Incubator overheating.

[LepardGeckosRock]

How can i prevent my incubator from overheating? I just checked it and it was at 91 F. This is the highest I have seen it but my incubator is set for 85 F. So how can i stop the temperature fluctuation i have tried putting water bottles in there but it still ends up overheating.

 

[tb144050]

It's really hard to give advice without know the type of incubator, type of heating, and usually atleast of pic of where "everything" is located inside the incubator. Generally I would say:

- Make sure the ROOM is below 80F. If the room gets too hot, you can't prevent a "heat-only" incubator from getting too hot.
-Be absolutely certain that your t-stat probe, thermometer probes, and especially the EGGS are located a "safe distance" from the heat source. (the heat source gets hot enough to cook the eggs when it turns on.....it has to heat the air for the whole incubator, so the air near it gets VERY hot.)
- Be sure that you wait atleast 24hours (after opening the incubator AND/OR making temp adjustments) before you start monitoring "proper temp performance". (that "excessive heat" that I just mentioned in the last comment....it can really screw up your "temp monitoring" while it is trying to "balance the air-temps".

 

[DrCarrotTail]

I agree, a bit more info on the incubator would help. It may just need a fan or it may need to be overhauled and better insulated or have the heating element or thermostat replaced. Give us some info about it and the room it's kept in and you'll get way better advice!

 

[LepardGeckosRock]

It is a little giant incubator that is located in the room with the rest of my reptiles. I have no way of controlling the temperature of the room so it depends on the weather. The incubator only has what i guess is half inch Styrofoam i dont know if thats normal or small for an incubator.

 

[tb144050]

It is a little giant incubator that is located in the room with the rest of my reptiles. I have no way of controlling the temperature of the room so it depends on the weather. The incubator only has what i guess is half inch Styrofoam i dont know if thats normal or small for an incubator.

I have not used the Little Giant but I have heard that it is comparable to my hovabator..... Which means that it is a good design but the thermostat sucks. Keep the room below 80F and you might have to buy a better thermostat.

 

[acpart]

Any incubator which heats but doesn't cool can't maintain temperatures lower than the ambient temp in the room. When I had a hobovator I kept it in the basement during the summer. That's what I'd recommend if you have a basement. Otherwise, you need to get a mini-fridge type incubator.

Aliza

 

[Superior Reptiles]

I believe that the little giant incubator is like the hova-bator which has a horrible thermostat... If you have an extra thermostat then plug it into the incubator and it should control better!

 

[DrCarrotTail]

If the room gets above the temperature you're incubating at the incubator will be the room temperature. They need to be in a temperature controlled environment to be useful since they only heat and don't cool. For example, if you turned the heat on in your house on a 100 degree day, the heat would shut off at 70 or whatever temp it was set to and your house would just get hotter and hotter without control. Same with the incubator. A fancy thermostat will not help, only AC or some other way to cool the room off will.