DIY Hatcher Disaster! Please help troubleshoot

[PD-Riverman]

Top of hatcher is glued down tight and can't be removed.

3/4" untreated plywood good 1 side from Home Depot was used. 1 piece of untreated exterior sheathing was also used. No fumes ever noted before paining. "Silicone" used was actually a latex based sealant, I am told.

I will do those tests you mentioned and get back to you. But not right now!! We have a foot of snow and a power outage currently. Generator running to keep GQF incubator going.

One other ominous clue I forgot to mention: when I checked hatcher early on day 20 and saw 3 pipped, the plexiglass door was completely covered in condensation, with water dripping out the door and onto the floor. I cleaned it up. Humidity was reading around 80%.

When I got home from work at 5pm I discovered even more water had dripped down the front door, pooling all over the floor. Humidity read 65% and water pans were empty, sponges damp.

That's when I found the 3 pipped eggs dead and knew I had a serious disaster on my hands.

Hatching room was warm 18-20 degrees.

Sounds Like a lot of humidity---I never seen that with mine, but mine is set-up entirely different----more like your GQF incubator.

Why is your hatching room so cold? OOPs I bet that's Cel instead of fahr.

Being your water is below the incu-kits might be causing a higher humidity in the top causing it to run down the doors.

Do this---tape a thin strip (about 1/4" wide) of paper above each(on the bottom of the one above it and under the top) of the shelf's in the middle not allowing it to touch the shelf below it. Then turn the hatcher back on to see if there is very much air movement inside?? On my hatcher if I put wood shelves in it--- those strips would be blowing back at a big angle. I can tell you how to help this hatcher, but we need to make sure the paint/or silicone is not causing a problem. So do some checking to see if you find other problems first.

 

[gpop1]

Humidity works 2 ways

1/ temperature causing water molecules to form on the surface of the water at which point they will break free of the surface tension to become vapor.

2/ Air blowing over water causing the molecules to be torn from the water surface forcing it to become vapor.

if you have a fan blowing over the water then the humidity will go super high and due to the lack of air temp to retain this vapor it will condense on any surface slightly cooler than the air. (hot air can only hold a certain amount of vapor before it becomes saturated at which point it will try to get rid of it any way possible through condensation.)


Maybe you have a fan blowing over the water container causing the excess humidity. (most humidity sensors are only rated to 90% at which point they become to wet to function correctly and may give false readings like 65% with visible water running down the inside of the door)

This is a great way to make a auto-humidity control with nothing more than a fan but it can cause problems when it wasn't designed to be used this way. A small air deflector on the pan or moving the pan to a different position should solve that problem.

P.s a google search on how humidity, wind and heat works can explain this way better than I can.

 

[WestCoast Farm]

Ok thanks! Yes, Celsius up here.

Well testing has begun and I'll report back. I stuck my head in and definitely smelled paint fumes. Hubby says he doesn't smell it, but I did.

Starting over- here are some pics

Currently have SEVEN thermometers in place, all within reasonable range of each other.

Haven't tried hanging paper inside, as I want to see temps right now. Held paper strips up to new vent holes- bottom two are sucking paper towards, top holes are pushing paper away. I realize venting is now excessive. We have plugs to adjust.

No fumes noticed at vent holes.

 

[WestCoast Farm]

Note: solid shelves are now gone- replaced with slotted wooden ones and a wire fridge shelf on top for the water pans.

 

[WestCoast Farm]

Added another small fan at the bottom back wall.

One thing I noticed- before adding the bottom fan I tested the vent holes with a strip of paper. Bottom was drawing air in nicely. Top hole was pushing air out. Seemed great.

With the bottom fan going, that effect was lost. So are the the fans now fighting each other?

As I sit by it, I'm getting the effect that a lot of air is being moved around, so we are headed in the right direction I think.

 

[PD-Riverman]

Added another small fan at the bottom back wall.

One thing I noticed- before adding the bottom fan I tested the vent holes with a strip of paper. Bottom was drawing air in nicely. Top hole was pushing air out. Seemed great.

With the bottom fan going, that effect was lost. So are the the fans now fighting each other?

As I sit by it, I'm getting the effect that a lot of air is being moved around, so we are headed in the right direction I think.

The paper strip deal you can forget now that you have taken the solid shelves out.

Did the smell something like paint fumes or silicon fumes or a mix?

Explain where the thermostat is----I do not see it in the pic.
Does the thermostat have a wire that picks up the temp/sensor or its built into the incu-kit?

You mentioned 2----are you using 2 thermostat controls? One for each fan/heater?
Does the fans blow down or blows up towards the top into the heated area?

You need to have everything in place just like you were hatching to determine if the bottom is cooler that the top. If you are using the plastic containers with paper towels----then all needs to be in place.

 

[WestCoast Farm]

The fumes I smelled, smelled like new paint. But only when I stuck my head right inside before we powered it up. Hubby denies there was any smell, but I could detect it. I'll have to smell the "silicon/latex" in the shop to see what that smells like.

Apologies- here's a pic of the thermostat control. It was hidden behind a door. There is one controller (shown in pic) with two heater/fan units attached. Mounted at the top/ceiling. Using just one wasn't bringing it up past 90 degrees.

The sensor is on a probe on a wire. Currently placed in the middle with 2 digital thermometers we feel are accurate. All are reading very similar.

 

[WestCoast Farm]

The 2 incuKit fans are mounted on top, blowing down.

Hubby just unplugged the 3rd fan we just installed today which resulted in condensation appearing on the plexiglass door front.

*I just stuck my head in and smelled again. I'd describe the smell as less fumey and more of a new latex paint smell*

Will set up and test as you described shortly.

 

[WestCoast Farm]

Probe wire hanging down.

 

[PD-Riverman]

Probe wire hanging down.

I see the probe in this pic but did not see it in the others---Good.

You stated he unplugged the extra fan because it was causing the door to fog/condense-----Have you got water in your containers in the top---I am just wondering where the moisture is coming from? If the temp is not close equal in the bottom you are going to have to figure out some where to put the fan so it moves more air to try and get the temp more even.

Yes set-it up just like you were going to hatch and see if the temp on the bottom shelves is staying with the top?

Do you have or can get or make something like this----https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mainstays-Ms-Wire-Basket-teal/176452983 with no paper towel to put the eggs in so air can circulate around them. You can put paper towels on your floor to help with cleaning up. I wish your shelves were made out of metal so they can be pulled out and cleaned good between hatches. Bare wood does not clean good and holds a lot of germs that you do not want in your hatcher.

If the temp is pretty even after you get it set-up to hatch-----you will just have to give it another chance to see how it does. You will have to close off some of the vent holes but not all.

I know what you can do that should help, even the temp through out, but we can worry about that after you find out that the hatcher is working/hatching.

I seen the extra fan I think---looks like it is in the back right corner on the bottom. I would want it on the top shelf drawing air from below some and blowing towards the heater fans------IF THE temp is some different at the bottom compared to the top.

Also one other thing---if you have the room raise the lower shelf up a few inches----it would probably work better.