Condensation in the incubator?

[Grant vg]

So the fridge incubator stabalizes at perfect temps and great humidity....BUT...Geeze theres alot of condensation...

its basically got droplets all over the sides, etc...

Now, the incubator is being heated with an open rubbermaid container on the bottom of the fridge with an aquarium heater...

Is there anyway to lessen the condensation, or any ill effects anyone can think of that may have an effect on eggs during the long term incubating process?

Thanks for any opinions...

Grant

[Jeff_Favelle]

You don't want to lessen the condensation. Trust me.

Dry substrate + 100% relative humidity = 100% hatch rate.

[Stockwell]

VG, you should always use a nearly closed rubbermaid or similar container as your egg chamber. Having open containers in the incubator isn't the way to go, as all that condenstation is doing nothing but threaten the electrics and other corrosion senstive parts int the enclosure, like hinges etc.
Any incubator should be a controlled "HEAT" source only.
Humidity is controlled automtically by using a separtate egg container which holds the appropriate mix of substrate and water.
For blood eggs, use vermiculite, and mix it with my "patented"lol method..
Add water to the vermiculite and start stirring it and sqeezing it with your hand.. It should clump and form a snow ball, but should not drip when you squeeze it as hard as you can...If it drips, at more dry media. If it falls apart add more water.This technique works, and you don't have to weigh or measure anything..
Put about 4 to 6 1/8 holes in the egg container... that's all you should need...
I've hatched thousands of parchment shell eggs this way.
Best regards! I look forward to your first hatchlings!!!

[Grant vg]

Guys,

Heres a pic of the incubator...




I'm filling the one container with more vermiculite tomorrow, and filling the top container the same about 4 inches of substrae as reccomended by Mr. Woods.

They both have two 3/8 inch holes diagonally from eachother on there lids.

As you can see in this following pic, theres a fan just above the heating element, circulating the air, as well as the helix probe dangling on the one side in mid air, also, reccomended by Corey.



From the few days i have had it running, it seems like it will work!!
My only concern was the Condensation, as it is now slowly leaking out of the bottom of one side of the door...lol
I woild think that i would have to open the incubator every few days to do a quick wipe down, 1 minute max. just to get out as much water as i can.
Ive concluded that this wont affect the humidity within the container, but will lessen any leakage, etc...

I would think that the opening of the container every few days wont effect the eggs either, and will even replenish the air.
Would any of you reccomend shielding the helix probe with something?? I hung it for a reason..and would think nothing could really effect it, electrically speaking...

Also, something i wanted to bring up, and now is as good a time as any...
my Digital thermometer/hygrometer was pretty much dead on with temps when it was left inside the incubator, but outside the egg box. For the past day, i have kept it IN the egg box, and it has been a degree higher then the helix.
What can/do i do about this, if anything? Shoot for the middle? lol
Whos right and which is wrong?
And when shooting for temps, do i shoot closer to 89 or 90? LOL
Im feelin really paranoid at this time, so perhaps these are silly questions.

Fill me in oh incubating kings!

Gvg

[Dom]

Are u incubating the inside of your fridge or the inside of the container where the eggs are?

Who cares what the temp is outside of your tupperwares.. if it has a lid .. then all that matters is the temperature inside the container.. I would put your digi temp and helix inside te box and stabalizes temps like so..

I see no harm in the condensation problem but a pain in the *** for leaks..

If u have such high humidity though, a no substrate seems like the best way to go though ..

I found a good altermatum for me was using substrate .. but putting the plastic grail over the vermiculite so that the eggs are near the vermiculite and that stabablizes humidity but that the eggs are actually not touching any substrate..

Best f luck Grant!

[Grant vg]

Dom,

i was meaning to ask you, where do you get those "plastic grails" from ???
What if there are two containers, like mine, at two different levels,...that would probably mean two different temps.....something i shall defenitely have to measure in the next few days to see if there is infact a difference.


gvg

[Dom]

good point Gratn.. I'd defenetly check .. although, if there the same size and with ure fan moving the air outside of the container.. it should be identical

It sold at Home depot as celling tiles.. but its a ceilling time made of liek a plastic checkerboard...

