Building a hatcher (NEW PICS Pg. 3)

[Poulets De Cajun]

Just curious... why wouldn't it work though?

 

[jvls1942]

I am curious,,,,,,,why did you not use the thermostat from the LG ?

You have all the makings of an auto water system except for the float valve. I just made another one for my sportsman.. I can send you an email address for some nice float valves.. cheap $$$ too.

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

The thermostate from my LG shorted out a few weeks ago and cooked 4 or 5 eggs just as they were pipping. It shot up to 120 degrees, which is what prompted me to build my own instead of buying a new one.

 

[Chicken Fruit]

I just found this thread. Thanks for putting it up. Its terribly educational.

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

I did some more work on the hatcher today. I put a few thick coats of polyurethane over the paint to hopefully help it hold humidity better. I also installed all the electrical components. I'll be wiring them together later tonight.

Here is my first WHOOPS! of the whole project. The hole in the middle isn't supposed to be there. I got too close to the bracket on the inside. I'll have to patch that hole tomorrow with some wood filler. The green thing is my indicator light. I went back to Radio Shack and got a 120v lamp.

Here is the thermostat from the inside (BIG thanks to Dipsy Doodle Doo for this part!!!)

Since the LG heating element at the top is only 40w, I installed a ceramic light socket at the bottom. I'll add a 40w light bulb to it to assist the LG element in heating the hatcher evenly.

Here is the LG heating element with the fan installed.

Here is the fan from the back. I went ahead and added the ventilation holes behind the fan so that it will circulate the air around the hatcher, as opposed to just pushing it out the bottom.

And here is the hatcher with the back on. I can't wait to wire it tonight to see if everything works. This is my first BIG circuitry project since I took technology classes in high school!

So far I've got about $35 dollar invested in this... NOT BAD huh?

 

[greathorse]

There's those holes behind the fan I was worried about. I feel so much better now. Looking good. In GQF and others the thermostat is up at the level with the fan and element. Never made sense to me I would think this would work better.

Good luck

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

That was my thinking on the matter. Having it directly under the heating element and directly in front of the fan seems like it would stop short. Thats why I put mine on the bottom level. I just hope the light bulb doesn't distort it. However the air will bounce off the door, and then blow the heat from the fan towards the back (theoretically) so hopefully it wont.

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

Well! I got it wired!!! The fan runs constantly, and the indicator light, light bulb, and heating element turn on when the thermostat is increased. Tomorrow I dress the wires so they dont hang, and start working on the front door. I hope to have this thing operational by tomorrow evening.

 

[jvls1942]

TaDaaaaa !!

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

It was rather confusing. I had to keep tieing the wires together and taking them apart until I got it right.

Now I just hope it heats sufficiently.