The Incuabator
I didn't try to stay cheap on this project because I was in a hurry to get it completed.
The shopping list:
Lowes
1/2" x 10' SCH 40 PVC $1.22
1/2" SCH 40 PVC TEE 10 pack $2.52
1/2"SCH 40 ELBOW 10 pack $2.52
Water Heater Thermostat $8.48
Lampholder $1.39 x2 $2.78
Walmart
48 US QT IGLOO Cooler $18.88
Local Hardware
Small Odd Screws ~$6.00
1/2" x 10' SCH 40 PVC $1.22
1/2" SCH 40 PVC TEE 10 pack $2.52
1/2"SCH 40 ELBOW 10 pack $2.52
Water Heater Thermostat $8.48
Lampholder $1.39 x2 $2.78
Walmart
48 US QT IGLOO Cooler $18.88
Local Hardware
Small Odd Screws ~$6.00
BUILD SHEET
1/2" SCH 40 PVC 2 3/4" x2
1/2" SCH 40 PVC 3 1/2" x5
1/2" SCH 40 PVC 5 1/16" x4
1/2" SCH PVC 5 1/2"
1/2" SCH PVC 11"
1/2" SCH PVC 21"
1/2" SCH PVC Elbow x10
1/2" SCH PVC Tee x6
Lampholder x2
light bulbs x2
Fan x2 (Mine are 110V)
Thermasat
Hydrometer
Themometer
Water pan
Hardware Cloth
Cooler
AB foam
1/4" x 1" Plex (spacer)
Plexi Glass
Rivets
Jar For Water (I have 5)
Pot of Coffee x3 (It was a long night)
I removed the top from the cooler to make it easer to work. I built the cradel for the eggs out of the PVC parts & drilled the pivit holes in the cooler (See pictures). I was afraid the PVC being open to the outside of the box & soundring the eggs would lower the accuracy so I filled the pivet pices with AB foam.
I built a snake for the wireing out of the other pieces of cut PVC.
I mounted the thermastat & sensors on the opsite side from the heat sorces & made a hole where it could be adjusted from the outside of the box. The sensor hooks to my PC to tell me the temp & humidity. The Watchport can monitor the enviroment with set peramiters & email, call, or page me, & has a audbile alarm if the enviroment changes beond those specs.
I installed two lamps & two fans in case one fails I will not loose the whole clutch.
I ran into a problem with my soldering gun. The batteries were dead so I got side tracted.
(Warning: Before completing, this step should be modified from how I did it.)
I cut out a hole to mount plexi glass in, riveted in place & drilled holes to fill with AB foam.
I cut too close to the sides & should have stoped on the shallow parts of the ridges & riveted them also. Maybe too much AB foam also.
I will probley fire it up tomarrow & see how it works.
I am changing the bulbs out to incacndescent. The flowerscent will work but I think incandescent would be better. I think it would recover from heat loose faster & I dont know how the high humitity would affect the flowerscent.
I added some vent holes.
I used baby food jars for humitity & a few rocks to help stabelize heat.
This is the part I cut from the top & I'm useing it to stop direct heat from the lights.
These were my volanters to test the habitat.
Here is a look at my software. It tells me if something goes wrong.
I will be putting these guys in tomarrow. Wish me luck.
There is so many pictures that this page would go forever. The things that are still in the works are: I need to find me a new heat deflector that goes all the way across (I made one out of metal but it made it hard to control heat), build a auto egg turner (gears are turning in my head), & I need to find a better way to control humitity. I hate to add a humistat but I don't know what else to do.
I'm sorry if you have to read through a lot of spelling errors but thats not one of my strong points. If you have any suggestions for improvement please let me know.
Please check out my Chicken Pluckin Page !
1/2" SCH 40 PVC 3 1/2" x5
1/2" SCH 40 PVC 5 1/16" x4
1/2" SCH PVC 5 1/2"
1/2" SCH PVC 11"
1/2" SCH PVC 21"
1/2" SCH PVC Elbow x10
1/2" SCH PVC Tee x6
Lampholder x2
light bulbs x2
Fan x2 (Mine are 110V)
Thermasat
Hydrometer
Themometer
Water pan
Hardware Cloth
Cooler
AB foam
1/4" x 1" Plex (spacer)
Plexi Glass
Rivets
Jar For Water (I have 5)
Pot of Coffee x3 (It was a long night)
I removed the top from the cooler to make it easer to work. I built the cradel for the eggs out of the PVC parts & drilled the pivit holes in the cooler (See pictures). I was afraid the PVC being open to the outside of the box & soundring the eggs would lower the accuracy so I filled the pivet pices with AB foam.
I built a snake for the wireing out of the other pieces of cut PVC.
I mounted the thermastat & sensors on the opsite side from the heat sorces & made a hole where it could be adjusted from the outside of the box. The sensor hooks to my PC to tell me the temp & humidity. The Watchport can monitor the enviroment with set peramiters & email, call, or page me, & has a audbile alarm if the enviroment changes beond those specs.
I installed two lamps & two fans in case one fails I will not loose the whole clutch.
I ran into a problem with my soldering gun. The batteries were dead so I got side tracted.
(Warning: Before completing, this step should be modified from how I did it.)
I cut out a hole to mount plexi glass in, riveted in place & drilled holes to fill with AB foam.
I cut too close to the sides & should have stoped on the shallow parts of the ridges & riveted them also. Maybe too much AB foam also.
I will probley fire it up tomarrow & see how it works.
I am changing the bulbs out to incacndescent. The flowerscent will work but I think incandescent would be better. I think it would recover from heat loose faster & I dont know how the high humitity would affect the flowerscent.
I added some vent holes.
I used baby food jars for humitity & a few rocks to help stabelize heat.
This is the part I cut from the top & I'm useing it to stop direct heat from the lights.
These were my volanters to test the habitat.
Here is a look at my software. It tells me if something goes wrong.
I will be putting these guys in tomarrow. Wish me luck.
There is so many pictures that this page would go forever. The things that are still in the works are: I need to find me a new heat deflector that goes all the way across (I made one out of metal but it made it hard to control heat), build a auto egg turner (gears are turning in my head), & I need to find a better way to control humitity. I hate to add a humistat but I don't know what else to do.
I'm sorry if you have to read through a lot of spelling errors but thats not one of my strong points. If you have any suggestions for improvement please let me know.
Please check out my Chicken Pluckin Page !
