Posted by:
HFR
at Fri Mar 18 06:15:32 2005 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by HFR ]
>>I have had very bad news....Maybe.... Here is MY deal.... I built a upright Freezer Incubator... I had a Helix DBS 1000 hooked up to a Pro heat panel, I had No problem when the incubator was empty....temp was 89 degrees all the time...with no problems ...I set the eggs boxes in the incubator several days before my first clutch was laid...I had the temp probe mounted above the heat panel about 1 1/2 ft to try and get a more steady temp. Well I put my eggs and the helix was reading 89 degrees and most of the other thermostats read close to the same so I didn't think I had anything to worry about. Well Not true.... I noticed the closest egg box to the heat panel that the eggs were denting a little and I had 91 - 100% humidity, so I knew that was not the problem....So I decided to temp gun the eggs themselves, and guess what the eggs ranged from 91 - 95 degrees but they are still good eggs and the have been at them temps I am assuming the full 27 days that they were in incubation. So far they are still showing blood veins and are still looking good..... So I have my fingers crossed that they will be ok.... Needless to say I added a FAN to the incubator and everything is very nice in the incubator I even have a probe in the eggs box with the eggs... still around 90, the box stays around 89 give or take a degree.....PUT a FAN in LARGE INCUBATORS. My humidity is still 91 - 100%.... Thanks David
>>
>>-----
>>1.0 Pied(04)(RDR)
>>1.0 Albino(04)(RDR)
>>0.1 Spider(04)(RDR)
>>3.2 Pastels(03's)(04's)(ASF,Graziani,Bell lines)
>>0.1 Yellow belly(unproven)(04)
>>1.3 Yellow belly(unproven)(02,03,04's)
>>2.0 100% HET CLOWN(04's)(MHMR)
>>3.3 100% het albinos(03's)(high contrast bell line)
>>0.1 poss Het Albino(03's)
>>2.0 100% het pieds(03's)(Vin Russo,CRE)
>>0.2 100% het pieds(03's)(04's)(RDR,TWL)
>>1.2 Poss het pieds(03's)(PETE KAHL)
>>2.1 Poss het pieds(00's)(01's) hoping to get PIEDS this year(Vin Russo, Pete Kahl)
>>25 Normal adult females
>>60 04 females
>>15 normal mixed 03's
>>20 Assorted weird ball pythons 04's
David,
I imagine you would have a problem heating an upright efficiently with constant temps throughout when the heat source isn't at least somewhat distributed throughout the incubator, like your's. When it was empty, there was no resistance and no density for the heat to pass through. The more you add in your original set-up (first boxes, then eggs), the more resistance you create, especially at the first level where you experienced your problems. You're right, a set-up like your's would definitely require a fan when the heat is not distributed by any other means (location).
The point that myself and others have made is that just about anytime you use anything of that height, you're going to run into more problems than you think if you're not going to install a fan from the getgo (again, think short and wide not tall and narrow if you don't plan on installing a fan from the start). But if you heated your application differently, there'd be less need for a fan. I prefer not to use a fan, so I look for ways to get around them with different heat source set-ups.
Your eggs are probably fine. I've found extremely skewed results using guns and probes while checking incubator temps. If you take 2 different model guns, 3 different model probe thermometers, and your helix read-out... 4 of the 6 are more than likely going to be reading differently. And some could be by more than 3-4F. I always like to have my probes (thermostat and thermometer) IN with the eggs, and not reading anything else. Just my preference.
Here's a good tip for finding a well calibrated thermometer. Take an ice-cube out of the freezer and set it on the counter. Take readings on it as soon as it begins to melt and not prior. The thermometer you find to be closest to 32F at the melting point is the one you should be using and should give you the most accurate temp read-outs within your incubator. I've tested this with raytek's and other guns, as well as probe digitals and you'd be surprised how their readings have varied.
I'm glad to hear you've worked out your bugs with the addition of the fan, and it sounds like it should do well for you from here on out. But it sounds like most of your problem was the location of the heater from the get-go, if you weren't going to use a fan from the start. You were definitely on the right track setting it up and running it early. But things change as you add to it - as you unfortunately found out the hard way. Good luck with it. 
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Joe Yakelis
HellFire Reptiles
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RE: BAD NEWS on Upright FREEZER INCUBATORS.... - HFR, Fri Mar 18 06:15:32 2005