Eat your heart out, MR-148: quick, cheap incubator

[Northstar Herp]

Considering my feud with my MR-148 (it won), and the fact that I'm a fairly handy guy, I decided to make my own incubator to move the eggs I already have cooking.

So, here's the total:

cooler @ Wal-mart- $15
Flexwatt- about $8
Big Apple Thermostat- $39
extra tupperwares to fill with water for heat buffer above heat tape- $4

Total $66

Time- 8 minutes, and that's no exaggeration. I don't know why I didn't do this in the first place. I drilled a 7/8" hole in the bottom of one side, then ran the wires through and cover them on the inside and outside with metal tape. I taped the heat tape on the bottom lapping up the side just a bit, and put two smallish tupperwares filled with water on top of them. Then I put the Sim on top of them and added another water filled one to the side. It took several hours for it to level out, but it's working great so far.

I'm waiting for an appliance repair guy I know to get in a broken wine cooler to make my final incubator out of, and then I'll have that one and this one for a backup or for other species I may delve into... :main_evilgrin: I think it would hold four SIMs if I had them and the need for that much space.

Here's some quick pics:

 

[Syris71]

Looking good:main_thumbsup:

 

[Northstar Herp]

So it's now been a little over a week since I switched my eggs into the new and ridiculously cheap incubator, and for three days there hasn't been any (it's negligable) fluctuation inside the SIM. The thermostat is set at 88 and the SIM temp stays at 85.5

I know it's cheap, and that I'm using an on/off thermostat instead of a proportional, but this thing is working great. I just wish it had a window, that's all.

I should be getting my first eggs from it this weekend or so.

 

[RadReptiles831]

wow thats really a cool incubator. i have been wanting to get a sim myself but i only have a hovabator and i heard they really dont work well with one. so i have been holding off. but now i might just try what you did. i also have been wanting a mr148. but if one like yours works for less than half the price why not. good luck with the new incubator.

 

[Northstar Herp]

Thanks man. I've been wanting to make my own for a while, but don't have the fridge that I want, so I ordered the MR-148. When it stopped working, I just threw my hands up and said screw it, I'll make one as cheap and as quickly as I can.

Literally, it was about ten minutes of work and less than $65, and with the stabilizing containers under the SIM, holds temps very well.