thermostat probe

Where do you actually put your thermostat probe inside your incubator? Do you put it in the egg box or leave it somewhere else in the incubator? Obviously the acurite needs to be in the egg box :P

The tstat probe is done just like on a rack system. You place it (and tape it down securely so it can't move) on the flexwatt. Your tstat is controlling the flex so you want a direct relationship between what the probe reads and how the tstat reacts.

I zip tie it to a shelf in the middle of the incubator. It needs to measure air temps.

Dont put it on the flex watt you want to measure the air temp not the tape temp.:tongue2:

I use it directly on the heat tape. Works better in my opinion. Of course if you are using a oil filled radiator heater it won't be possible.

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Originally Posted by jglass38

I use it directly on the heat tape. Works better in my opinion. Of course if you are using a oil filled radiator heater it won't be possible.

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The only problem with the probe on the tape is your getting the tape temp not the air around the tape.:confuzd:

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Originally Posted by hondo1967

The only problem with the probe on the tape is your getting the tape temp not the air around the tape.:confuzd:

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And? My thermometer goes on the middle shelf (in my case this was a large closet incubator and I calibrate to that temperature. Works great for me!

i actually zip tied it to the egg crate above the water bottles facing the heat tape.. its worked PERFECTLY so far.. I cannot believe how precise this thermostat is working at!

I do as Jamie does basically. I have it monitoring the flexwatt at the midpoint in my 3 shelf incubator. By using two Accurites I've assured myself that there's little to no difference occurring between the top and bottom shelves and that the setting I have for the flexwatt is keeping the incubator where it should be.

Not that I have anything in there at the moment. Nuthin' sadder than an empty bator. :(

awe Joanna.... with the exception of one tiny sandwich box with two leo eggs... all i have are empty egg bins too... well not entirely empty, they do have bator medium in them :8:

Probe goes in the tubs -- the eggs will produce their own heat -- therefore if you are only measuring the incubator air then you risk the temps in the egg boxes getting too high. Always in the tub that is closest to hatching. As well the temps in the incubator will fluctuate more than the temps in the tubs which will send the heat up and down creating a never ending cycle of instability.

Yep - in the tub. :gj:

for a cooler syle incubator, i put the thermostat probe inside the egg box as well. works great keeping the temps stable.

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Originally Posted by Tosha_Mc

Probe goes in the tubs -- the eggs will produce their own heat -- therefore if you are only measuring the incubator air then you risk the temps in the egg boxes getting too high. Always in the tub that is closest to hatching. As well the temps in the incubator will fluctuate more than the temps in the tubs which will send the heat up and down creating a never ending cycle of instability.

Yep - in the tub. :gj:

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No instability in my incubator :) I guess lots of different ways work.

I do what Kevin McCurley does - I put the thermostat probe inside the egg box. I started off the other way and asked Kara about it, and she said he puts it in the eggbox. I did it, and it worked beautifully for me!

Since it worked so well, that's how I plan to continue to do it.

It's awesome there are many successful ways to do things!

The thermostat probe needs to go in the tub with the eggs. Eggs will make their own heat toward the end of incubation.
Large clutches can heat up the inside of the tub. To much heat is a bad thing.
I incubate at 89f.

ugh!!! Now which do I do???????

assuming you are going to be using the cooler incubator that you recently posted, i would put the probe inside the egg box with the eggs.

the air inside the cooler is less stable than the air inside your egg box, especially when you'll be opening the cooler too look inside the egg box. when you open the cooler too look at the eggs the cooler air will drop in temperature quicker than the egg box. so when you put everything back you will have two temperatures: the cooler air and the egg box air with the egg box air being warmer than the cooler's air.

if the probe is outside of the egg box then the thermostat will shoot up the flexwatt temp so that the set temperature can be reached regardless of egg box temps. this may cause the temperature in the egg box to get much to high.

if the probe is inside the egg box then the thermostat will turn the flexwatt on as high or as low as it needs to be until the set temperature inside the egg box is achieved regardless of the cooler's air temperature. this way you will never have a higher temperature inside the egg box than the one set on the thermostat.

i used a few cooler style incubators this year, very similar to the one you posted and this is how i did it and it worked great for me.