8 bottle wine cooler into a incubator.

[DulcyDoll]

My first post! yay!

Anyway, I am trying to make a wine cooler into an incubator. The cooler works when plugged in, but does not hold a cool temperature (it goes to 87*F all the time) The fans work and it has a light and thermostat hooked up already.
It is a Durabrand Model# RJ-22 from walmart ( http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4269159#Features+&+Specifications )It has a "semiconductor cooling system" (whatever that means lol) but i am curious to know if i can take the cooling system out and hook a heating element up to it (it has a black and a red wire running to the cooling system) so I can control the thermostat to regulate it. I don't even know if this is possible.

I am completely lost on all this stuff, so details are helpful, if you need pictures, let me know.

 

[panner123]

For heat you can use a light bulb hooked to the thermostat. You should start with a 75 watt bulb and work up until you get one that holds at about 100 degrees. Or you can try some form of heating element. You will need to install some way of ventilating the unit. It should work with some thought. Keep us posted.

 

[rooster-red]

My question would be what temp range is the thermostat make to work in, since it is built as a cooler rather than heater?

If nothing else, you could gut the electronics and replace with a thermostat that will work in the right range.

 

[DulcyDoll]

What about a reptile stick on heating pad?

If I can get it to stay at a constant temp, I don't really need the control of the thermostat, I just need it to read the temp. for me... right?

 

[lowcountrypoultry]

I no nothing about making home made incubators.

But this sounds like a cool project!

Hope it works out for ya!

 

[DulcyDoll]

Anyone use flex watt heat tape in their home made incubators?

 

[twigg]

Quote:
That would work well, but the wattage is low, so good insulation and a small incubator would be needed.

Heat rope is good (see my sig)

My 125W piece is about 30" long, and cost about $12

Brinsea uses resistive ink in their incubators. Together with a proportional controller, temperatures are stable to about 1/10th degreeC.

I haven't yet found a supplier of the raw material to make such a heater, but it would be perfect for incubators made from coolers or similar.

 

[conny63malies]

http://www.arbreptiles.com/cages/incubator.shtml

 

[DulcyDoll]

The cooler is only 19.18" x 17.64" x 10.63" so it is tiny, and I only expect to be able to incubate about a dozen at a time (which is fine, not for big time, just hobby)

I'll take a look at yours, Thanks

Is our heating rope like the reptile heating rope? Where did you get it?
I stuck an under tank heating pad (16 watt) in it last night, and it has read a 95*f for about 6 hours today, so I need something a bit stronger. The fans seem to be keeping it pretty consistent all around th incubator, and isn't cooling it down at all. I will be getting a separate thermostat though, the one on the cooler only goes up to 65*f so, i will need one that goes higher.

Reptile heat rope comes in 25 watt or 50 watt, do you think the 50watt would be overkill if a 16watt pad kept it at 95*f?

 

[twigg]

Quote:
Hovabator heaters are about 25W, if I remember correctly.

Can't remember exactly where I bought mine, but it is easy enough to find using Google.