Uggh, I hate Thermometers...

[Will]

So, I've learned a good rule when it comes to incubating - never trust a thermometer. Thankfully, I don't think it was quite as disasterous as it could have been. Hopefully my eggs are not damaged.

Everything is fine for the first month... About 5 or 6 days ago the temps seemingly shot up to "92" inside the egg box and, naturally, as soon as I noticed, I cranked the incubator down. Problem was, the temps inside the egg box hovered around "88" no matter how much I lowered the thermostat. Once the incubator got to and stayed at 72 for a couple days, and the eggs were still reading "88", I clued in that the incubator was fine, it was the thermometer probe that was the sh*ts(I meant "shots" for those with delicate ears, ). So for about a week, my eggs were down to room temperature, I doubt it ever got below 70, so they should hopefully be fine. When I tested the thermometer's probe, it was off by a whopping 12 degrees! I think I fixed the wacky thermometer though. I took it out the the garage and hucked it against the wall as hard as I could. If I ever bother to piece it back together, I'm sure it'll work alot better than it was before. Either way, it was very therapeutic. I'm just glad it wasn't reading too low, and I didn't crank the heat up. Being off by 12 degrees, it could've gotten cranked to 100+ and I'd have poached eggs right now.

Lesson learned: If one thermometer says one thing, stick another one in to make sure before you fiddle with the incubator itself. I've got one batch of eggs in there now, and 3 thermometer probes in the egg box now. I ordered a Raytek last week that should get here soon, then I don't have to muck around with those stupid things.

[Tim_Cranwill]

That sucks! I hope there is no damage to any of the eggs/babies.

I've noticed a temp difference from unit to unit on those indoor/outdoor digital thermometers. I had 3 set up side by side and they all read different temps by a degree or so... makes yo wonder...

[wyz]

I presently work with 3 different unit and using 3 different brands

So 3, units, 3 probes total of 6 readings and they do differ

WYZ

[vanderkm]

Definately a good warning to others Will. I think sometimes the probe ends of the indoor outdoor thermometers don't respond well with the very high humidity inside the egg boxes and I have made it a habit to check with the temp gun. Even with that, I still tend to run on the low end rather than high because I don't even trust the temp gun. Hope your clutch will be fine.

mary v.

[MarcB]

Short term extreme temperatures on both ends of the spectrum will not arm the eggs and many beleive that such temperature variation may be beneficial to the embryonic developement...

Your eggs should be fine Will, I keep two thermometers in my incubators and still don't trust them..lol

[Classic]

I use 2 digital and an old fashion stick thermometer.

Brian

[mykee]

I use a Helix DBS-1000 to incubate all my eggs, and it works wonders. If you're serious about keeping the proper temps, and the thermostat not crapping out on you, invest in a higher-end thermostat.

[munchy]

Originally posted by mykee
I use a Helix DBS-1000 to incubate all my eggs, and it works wonders. If you're serious about keeping the proper temps, and the thermostat not crapping out on you, invest in a higher-end thermostat.

ive been looking for a helix myself lately. where can they be purchased and how much do they usually cost?

[mykee]

Any major U.S. reptile supply store, or www.helixcontrols.com