Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I made a homemade incubator out of a big 3 foot igloo cooler. I used heat cable for the heat and used a helix for the thermostat. I set the helix at 89 a week ago and put 2 small digital thermometers in to check temps. The thermometers say the temp range is from 84-86. So my question is should I trust the Helix probe and leave it set at 89, or should I bump it up to about 91 so the thermometers will read closer to 89? I'm expecting eggs in 10 days so I have to figure this out. (With you guys help of course!) Thanks Chris

I am just as new with the incubator set ups, but I would just tell you what everyone else has told me. Try and get your temps within the cooler (ambient air temp) to be 89 or less but above 87. If it spikes up a degree or two you will be OK. You need to use a very accurate thermometer. A temp gun or laser temp gun you may own. Open the lid and shoot all over the cooler and look for an average 89 degrees. I am pretty sure that probe on the Helix is dead on. I know if you temp gun the probe area it will be 89. You may need a fan or something to stir the air.

Good luck,
Bill
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2.1 Tripple Het Caramel, Orange Ghost, Genetic Stripe
1.1 Het Lavenders
1.1 Het Caramel Albino
0.1 Het Albino
0.1 Spider Het Albino
0.1 Het Pied
1,1 Pastel Het for Orange Ghost
1.0 Albino
0.1 Spinner
1.1 Super Pastel
0.1 Jungle Pastel
1.0 Pied 50 percent White
0.1 Clown
0.3 Normal
1.1 Kids
0.1 Spouse
1.0 Chocolate Lab

Where is the thermostat probe located compared to the digital probes? If there is any distance between the two that could explain the temperature difference.

Opening the cooler to take surface temps with a temp gun may not be too great as temp guns only measure surface temperature, not air and its more air temp you need to know about and it will drop as soon as the cooler door is opened.

I have a cooler style incubator and had no trouble getting the desired temperature both on my thermostat and the digital thermometer probe I have inside. I set both on the middle shelf (well, only used the one shelf but it was set up about middle of the cooler. My cooler isn't quite as big as yours, its a 70 qt cooler, a little over 2 feet long). Bumping up the thermostat a degree or two won't hurt, unless there is doubt on the accuracy of the digital thermometer.
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PHLdyPayne