Coating foam incubator bottom.

[Kennyog]

Have any of you ever coated the bottom of your foam incubator? One of mine seems to seep water when i fill the water trough.I have a newer one that you can buy a plastic liner for it.The liner will not work in the older ones though.Thank you in advance for your replies.Take care1

Ken

 

[Wilson]

I would like to know how to also...hope it won't melt the styrofoam.

 

[oldbat]

I coated mine mostly to make them easier to clean up and disinfect after a hatch.

Get the inside of the bottom half as clean as possible; I even used disinfectant water on mine after gently scrubbing the entire inside with soapy water and rinsing. Find a place where it can sit in the sun for several hours to get completely dry. That will also further insure it is "free" of germs.

Buy a spray can of LATEX primer.....very important that it is latex. Any other kind of paint will react with and eat up the foam. Give the inside of the bottom half and the rim all the way around at least a couple of coats, drying thoroughly between each coat.

Buy another spray can of paint....doesn't need to be latex since the foam is now protected. Mine was the enamel intended for metal lawn furniture. Put on 2 or 3 coats of this finishing paint, drying thoroughly between each coat. You can now easily clean with just a rough cloth or foam scrubber after a hatch. I still disinfect thoroughly in addition.

I have heard of someone using vinyl caulking....the stuff that comes in tubes for fixing leaky windows, but have no idea what kind of prep work you would need to do, or if that stuff might eat the foam of the incubator. I believe they spread it evenly around the entire bottom half of the incubator with a putty knife.

One thing you need to do when using anything to coat the incubator is make sure you DO NOT fill up the ventilation holes in the bottom half of the incubator. I inserted 2 inch lengths of vinyl tubing (available at stores like Tractor Supply) to protect the holes (with wooden matches in the tubing to keep it from filling up with paint...removing the matches when done painting), and the process has worked fine.

Hope this helps you. Have fun.

 

[Apprentice_egger]

Quote:
This is what I was thinking about when the OP said the incubator "leaked". The holes are there for a reason and when you over fill those little channels molded into the bottom you are going to have "leaks". These things are not supposed to be air-tight and "waterproof".

I think the trays are a good way to go because you can just take them out and clean them up. If you coat the inside you will have to clean the bottom of the incubator every time. This might not be a change from what most people do, but if the plastic trays work the way they should you shouldn't have to clean the whole incubator every time.

 

[oldbat]

The OP mentioned that this was for an older incubator that he did not have/could not buy a plastic liner for.

I've also found that this cleans up much easier than the plastic trays do; they have all those grooves and canyons where stuff wants to stay, and sometimes you have to get pretty serious with a stiff brush to get rid of it. I've coated all four of my styrofoam incubators that are used strictly for hatching, and have never been sorry. By also hatching in egg cartons or flats, there is very little mess to clean up.

I've also made two-piece "overcoats" for the incubators from the aluminum faced bubble wrap insulation that comes in rolls....Lowe's has it....., using duct tape to close the seams on the corners, etc., and it has almost completely stabilized the temperature swings that they were having. If you do that, again you have to poke the vinyl tubing through the overcoat to keep the ventilation working.

And, I forgot to mention in my original post that you need to lay something of the correct "height" in the bottom of the incubator to keep the screen from sagging to the floor. I have an old china plate, face down, that works good.

Works for me; might not for others. Have a good day.