Building your own incubator

[eggonomist]

I would put one 40 watt bulb in and turn it on, and wait, see if you can achieve greater than 103 degrees with one bulb, then wire up the second using the thermostat, if one bulb blows then you have the luxary of knowing your temps will hold.

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

Has anyone ever tried using a salvaged heating element from say a toaster oven or space heater?

I was looking at the element in my GQF 1202, and it looks like it is just a long coil of wire that is "zig-zagged" through a few porcelain insulators.

I've still not finished it, and a recent fall through on an incubator I was trying to buy really got me thinking about working some more on it.

 

[shelleyd2008]

I wish I had an old space heater to tear apart!! I had thought of that myself, but I don't have any on hand

Though winter is coming, and they do make heater fans...hmmm...wonder if that would work? Kill two birds with one stone so to speak...

 

[Davaroo]

Be careful using heaters from things like toasters and ovens, etc. They are high wattage and designed to get hot - fast. Your temperature controls will probably not have enough hysteresis leeway to accomodate them.
This means they will get too hot, too fast and the shut off wont come soon enough.
Stick to something low wattage like light bulbs or strip heaters and heat gently.

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

Quote:
Thanks for the info! Idea nixed.....