New incubator I'm working on.

BoidKeeper · 03-06-04, 09:53 PM

This has to be the easiest one yet.
I striped a perfectly good fridge to make this! I removed the inside door liner to make more room. In the bottom you see a Hovabator style thermostat, low RPM PC fan and a heat pad. This is where the problem lies, the pad is not getting hot enough. I have to find something else.

This is adjuster and an idicator light. When the light is on the heat is on. When it's off the heat's off.

Close up of the "guts"

Thanks for looking,
Trevor

Jeff_Favelle · 03-06-04, 10:04 PM

Use more heat. Run it up the back, sides, fold it around, whatever it takes.

Best of luck! I'm not a fan of fans, but many people seem to use them.

BoidKeeper · 03-06-04, 10:36 PM

Well maybe I spoke too soon. It seems to be working. It's at 82 and climbing. I still may either go to a bigger pad or a more powerfull people heat pad.
Thanks,
Trevor

Jeff_Favelle · 03-06-04, 10:54 PM

What are we going to be incubating here Chewie?

crocdoc · 03-07-04, 06:01 AM

fridges are usually well insulated enough that the fan alone could just about heat it up. Have you checked to make sure there are no gaps in the door seal?

BoidKeeper · 03-07-04, 07:31 AM

There are gaps in the door seal, that's how air gets in. The heat pad is working I've been checking it with my reytek.
Jeff:
This will be the corn egg incubator. I've made two larger versions of last years incubators for the balls. My how time flies eh! Wasn't just about this time last year I having a fit about how to get my first one built!
Thanks,
Trevor

Jeff_Favelle · 03-07-04, 10:24 AM

Time does fly man. We are NOT getting any younger, that's for sure.

I hope it works man. 82F isn't that "bad" for corn eggs. But I guess you're shotting for 84-85F?

Hope it works out man!

BoidKeeper · 03-07-04, 11:40 AM

It's holding 85 but I think it's working for it. I'm going to go with the next size heat tape anyway. It's the same amount of watts but maybe it won't work as hard with a bigger pad.
Thanks,
Trevor

Jeff_Favelle · 03-07-04, 11:58 AM

Keep us updated.

Invictus · 03-07-04, 02:57 PM

Looks good Trevor. I think I'll start looking around for broken down fridges that people want to get rid of. It looks like it makes for some awesome incubators.

BoidKeeper · 03-07-04, 03:25 PM

I changed the heat source. I took out the 8w exo-terra pad and replaced it with a people pad. Should have no problem holding it's temps now as well as getting hotter for python eggs.
Here it is with the egg boxes inside.

Here's a shot of the new heat pad,

Thanks for looking,
Trevor

Tim_Cranwill · 03-07-04, 04:57 PM

Ken, I managed to get a full size fridge for $10 last spring. They even took all of the useless parts off of it and cut the antifreeze line for me. Good deal for me and he gets extra parts to work with.

Call around. I'm sure you'll find something.

Brian, how are you controlling and measuring the heat?

BoidKeeper · 03-07-04, 05:35 PM

Who's Brian?
If you meant me which I belive you did. I'm controling it with a wafer thermostat, same as what's in a hovabator. I measure it with this new fangled measure device called a thermometer.lol I use a digital with a probe and I check it with my reytek.
Cheers,
Trevor

Tim_Cranwill · 03-07-04, 05:40 PM

Sorry, Trevor... I did mean you.

Not sure where Brian came from either.

Looks good. Let us know how it works for you.

Jeff_Favelle · 03-07-04, 06:37 PM

Put the bottom Rubbermaids on top of styrofoam, so that they are being heated by the surrounding air, not the DIRECT radient heat coming up from the heta pad.