DESIGNING AN INCUBATOR

[HickoryHollow]

Tim - sorry I got to this late -

You are quite skilled!

The fan will dry out eggs - you dont want direct air blowing on the eggs.

Also - short & long cabinets (think your cabinet laying on its back) are better at keeping uniform heat - you dont have to worry so much about the heat piling up at the top of the cabinet.

1 more thing - you do want some air exchange from outside - not a lot - but the little buggers let off a lot of CO2 as they breath - so you need some fresh air to come in- when I built mine - I had way too many vents & dried out my first batch. So maybe 1 or 2 small holes that can be opened & closed as you wish.

Hi Midget,
Better late than never.......I will be putting some sort of shelf under the fan / over the eggs. As for the "air exchange, I saw a great idea in the home made incubator section. You cut the bottom out of a medicine bottle, then glue the bottle into a hole the same size as the bottle. You can take the lid on or off for outside air. I plan to add a couple of those. Thanks for joining......good ideas!
Tim

 

[Strader]

Glass is super heavy and worse for R-Value than Lexan, Acrylic, Plastic?. looking at R-value Lexan is the best and doesn't scratch to easy. Don't think you'll be doing anything really to scratch it.

 

[midget_farms]

Not sure about anyone else's home made bators - but on mine - the glass fogs up during lock down when the humidity goes way up.

If I cover it with cloth - it doesn't fog -

Can you do double glazed? Thoughts?

 

[HickoryHollow]

Glass is super heavy and worse for R-Value than Lexan, Acrylic, Plastic?. looking at R-value Lexan is the best and doesn't scratch to easy. Don't think you'll be doing anything really to scratch it.

I didn't realize Lexan was better than glass for R-value. That makes a difference then, sounds like Lexan it is.......

 

[Strader]

At 70% humidity my Lexan didn't fog up, but this was a 4 hour test with no eggs in it. I am on my 15th day of incubation and will let you know with the eggs and 70% Humidity if there is any fogging.

 

[HickoryHollow]

I finished the door tonight and stained the outside of the cabinet. I have one more "cam-lock" to put on, and the handle. I also installed weather stripping around the inside of the door to make a good seal.

 

[Strader]

Also Like Midget says you will need some vents. I have two at the top and rear dead center with both fans, so each of the fans can pull a bit of fresh air in if I open the vent covers. One of these is closed and one is half way open, these pair of holes are 3/4 inch and a picture is below. I have a 3/8 hole on the front right side of my cabinet about level with bottom of humidity tray. (2 inches back from door opening) This 3/8 hole is for air/Co2 to escape.

just shaped some aluminum angle 1.5 x 1.5 and rounded one end. pivots on a single screw. I used a forstner bit and got the black plastic hole inserts of several sizes from Ace hardware( glued these plastic inserts into my holes for a very nice finished look.

 

[Strader]

Its looking good with that stain. Good plan to have (4) hinges, and that door seal, Tim.

 

[HickoryHollow]

Ok, the outside is about done except for glass in the door. Now to design the inside of the cabinet. What I don't understand about some of the designs I see is this: With a shelf under the fan to prevent air from blowing on the eggs, and a shelf on the bottom, wouldn't it stop air from flowing in the middle of the cabinet? Below is a drawing of what I mean......

Please help me understand and create a good design......

 

[Daedalus62]

Not that familiar with cabinet incubators myself, but... A couple of thoughts...

Is that bottom shelf really necessary?... Any inconvenience if the air flows in the opposite direction you have there?

I believe that, with these two small changes, that cold area doesn't happen... Or, at least, is minimized...

Thougths?

Cheers

Carlos