Incubator Temp Question

[Kristi23]

I had a custom incubator made early last year. The herpstat is built in and the probe is in the middle of the incubator (the heat tape runs along the back). I have it set at 83.5 degrees. I put two terms with probes in there. One is towards the top and is reading 78.9 degrees. One is towards the bottom and is reading 80.5 degrees. The one in the middle attatched to the herpstat is 83.5. What the heck? There is a huge flucuation of temps and I'm not sure what to go by.

What do you think? Are the temps really that different throughout the incubator? I'm trying to get everything set up right before I have eggs. I worry about deformities because I had some last season. (partyly because a shelf fell down with eggs on it)

 

[Gregg M]

Kristi,
How big it the incubator? I have noticed that you will get a more even heat in the incubator if the heating element is on the bottom... A fluctuation of 5 degrees does seem a bit much... Are you using 3 different thermometers to check temps??? Your thermometers might just be off...

 

[Kristi23]

Kristi,
How big it the incubator? I have noticed that you will get a more even heat in the incubator if the heating element is on the bottom... A fluctuation of 5 degrees does seem a bit much... Are you using 3 different thermometers to check temps??? Your thermometers might just be off...

I'm not sure on the exact size, but it's sort of the size of a large mini fridge. I am using two of my own thermometers plus the one on the herpstat, so three total. The heat tape stretches along the top, back, and the bottom. It's 11 inch heat tape. There is a small computer fan inside, too. It was custom made for me last year.

 

[robin]

can you get a photo kristi?

 

[Kristi23]

can you get a photo kristi?

Just give me a few minutes and I'll post one.

 

[Kristi23]

Please ignore that we don't have trim on right now. It's one of our many projects we still need to finish.

 

[robin]

what is the insulation? and is the seal tight on the door?

 

[Kristi23]

what is the insulation? and is the seal tight on the door?

I'm not sure on the insulation question, but the seal is very tight. I have to pull really hard to get the door open. It has a refridgerator type seal. The actual incubator is made from some type of wood.

 

[Enigmatic_Reptiles]

Maybe the fan angle needs to be adjusted to better circulate the heat. Also when i had a fridge inc we used water bottles or bags to stabilize the temps (similar to hova bators). I just find it weird that your hot spot is in the middle. 5 deg variation seems crazy for an inc of that size

 

[Kristi23]

Maybe the fan angle needs to be adjusted to better circulate the heat. Also when i had a fridge inc we used water bottles or bags to stabilize the temps (similar to hova bators). I just find it weird that your hot spot is in the middle. 5 deg variation seems crazy for an inc of that size

I think the fan is going bad, so we bought a new one that we still need to put in. Maybe that will help. I'll have to try the water, too. I also think it's weird to have such a variation in temps. I thought the warmest spot would be at the top.

 

[Enigmatic_Reptiles]

Ya that's typically what will happen for obvious reasons. Keep us updated on the fan success and all. GL hope you can get it working how you want.

 

[Kristi23]

Thanks!

 

[SFgeckos]

Nice custom incubator! This might be more work Kristi, but I think it's worth it in order to accurately assess the incubation temperature. I would recommend actually setting up several "egg containers" like you would if you had clutches incubating (with substrate like perlite or vermiculite/water, etc) and put them at different levels. If possible, place the temperature probes inside the egg containers or touching the substrate. This can give a more accurate assessment of the "incubating temperature" because sometimes measuring "air temperature" can be off by several degrees in my experience. Substrate tends to absorb or hold heat, so the eggs may actually be warmer or at a different temperature than what the air temperature states.

Another thing to mention is that heat tape can develop "hot spots" or have uneven heat temperatures being produced. Run your hands along the entire length of the tape to "feel" for any cooler or warmer areas. Usually the areas in the middle of a "new page" of heat tape are warmer and the outer regions are cooler. Honestly, I don't think a slight variation of 3-5 degrees during incubation for short periods of time will harm any incubating eggs. However, it is more important if you are incubating for a specific sex or want nicer female geckos. I routinely move my egg containers around all over the place (but doing my best to keep them within the optimal temperature range) without any ill effects.

