Chic Chick 'Bator *UPDATED*

[friedchicken]

Here's my new babies!

 

[Gatekeeper]

What a wonderful simple, inexpensive bator. I have noticed that most of the homemade incubators here and some on the net; do not wire the light (heating source) fan and thermostat together. Is there a reason for that?

My big incubator is wired so that the heating element - fan - pilot light are turned off and on by the thermostat.

Unforturnately, the wires are sealed and the incubator is full or I'd see how it was wired and wire the one I'm making now like the big Bator.

There will be NO FLAMINGO duct tape on this bator!! LOL. Its Camouflauge or the Standard Battleship Gray! (Flexs, scratches and spits) LOL

Any suggestion on how to wire all those components together like a regular bator?

Is the fan separate because its a computer fan and cant take the regular power or does it?

Gate

 

[donnap1967]

If the fan were run with the bulb and thermostat, wouldn't it shut off every time the light bulb went off? I've never had a forced air incubator except the one i made myself but I thought you would want the fan running nonstop and that's why you run it separate. To constantly keep air and heat circulating.

 

[Davaroo]

Smaller 110vac fans are made, but they are the dickens to find, are usually costly and they run at cyclonic speeds.

The trick is the 12vdc computer fans, which are common.
And, yes, they should run constantly, so must be wired separate from the rest of the circuits.

 

[chickensandmore]

All of my items are wired together, maybe I am missing something, why would you want your fan to run all the time?..I was led to believe that you wanted the warm air to move around when the heat source was working to make sure all the eggs had the same amount of heat. wouldn't it cool down to quick with the fan running without heat?
I have a homemade forced air freez-a-bators and get a great hatch everytime, I also use a still air freez-a-hatcher.
Don in spiro

 

[Davaroo]

Not if things are insulated as they should be. Remember the fan doesnt draw outside air in - it is self-contained.
The purpose of the fan is to ensure even temps throughout the chamber. This is done by the air movement they encourage.
If you buy a commercial incubator with fan, you will find that they are wired to run all the time. Will it work the other way? I suppose, yes.

 

[MissPrissy]

The fan is for circulation and air exchange. The eggs seem to develop better when there is a good exchange of gasses. Also the constant movement of the air flow - especially over your water source helps to regulate the humidity. Just like a commercially made incubator you want the fan to stay on.

 

[PaintedMeadows]

Why the water wiggler? Very cool set up by the way/!!

 

[shmooborp]

hte water wiggler is to replicate the temp inside of the egg... talks about this somewhere in here..

 

[Mrs MIA]

I just wanted to say that I have three of these babies now. The only commercially-made incubator I have is an LG still air with a turner, and I prefer the homemades to it. Now, I have a Hovabator coming next week... I might have to test that one out to compare.

But they're easy enough to put together in an evening, in a pinch, and they're wonderful!

(and I agree about the tape colors... I may be a girl, but I'm a purist...

)