jul 09, 2008 12:01 pm

Good Job,

Did you get any chicks from the first time you used the bator?

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