I don't think my incubator is reading the correct temperature. What can I do to check?

Over time the reading on an incubator can wander. It is not something that should happen if incubators are cleaned and maintained correctly. However here are few tips to check that your incubator is reading the correct temperature.

If your incubator does not have a digital display and you use a liquid in glass thermometer, the chances are that this temperature reading is correct, but make sure that the thermometer is in the correct place according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Inspect the thermometer and make sure there are not any splits or breaks in the liquid. If there are, you can place the thermometer in the freezer for 5-10 minutes. Allow your thermometer to return to room temperature before placing in the incubator and this should remove any splits of breaks in the liquid. If that does not work, we would recommend purchasing a new 'liquid in glass' thermometer which can be found here.  

If your incubator has a digital display, there is a possibility that the reading could be out - especially if the incubator is not regularly cleaned before and after each hatch and/or if you use tap water instead of distilled or deionised water.

To check the reading, you need to ensure you are using either a calibrated thermometer or an incubation 'liquid in glass' thermometer. Non-calibrated thermometers can give very inaccurate results and cause you to unnecessarily and inaccurately re-calibrate your incubator. We would recommend the Rcom Digilog3 Thermometer-Hygrometer, if you are looking for a digital thermometer.

Then, complete the following steps: 

1. Ensure that your incubator has been running for at least an hour before placing the thermometer in your incubator.
2. Place the thermometer in the centre of the incubator at around egg height. The placement of the thermometer is especially important as well as only using one thermometer. Using several thermometers at once - all in different places within the incubator - can cause inaccurate results. Stick to one thermometer in the same place. Leave the thermometer in the incubator for approximately an hour then take a note of the thermometer reading and the display reading. Once done, take a further 2 readings each one hour apart Each time ensuring you are taking the reading from the same thermometer in the same place within your Incubator.
3. Once you have all 3 readings taken 3 hours apart, compare them and see how far out the readings are and if they are at all different. NOTE: Always allow a difference of what the thermometer is calibrated to. The Rcom digilog3 is calibrated to ± 0.3°C so allow for plus or minus 0.3°C.  

TIP: always check your egg cooling is switched off before checking the reading. 

If you believe the incubator to be reading incorrectly and wish for advice on how to calibrate your incubator, please contact us here and include in your enquiry the incubator's make and model along with the serial number and the set of 3 readings you have taken.