These directions were given to me by a friend who owns and operates an American Shooting Perserve.
He makes these to incubate his Chukars, Pheasants, Quail, and other game bird eggs for his private shooting perserve.
I have NEVER made this. I do not take any responsibility of the errors some people make in the wiring or the making of this incubator!!!
Build and use at your own risk.​
Egg Hatching Incubator
ICEBOX INCUBATOR
(STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS)
Supplies needed ​
1) First you will need an upright refrigerator/freezer with metal shelves and a removable cross member between top and bottom door. NOTE: Also properly discharged of Freon. (Federal offense to release Freon into Atmosphere.)
2) 25’ of Romex 12/2 with ground electrical wire.
3) A complete wafer thermostat. (Randall Burkey Company)
4) 3 pull cord ceiling lamp holders.(LOWES LUMBER CO.)
5) 2 Duplex Receptacles.
6) 1 double Receptacle box (with holding tabs).
7) About 6’ of black and white # 12 strained wire.
8) You will need about 10- #12 fork connecters, 4- #12 butt splicers and crimping pliers.
9) A regular screw driver, a Phillip screw driver, a razor knife, a wire skinner, plus a torque screw driver (if screw on your model icebox have torque screws on door hinges.)
10) 6 red wire nuts.
11) 2- Piece of Plexiglass (whatever size you prefer to install on freezer door.)
12) 6’ of extension cord with male plug..( heavy-duty #12 or #10 wire.)
13) (Optional) small fan.
14) A water bowl for humidity.
15) Jig saw.
16) A drill with a 3/8 bit, 1/16 bit. (Also may need a 1” hole saw if hole for light wires are not available.)
17) 1 Duplex Receptacle cover plate.
18) 1 Thermometer/Humidity monitor. (Are one per shelf to monitor egg temperature.)
19) 3- 60 watt bulbs.
20) 1 roll of 24”x 10’ of 1/4x1/4 hardware cloth.
21) 1- 1”x3”x 8’ pine board.
22) 1 box of ¾” galvanizes fence staples and a hammer.
23) 1 bag of wire ties.(tie wraps)
24) 1 tube of silicone and chalking gun.
25) 3 Egg turners (optional)
26) 1 sharp pencil.
27) A tape measure, framing square or straight edge.
28) A roll of aluminum tape or duct tape.
29) 1-3” drywall screw
30) 1-Hacksaw blade
STARTING ASSEMBLY
1) Remove the compressor motor and everything from bottom of box (makes box a hold lot lighter.)
2) Remove both top door and bottom door.
3) Remove cross member that separates refrigerator and freezer and then remove the plastic separator that separates the top from the bottom.
4) Remove all of the racks and the plastic tray at bottom with drawers. (Do not throw away.)
5) Now remove the back plate that covers the fan in the freezer part, and then remove all of the tubing coils and wires leaving just the fan assembly with the two fan wires.
6) Now add one piece of white #12 wire and one piece of black #12 wire with butt splicers to reach about 6” pass the bottom of the plastic separator.(if fan motor wires or not black and white it doesn’t really matter.)
7) Find center of icebox and come 2” down from the bottom of the plastic separator and take receptacle box turn it backwards and mark it with a pencil.
8) Now take jigsaw and cut hole for box to fit in. You will have to take a screw driver and remove Styrofoam insulation afterwards.
9) Now take your drill with a 3/8 drill bit and drill 4 holes one in each corner of the square.
10) Go around on the back side of icebox and mark from hole to hole with framing square and pencil. Now take jigsaw and cut hole out.
11) Now go back to front and install receptacle box after box is installed take drill with 3/8 bit and drill a hole thru the top of box in center.(To run wires for wafer thermostat.)
12) Now take the plastic bottom tray and mark in the center a square 12”x 6” and then drill a bunch of hole with drill and 3/8 bit in square.
13) Now place plastic bottom tray back in icebox.
CAUTION: If not use to messing with electricity you may need a qualified electrician to wire it up, I think if you follow instruction very well you maybe o.k. but if in doubt get some help.
14) Now take a lamp holder for the bulb and come up 2” from plastic tray in center of right side panel of icebox and mount it temporarily. Now take Romex #12/2 wire and cut a piece long enough to go from the lamp holder thru the back of the icebox wall around into the back of the receptacle box and about 3” outside of the front of the box. (You may have to drill a 1” hole in back of box if ones not available to pass light wires.)
15) Now temporarily add a lamp holder in center of box on left side and in center from top to bottom.. Now take a piece of Romex 12/2 wire and run it thru the same hole with other light wire thru the back of the receptacle box and 3” outside also to lamp holder.
16) Now mount the last lamp holder temporarily in the center of the top of icebox. Now take a piece of Romex #12/2 wire and run it thru the same hole with the rest of the light wires then thru the back of the receptacle box and 3” outside the front of the box.
