New homemade incubators

[Terrain_pull up]

Here's some construction pics of the new incubators I made for this season. Decided to actually use an accurate thermostat this year. I was looking to upgrade from the cooler set ups I've been using the last couple years. I was having too hard of a time maintaining constant temps with my old set up. Hopefully this year works out better!

http://i1216.photobucket.com/albums/dd377/Terrain_pull_up/cooler1.jpg

http://i1216.photobucket.com/albums/dd377/Terrain_pull_up/cooler2.jpg

http://i1216.photobucket.com/albums/dd377/Terrain_pull_up/cooler3.jpg

http://i1216.photobucket.com/albums/dd377/Terrain_pull_up/cooler4.jpg

Here's a pic with the temp probe from the thermostat attached to the heat tape:

http://i1216.photobucket.com/albums/dd377/Terrain_pull_up/cooler5.jpg

With heat ballast added:

http://i1216.photobucket.com/albums/dd377/Terrain_pull_up/cooler6.jpg

Finished products! The drain holes in the coolers worked out awesome to allow the power cord, thermostat probe and the seperate thermometer probe to pass into the cooler without having to drill extra holes!

http://i1216.photobucket.com/albums/dd377/Terrain_pull_up/cooler7.jpg

Here's the heart of this year's operation! Thank you Santa Claus!

http://i1216.photobucket.com/albums/dd377/Terrain_pull_up/ve300x2.jpg



My old school cooler operation. These coolers worked surprising pretty well just using water in the bottom and an aquarium water heater. The only problem was constantly having to adjust the water heater when the room temperatures would fluctuate.

http://i1216.photobucket.com/albums/dd377/Terrain_pull_up/old1.jpg

http://i1216.photobucket.com/albums/dd377/Terrain_pull_up/old2.jpg

 

[theCREECH]

That's awesome.

So your temps have been really constant now?

I love that you did two identically so you could have a male and female set up.

good job

 

[Terrain_pull up]

It took about 2 days for the temps to stabilize where I wanted them and they are holding pretty well. I was thinking about it later and there still might be some variations in temp based on the ambient room temp though. The thermostat is just going to maintain the heat tape temp but the air temp inside the coolers may still vary slightly based on room temp. I'm still expecting the coolers this year to be more constant though. The set ups I was using before had other variables to contend with such as the open water levels changing in the bottom of the coolers and a far less accurate thermostat on the aquarium heaters. One cooler is pegged at 81 and the other at 88. So far it has only been a +-0.5 degree swing every time I check

 

[beezy]

what is the heat tape wired with?...is that like a bolt and nut attached to wire?

 

[im faster]

looks good but why so much heat tape?

 

[HornerHerps]

What temperature did you have to set the thermostat to, to get incubator to the temps you wanted?

 

[StellarExotics]

HOLY HEAT-TAPE Batman!!!! I have 1 piece if 11" heat tape for my entire bar fridge, and it works VERY WELL... However, Nicely done...

Cheers.

 

[30secondstobob]

Nice job on your homemade incubators! Just out of curiosity, what sexes did you get most of with the fluctuating temps? I made a far less elaborate set-up, but it did hatch the eggs in exactly 40 days at 87 to 88 degrees F. My temp never strayed from this except perhaps when we had two brief power failures during a severe wind storm. Bob