DIY Hatcher Disaster! Please help troubleshoot

[WestCoast Farm]

I think we are making some headway. Once the 3rd fan was moved up to the top, the temperature became more even.

Bottom: 97.1
Middle: 99.5
Top: 100.
Controller: 99.5

Humidity was down to 50% with just one pan of water. Added the second and it's slowly creeping up to 60%

Seems to be good airflow. I put a couple of chicks in there to see what they'd do. They started yawning after awhile. Probably didn't like the atmosphere since they are 2.5 weeks old.

All the shelves are now wire fridge racks.

 

[PD-Riverman]

I think we are making some headway. Once the 3rd fan was moved up to the top, the temperature became more even.

Bottom: 97.1
Middle: 99.5
Top: 100.
Controller: 99.5

Humidity was down to 50% with just one pan of water. Added the second and it's slowly creeping up to 60%

Seems to be good airflow. I put a couple of chicks in there to see what they'd do. They started yawning after awhile. Probably didn't like the atmosphere since they are 2.5 weeks old.

All the shelves are now wire fridge racks.

I replied back to your PM I guess you got it.? I am glad it is getting better---just need to get that temp up on the bottom---maybe you could add a 1/2" piece of styrofoam insulation board---might help---or change the angle of the fan------what you need to do is get more air movement to the bottom or insulate??----you can try a thick folded towel on the bottom before you buy insulation board----if it helps---you will know what to do. Don't make to many adjustments at one time.

 

[WestCoast Farm]

Got it! Thank you so much. I'll keep ya posted. Kevin too, wants to say thanks & that your help is greatly appreciated!

 

[aart]

Sorry for your losses WT-F.

Great thread on trouble shooting this build.
PD-R is definitely a journeyman on large volume DIY incubators/hatchers.

Curious if paint inside will fully cure in time or continue to off-gas with the heat?
Apologies if this has been answered and I missed it.

 

[WestCoast Farm]

Sorry for your losses WT-F.

Great thread on trouble shooting this build.
PD-R is definitely a journeyman on large volume DIY incubators/hatchers.

Curious if paint inside will fully cure in time or continue to off-gas with the heat?
Apologies if this has been answered and I missed it.

Thank you- I know! Not even a miserable hatch, but basically an annihilation!

The fume issue is something we are all wondering. Now that we seem to have the ventilation issue solved, I've got the thing running dry to hopefully bake / cure and hopefully remove the possibility.

My next hatch is the 13th. I will test it with maybe just 4 eggs and see what happens. I'm afraid to put more than that in.

We were fortunate to have PD-R's help.

 

[WestCoast Farm]

I replied back to your PM I guess you got it.? I am glad it is getting better---just need to get that temp up on the bottom---maybe you could add a 1/2" piece of styrofoam insulation board---might help---or change the angle of the fan------what you need to do is get more air movement to the bottom or insulate??----you can try a thick folded towel on the bottom before you buy insulation board----if it helps---you will know what to do. Don't make to many adjustments at one time.

As I stated in a pm, after adding aluminum oven liners to the bottom, my temps are perfectly even! 100 deg at top, middle and bottom now.

So with all issues "seemingly" addressed, we can only hope it works.... and the unknown deadly fume possibility isn't a factor. Next test results will be in around the 13th. Fingers and toes crossed!!!!!

 

[PD-Riverman]

As I stated in a pm, after adding aluminum oven liners to the bottom, my temps are perfectly even! 100 deg at top, middle and bottom now.

So with all issues "seemingly" addressed, we can only hope it works.... and the unknown deadly fume possibility isn't a factor. Next test results will be in around the 13th. Fingers and toes crossed!!!!!

Good Luck!!!

 

[WestCoast Farm]

UPDATE:

DAY 20 - HATCHER TRIALS HAVE BEGUN!

It may not make it a fair trial, but I only had the heart/stomach to try/sacrifice FIVE eggs in the hatcher. 3 are SF which aren't the easiest to hatch and 2 OE that ALWAYS hatch no matter what. To complicate matters, we've had three power outages, but were home and managed to fire up the generator each time, so things "shouldn't" have been too affected.

Temp, humidity, ventilation,air flow around EVERYTHING and evenness of temp. couldn't be more ideal in the hatcher. All eggs that went into lockdown were candled, alive and well.

As of now, in the GQF cabinet where there are about 55 eggs, most all have pipped. A few are zipping, a few chicks are out.

In the hatcher (death chamber?)--- NOTHING IS HAPPENING

I am so very close to hitting the send button on ordering a new GQF hatcher. But I know I should wait until tomorrow at least. And MAYBE I coincidentally put 5 eggs in the hatcher that were duds? Arrrrrggggggg..... so frustrated right now

 

[PD-Riverman]

UPDATE:

DAY 20 - HATCHER TRIALS HAVE BEGUN!

It may not make it a fair trial, but I only had the heart/stomach to try/sacrifice FIVE eggs in the hatcher. 3 are SF which aren't the easiest to hatch and 2 OE that ALWAYS hatch no matter what. To complicate matters, we've had three power outages, but were home and managed to fire up the generator each time, so things "shouldn't" have been too affected.

Temp, humidity, ventilation,air flow around EVERYTHING and evenness of temp. couldn't be more ideal in the hatcher. All eggs that went into lockdown were candled, alive and well.

As of now, in the GQF cabinet where there are about 55 eggs, most all have pipped. A few are zipping, a few chicks are out.

In the hatcher (death chamber?)--- NOTHING IS HAPPENING

I am so very close to hitting the send button on ordering a new GQF hatcher. But I know I should wait until tomorrow at least. And MAYBE I coincidentally put 5 eggs in the hatcher that were duds? Arrrrrggggggg..... so frustrated right now

From what you are saying----yea I would give it a little time----at least day 22. If none of those hatch----I would take the heaters/fan out---Control---strip it----then take the box out to the yard and set it on fire----you might have not Won the battle, but you can show it that You Won the War!!!

 

[WestCoast Farm]

Haha, we love your plan! Hubby was actually thinking of firing 65 + shots into it to commemorate the lost chicks...

But now the plot thickens!! Get this:

DAY 21
3/5 chicks are hatched in there, fluffy and well. 2 are my OE that ALWAYS hatch. 1 is a Swedish Flower that are always tricky to hatch. The 2 remaining eggs, doing nothing so far are Swedish Flower. One interesting note- one of the chicks was panting. Temps were a constant 100 throughout, humidity 65%.

In the GQF things look like they will be a high % hatch as per usual. There were 2 chicks who pipped and died, 2 other eggs doing nothing (the Swedish Flowers) and 57 chicks either hatched or almost hatched. On another note, I did see one chick panting in the GQF as well.

Your thoughts, please.....