17) Now take razor knife and skin the wires about ½” back on the lamp holders then put the black wire on the gold screw and the white wire on the silver screw tighten screws with wires in place and then mount lamp holder back to wall.
18) Now tape all wires to the wall with aluminum tape or duct tape. (Route neatly on sides and top)
19) Now mount wafer thermostat assembly 2” to the right side of receptacle box with a 3” drywall screw. Also add enough black #12 strained wire to go thru top of the receptacle box thru the 3/8” hole out of the front of the receptacle box about 3”.(add black wires to both wires on thermostat with butt connectors.)
20) Cut one piece of black #12 strained wire about 5” long and a piece of white the same length and then skin both ends of both wires back ¼”and then add #12 fork connectors on both ends.
21) Now take both duplex receptacles and place them both the same way, then take the white wire and hook it to the silver screw on one receptacle and jump it to the silver screw on the other receptacle, then take the black wire and hook it to the gold screw on one receptacle and jump it to the gold screw on the other receptacle.
22) Now take the 6’ of extension cord and skin the outer rubber back about 4” and then skin the black wire back about ¾”and white wire back about ¾”.
23) Now pass the extension cord thru the back of the receptacle box. (Skin ends first)
24) Now cut two pieces of black and a piece of white #12 strained wire about 4” long, skin one end of the white wire back ¾” and the other ends back about a ¼” then add a #12 fork connector to the ¼” end of wire. Then take one of the black wires and skin it back ¾”on one end and ¼” on the other end and add a #12 fork connector on the ¼” end. Then skin the other black wire back ¾” on both ends
25) Now take all of the light wires and cut the outer rubber back about 4” and then skin all of the white and the black wires back about ¾”
26) Now take the ¾” end of the white #12 stranded wire and connect it to the white wire of the extension cord with all of the white wires of the lights and the white wire of the fan, then use the red wire nut to connect all of the white wires together. Then take the end of the white wire with the fork connector and connect it to one of the silver screws on one of the receptacles. (Either receptacle it doesn’t matter.)Connect the copper wire of the extension cord to the green screw on one of the receptacles. And make one copper jumper to the other receptacle. Also take all the copper wires for the lights and twist them together and add a 3” piece of copper wire to them with a red wire nut, then take that single wire and put it on one of the green screws on the receptacles.
27) Now take both black wires with the ¾” ends and the black wire of the fan and connect them to the black wire on the extension cord with the red wire nut. Then take the end with the #12 fork connector and connect it to one of the gold screws on one of the receptacles. (Either receptacle it doesn’t matter.)
28) Now take the other #12 black wire coming from extension cord with the ¾” end and trim it back to 3/8” and connect it to the one of the wires coming from the thermostat with a butt connector, then take the other wire from the thermostat and connect it to all of the black wires for the lights with a red wire nut. (You should only have one thermostat wire going to the black wires of the lights, and the other thermostat wire going to the black extension cord wire.)
29) Now reinstall back plate that covers fan assembly.
30) Now you can push all wires back in the box and screw the receptacles in the box and add the cover plate. Add bulbs and plug in, will have to adjust wafer thermostat to correct temperature.
(Caution: If something is not working make sure all wires are making good connection inside of wire nuts.)Note: may have to twist wires with pliers before installing wire nuts.
31) Measure the size of the plastic separator for your model icebox and make a wooden frame with the 1”x 3”x 8’ pine board.
32) Cut boards with jigsaw to length pre drill two holes in boards to screw ends together to make correct size square.
33) Now take ¼”x ¼” hardware cloth and cut it to fit the square frame and use ¾” fence staples to fasten to pine boards.
34) O.k. now slid the square wooden frame in the place of the plastic separater, and now silicone it in place, and then add metal shelf’s back in place.
35) Now reinstall cross member then reinstall top and bottom doors.
36) Open top door and take the magnetic strip off and remove the plastic inner shelves.
37) Then take your desired size of plexiglass and mark it on the top door in the center on the outside, then take framing square and mark the hole 1-1/2” smaller than plexiglass.
38) Take drill with 3/8” bit and drill a hole on all 4 corners just thru metal, then take jigsaw and cut out hole.(If jigsaw does not go thru insulation use hacksaw blade with duct tape on one end to finish cutting thru. )
39) Take piece of plexiglass and duct tape it to the back side of the door splitting it up evenly then silicone the glass in from the front.
40) Now take a good measurement of the hole size on the front of the door and cut your other piece of plexiglass exactly that size and then silicone it into place.(With two glasses it leaves and air space making it harder to lose temperature thru glass. Double insulated.)
41) Now reinstall magnetic strip on inside of door.
42) Add bowl of water and small fan under plastic bottom shelf for humidity, (small fan optional, helps keep temperature more stable.)
43) (Optional) Also you can take ¼”x ¼” Hardware cloth and add to the other shelves with the tie wraps.
GOOD LUCK ON YOUR HATCHING​