Mini fridge incubator questions

[Laporte]

Hey there,

I just bought a used mini fridge to make an incubator out of and had a few questions for those who have done this before.

-Should I reinsulate with 3/4" foam board for a better seal?
-What did you do about the cooling system, rip it out, leave it in...?
-Water jugs in the bottom stay closed for heating or open for humidity, or a happy medium?

I'll post more if I think of any,

Thanks,
Tyler

 

[SC Geckos]

You should not have to insulate it. Thats one main reason people like to use these as incubators. The main thing is to make sure the door has a good seal.

I ripped out the cooling components. It gave me more room on the inside of the fridge and made it much lighter to move around if needed. Just be care ful if it still has refrigerant in it.

Some people use water bottles to aid in heating the incubator back up when the door has been open. In theory it should help but I never used them and had no issues. All the humidity the eggs will need comes from the the medium you are using in the egg boxes.

 

[Laporte]

What'd you do with your freon or refrigerant? I heard what some kids out east are doing with it, but I'd rather not, I heard its not the greatest for the envoronement???

 

[SC Geckos]

What'd you do with your freon or refrigerant? I heard what some kids out east are doing with it, but I'd rather not, I heard its not the greatest for the envoronement???

Im an HVAC tech so I removed the refrigerant (freon) properly. Most people Im sure just cut the line and "let it fly". All I will say is if you do it yourself, be careful because you can get burned pretty bad (freezer burn) if you come in direct contact with the refrigerant.

 

[Laporte]

Yea, I had read about the freezer burn when I read about the kids huffing freon out east, wish I could've done it properly as well but I'm a carpenter not an hvac tech so I did it with only tool I Know how to use...My hammer haha,

But seeing as how you know more about this stuff then I do, is there any copper or anything worth salvaging in the compressor (I think it is, big black heavy component)??

Thanks

 

[SC Geckos]

But seeing as how you know more about this stuff then I do, is there any copper or anything worth salvaging in the compressor (I think it is, big black heavy component)??

The only copper in the compressor is the motor windings. The rest is just scrap.

 

[Laporte]

Alright, not even worth the effort to open it up,

Thanks again