[snakedude_03]

hey grant what happened to the heat tape way of making it? before u siad that to me that it wouldnt have condensation.. looks who's wrong now..:P.... i'm using the heat the tape way.. and it does have condensation.. will it screw up the heat tape wiring? short curcuit or anything? kinda worrried if it burns my house.. :S.. thanks..

[Stockwell]

Grant,it isn't necessary to have that open tub of water in there...
I know that Corey likes to have some open water in his incubator but I urge him not too, because I mounted the electronics, fan and power resitor on the bottom of his, and I fear pooling of condensation will cause the circuit board to corrode and malfunction. Also fan bearings aren't designed for 100% humidity.
I've made a lot of incubators over the years, and to start with I always use a wooden box because this eases construction and allows me to built a box to fit the Rubbermaid egg containers I chose to use.
I have never had open water in ANY incubator. Keep the humidity in the egg box, where you need it.
The more substrate you have, the longer it will last without adding water. Like Corey says, 4 or 5 inches should be fine and will probably last 60 days with no topping up.
Some Python breeders like to put eggs on supports, but I don't do it that way, nor does Corey... I've always had near 100% hatch rates placing the eggs directly on the substrate, however the substrate must be mixed correctly (the squeeze technique)

Now about your heat source...
What you are using is OK, nothing wrong with the old aquarium heater in the water, but recognize the water as being only a "heat exchanger" Put a lid on it to keep it from evaporating and sweating out the box.
Heat tape can also be used but you may need to double back a couple layers to get enough wattage.
You might need two or 3 feet of heat tape, and this wont easily fit in your space, but you could make a 3 layer wood platform and run it back and forth. One nice thing about heat tape is that it spreads even heat, but what you have should be fine, with a lid on it
Best Regards

[Grant vg]

I had tried the heat tape way and even with 3 feet i could not get high enough temps...unfortunately the style of fridge, it is very hard to attach extra things in there as the shelves are locked in place and the only free inch of space between a side and the shelves is up the back, so double backing is probably out of the question, this year anyway....

im kinda in a "no going back stages"....lol
i will try putting the lid on today, whats the best way to go about it?

Just cut a hole out of it for the wire to pass, or should i drill a few more holes to have some, but not all evaporation, to aid in the heating...?

Thanks again roy!

Grant

[Ron]

Hi Grant,

I know you are gonna stick with your "Fridgo-bator" but I thought I would post this link anyways:
http://www.morelia.ca/
If you go to "Carpet Python Incubation Techniques" in the Articles you will find an outline for a homemade incubator and a "No Substrate" incubation technique. I found this article quite interesting and will be trying the "No Substrate" method with Ball eggs this year.

Now for your situation, I would make a slit in the lid and silde it around the cord. This should create a relatively tight seal and essentially a good hot rock. I would then use the "No Substrate" method so you can keep the high humidity in the egg box while circulating dry air which in turn will save your hardware as Roy stated.

Good luck,

Ron

[Grant vg]

unfortunately, i could not get enough heat out of the container with the lid on...so, i have cut a 2 inch hole in the middle of the lid, and it is back up there.

im not sure if the condensation is as bad, but will find out in a couple days when i know for sure it can hold stable temps.

The no-substrate method seems to make a ot of sense.
thank you for that link, i will robably stick with my set up this year, and perhaps use the no-substrate method next year.

Gvg

[sSNAKESs.com]

Grant, you might want to submerge that heater some more, at least to the minimum water line mark on it, or it will burn out pretty quickly!

[Dom]

I change the heater totally .. u shoudl get a fully submersible.. IT be much easyer that way..

maybey .. a second heater.. jack up the temps on the heater to increase the overall temps with the full heat.. just a suggestion..

[Grant vg]

lol, the heater is fully submersible, although theres that little water line telling me to go no further then that...

Supposedly, it says that just to be CSA approved...
Should i still just submerge it?