Home Made Incubator question

[VickiR]

Hi all
im at a loss, and getting confused,

if i was to make an old bar fridge into an incubator. does the fridge need to be working?( mean does it need to beable to turn on?)
as i know where i can get and old camping bar fridge.

and also how would i set it up?

heat cord around the inside.
heat matt on the bottom?
thermostate?

Or would it be better to buy an incubator? but the only ones ive seen are $550+

Anyone willing to help me?

 

[porkosta]

Hi there,

Fridge does not need to be working, just needs to be able to keep the temp at your predefined setting.
I used heat cord in my incubator and lined the top, sides and bottom (Used more than one head cord). Use a thermostat to regulate the temps inside.

Build one yourself and save yourself some money, plus it is more rewarding when your first batch of eggs hatch in the incubator YOU made.

Cheers,
Andy

 

[billzey]

damn straight porkosta

 

[VickiR]

thanks porkosta,
OK, im gonna have a look for everything i need,

Hi there,

Fridge does not need to be working, just needs to be able to keep the temp at your predefined setting.
I used heat cord in my incubator and lined the top, sides and bottom (Used more than one head cord). Use a thermostat to regulate the temps inside.

Build one yourself and save yourself some money, plus it is more rewarding when your first batch of eggs hatch in the incubator YOU made.

Cheers,
Andy

 

[diprotodon]

use the search function at the top of the page

 

[BJC-787]

i just made a new one from an old barfridge that didn't work, the inside dimensions are about 60cm tall x 45cm square and all i used was 1 6m 50watt heat cord on the sides ad back, with a computer fan to circulate the air and a dimming thermostat, it keeps the tepm within .3 of a degree for 2 weeks straight.

 

[VickiR]

Ok not to sound more dumb.
If I was to turn an old fridge into an incubator will all the componts/ condensor/ coil etc. Will all this need to be pulled out?

I get the ideat to wrap heat cord envenly around the unit attach to a thermostat/ thermometer

And for humitity a smal container of warm water.

How would the cables go? Drill a hole through unit or just through thread through seal?

Sorry if I sound dumb.. So much googling has gotten me more confused

 

[porkosta]

You don't need to remove everything from the fridge but it does come in handy if you want to conceal the power leads and connections for your heat cords and probes.
Drilling a hole should be good enough, just be careful you don't cut yourself or the heat cords/probe when pushing them through the hole.

No such thing as sounding dumb, that is what the forum is for I believe.

 

[Varanidae]

I use a fridge as an incubator but found that due to the ambient temp of my reptile room gets too hot that I use the fridge to cool the incubator and then heat it with heat elements, by doing this I am able to keep the incubator on 28.5 degrees no matter what the ambient temp is ( some times my room gets over 40 ). The down side to this is that you need to get the two thermostats to work together, one for the heat and the other for the fridge to cool.I do this for peace of mind that my eggs will not cook

 

[cheddah]

I use a fridge as an incubator but found that due to the ambient temp of my reptile room gets too hot that I use the fridge to cool the incubator and then heat it with heat elements, by doing this I am able to keep the incubator on 28.5 degrees no matter what the ambient temp is ( some times my room gets over 40 ). The down side to this is that you need to get the two thermostats to work together, one for the heat and the other for the fridge to cool.I do this for peace of mind that my eggs will not cook

Your onto it. Ive been thinking about doing something similar, seems a waste to take the cooling equipment out. So you haven't found any negative effects on the cooling element (if thats what its called) being heated to around 30C?

 

[bigi]

you can use duct tape to stick the cord to the wall as i have seen others do, or cable ties to the shelves etc, do a search and you will see plenty of pictures, just getin and have a crack at it

 

[Waterrat]

I am using 25W light bulbs and a very good thermostats (worth $350,-). I ripped everything out of the fridges even the gust under neath to make it lighter, easy to shift around. This is what it looks like.

View attachment 164025View attachment 164026

 

[Varanidae]

Your onto it. Ive been thinking about doing something similar, seems a waste to take the cooling equipment out. So you haven't found any negative effects on the cooling element (if thats what its called) being heated to around 30C?

Had no problems only positives, the thermostat I am using is made for aircons so it able to cope with the amps of the fridge so it only turns it on when the temps get too high ( you set what temp )
I had quite a few clutches go through it last year and was very happy with the outcome

 

[persona]

Waterrat's Style mimics my own and works very well. 3 or even 4, evenly spaced low wattage bulbs mounted near the bottom for heat (rises), quality thermostate about mid way up and I personally use a computer fan near the top, mounted in moveable louvers, and run off a second (reversed wired) thermostat, switches the fan on if the ambient temp climbs above the desired level by drawing out heated air.
Several bulbs lessens the odds of multiple bulb burnout at the same time.
The better quality thermostate (type) the more stable temp you can maintain.
The state of door seals should be good with no holes, gaps or warping if possible to maximise insulation.
A second vent with movable louvers near the bottom, increases airflow from bottom to top and creates more evenly dispersed temperatures.
have fun!

 

[D3pro]

I am using 25W light bulbs and a very good thermostats (worth $350,-). I ripped everything out of the fridges even the gust under neath to make it lighter, easy to shift around. This is what it looks like.

View attachment 164025View attachment 164026

Looks great, I might build something similar....

 

[Waterrat]

I have got 3 and 4 light bulbs in there but I am only running two at any time. Because I have the thermostat sensor inserted in the tub with the eggs, it takes longer to register the raise in temperature in the incubator. If I use all 4 bulbs, even when they go off, they still emit heat and it takes longer to drop to the desires temp. level. Not sure if this is making sense.