 

[Kristi23]

Nice custom incubator! This might be more work Kristi, but I think it's worth it in order to accurately assess the incubation temperature. I would recommend actually setting up several "egg containers" like you would if you had clutches incubating (with substrate like perlite or vermiculite/water, etc) and put them at different levels. If possible, place the temperature probes inside the egg containers or touching the substrate. This can give a more accurate assessment of the "incubating temperature" because sometimes measuring "air temperature" can be off by several degrees in my experience. Substrate tends to absorb or hold heat, so the eggs may actually be warmer or at a different temperature than what the air temperature states.

Another thing to mention is that heat tape can develop "hot spots" or have uneven heat temperatures being produced. Run your hands along the entire length of the tape to "feel" for any cooler or warmer areas. Usually the areas in the middle of a "new page" of heat tape are warmer and the outer regions are cooler. Honestly, I don't think a slight variation of 3-5 degrees during incubation for short periods of time will harm any incubating eggs. However, it is more important if you are incubating for a specific sex or want nicer female geckos. I routinely move my egg containers around all over the place (but doing my best to keep them within the optimal temperature range) without any ill effects.

Thank you so much! I'm going to try that this week and see what happens. I only had one container set up last year like that. I think it will be worth it to try each shelf.

 

[Kristi23]

Okay, I figured out a little. The temp on the top shelf is lower because it's closest to the fans. We still have to replace the one that isn't working right.

My air temp is showing about 86.7, but the temp inside my incubation containers are around 81. Does that sound right? That's a big difference. My middle shelf is 81 and my bottom shelf is 83. They seem to stay steady at those temps so far. I guess I'll have to pay attention to the temps for each shelf when I put eggs in. My SIM is on the middle shelf right now. I don't plan on using the top shelf at all unless I need to. I think there are 6 shelves in there right now (we had to move some for the SIM).

Jesse and I will be fixing a few things with it this weekend when he's off work. Hopefully I won't get any eggs before then (I think I still have at least a week).

 

[SFgeckos]

That sounds about right. I'm glad your "test" was similar to my personal experiences.

Jon

 

[StatikStepz]

As we all know, hot air rises, and cold air sinks... Sooo.... that still doesn't explain why the middle is the warmest tho... Maybe the hot air is rising, but because of the size of your 'bator, by the time the air gets past the middle, it starts to cool down again...? But even still, i should not be that much tho... Hmmm... i dunno... maybe you need a better fan to circulate everything inside better...? This one has me perplexed, lol

The heat tapes are all putting out maximum output of heat or what? Try this... Lay it on it's side for a night (so the back wall of it is laying horizontally flat), and sit a thermometer (like the little round ones you would sit on the floor of your gecko tanks to read the UTH heat) on top of each heat tape, and see if they all read the same output of heat...

 

[ErnieG'sgeckos]

Okay, I figured out a little. The temp on the top shelf is lower because it's closest to the fans. We still have to replace the one that isn't working right.

My air temp is showing about 86.7, but the temp inside my incubation containers are around 81. Does that sound right? That's a big difference. My middle shelf is 81 and my bottom shelf is 83. They seem to stay steady at those temps so far. I guess I'll have to pay attention to the temps for each shelf when I put eggs in. My SIM is on the middle shelf right now. I don't plan on using the top shelf at all unless I need to. I think there are 6 shelves in there right now (we had to move some for the SIM).

Jesse and I will be fixing a few things with it this weekend when he's off work. Hopefully I won't get any eggs before then (I think I still have at least a week).

I use this freezer incubator with no fan and i have four shelves, All four shelves have different temps but the their temps are constant and dont vary at all. my top shelf is 86.5, my second from the top is 85.4, my third from the top is 84.5, and the bottom shelf is 83.5. I hatch mostly males at the top females at the bottom and i get a mix on my to middle shelves.