Does anyone think this incubator looks like it would be good?

[Hholly]

Thanks for looking. I'm trying to decide whether to buy an incubator or make one. I found this one for a decent price. But if it's junk I would rather make one. Any opinions would be appreciated!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/281671632188?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

 

[gpop1]

Thanks for looking. I'm trying to decide whether to buy an incubator or make one. I found this one for a decent price. But if it's junk I would rather make one. Any opinions would be appreciated!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281671632188?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

does it work.............kinda yes
will you be happy with it...........maybe
can you trust it................nope

It has some design flaws

1/ the heater is a ptc which can make about 20 degrees over ambient on a good day. This means the ptc is running at max most of the time which leads to it possibly not lasting 21 days straight. Good side is the ptc is cheap to replace
2/ The plastic has no insulation so most people end up having to add insulation or use the shipping container to help keep the heat in.
3/ It vents way to much so humidity is a pain to control
4/ The temp and humidity sensors are accurate but the lack of air flow and the poor positioning means the temp at the sensor is correct but the temp at the eggs is terrible
5/ the lid is a pain as it lets all the heat out if opened
6/ the alarm goes of all the time which is annoying
7/ fan is cheap and if it fails the plastic melts above the heater

if you are hatching cheap eggs one time then its a cheap incubator that will work. If you want a incubator that will last a while then build or buy a better incubator

I own one and I have modified it to be accurate by adding a extra fan, Upgraded the original fan and heater, moved the sensor and added insulation. I no longer use it as I still don't trust it.

 

[Hholly]

does it work.............kinda yes
will you be happy with it...........maybe
can you trust it................nope

It has some design flaws

1/ the heater is a ptc which can make about 20 degrees over ambient on a good day. This means the ptc is running at max most of the time which leads to it possibly not lasting 21 days straight. Good side is the ptc is cheap to replace
2/ The plastic has no insulation so most people end up having to add insulation or use the shipping container to help keep the heat in.
3/ It vents way to much so humidity is a pain to control
4/ The temp and humidity sensors are accurate but the lack of air flow and the poor positioning means the temp at the sensor is correct but the temp at the eggs is terrible
5/ the lid is a pain as it lets all the heat out if opened
6/ the alarm goes of all the time which is annoying
7/ fan is cheap and if it fails the plastic melts above the heater

if you are hatching cheap eggs one time then its a cheap incubator that will work. If you want a incubator that will last a while then build or buy a better incubator

I own one and I have modified it to be accurate by adding a extra fan, Upgraded the original fan and heater, moved the sensor and added insulation. I no longer use it as I still don't trust it.

Great. Thanks for the info! Looks like I will be building my own. I really appreciate the reply.

 

[gpop1]

its going to be a challenge to build your own for less than the cost of a premade with turner in the under 40 egg range. If you have parts laying about then it might be close but the turner is hard to make and expensive to buy.

Now if you want custom or larger than 40 eggs then building is a better option. if you like to build stuff then cost is secondary and there are lots of ideas on here from other peoples builds. If you need help or advice we are always willing to help or hinder.

 

[Hholly]

its going to be a challenge to build your own for less than the cost of a premade with turner in the under 40 egg range. If you have parts laying about then it might be close but the turner is hard to make and expensive to buy.

Now if you want custom or larger than 40 eggs then building is a better option. if you like to build stuff then cost is secondary and there are lots of ideas on here from other peoples builds. If you need help or advice we are always willing to help or hinder.

Thanks! I will be asking lots of questions I'm sure. I think I have some of the parts already. And frankly, I think I can either manually turn them or make a teeter totter contraption like I've seen in some of the DIY threads. I think the hygrometer and thermostat will be the most expensive parts. I just can't bring myself to shell out $100 or more for something that seems so simple and cheap to make. $50 would be doable. But I want it to have a capacity for a dozen or so eggs. And I want it to work. I'm going to use Sallysunshine's basic design as seen here https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/homemade-easy-cooler-incubator for my first attempt.

 

[gpop1]

cheapest way ive found is a used wine cooler with a peltier (fan in the back of the cooler). 4 bottles wide works best (holds 8 or 12). Add a $14 controller and one or two 60mm 24v fan (running on 12v so it will be turning slow to mix the air). minor wiring changes all low voltage. add a single egg crate for a incubator ( $7 ) and make it into a see-saw and its good to go plus it looks shinny and I like shinny. It wont be as temp stable as a light bulb but you will quickly learn that a light bulb heater can be annoying as its cycling on and off (cheap temp controllers lack on and off set points) and to be honest air temp and egg temp are not the same as air temp changes way faster that egg temp.

 

[Hholly]

What do you mean by wine cooler with peltier? Not sure what that is.

 

[gpop1]

What do you mean by wine cooler with peltier? Not sure what that is.

small wine coolers use a peltier which is a ceramic chip that transfers heat with current flow. Large ones use a compressor and gas.

The peltier can be reversed by cutting the + and - wire and reconnecting them so hot air is blown in the cooler and cold air is blow out the back. Add a temp controller relay to one peltier wire and it will heat the inside of the cooler.

the plan you posted a link to looks good if you have a cooler available, it seems a sound plan and I know that there have been some very good hatch rates from that style of incubator. If you have to buy a cooler then there are lot of other options. I wish I could find the link to a custom made wooden box one I really liked.




wine cooler


a peltier



this is my first incubator that had a simple temp controller added to turn the peltier on and off

everything else was reused from the wine cooler including the power supply and fans

 

[Hholly]

small wine coolers use a peltier which is a ceramic chip that transfers heat with current flow. Large ones use a compressor and gas.

The peltier can be reversed by cutting the + and - wire and reconnecting them so hot air is blown in the cooler and cold air is blow out the back. Add a temp controller relay to one peltier wire and it will heat the inside of the cooler.

the plan you posted a link to looks good if you have a cooler available, it seems a sound plan and I know that there have been some very good hatch rates from that style of incubator. If you have to buy a cooler then there are lot of other options. I wish I could find the link to a custom made wooden box one I really liked.




wine cooler


a peltier



this is my first incubator that had a simple temp controller added to turn the peltier on and off

everything else was reused from the wine cooler including the power supply and fans

Wow! That looks nice! I don't exactly have access to one of those. But it looks as good as those expensive, cabinet incubators. Congrats on that!
Thanks for posting.

 

[kyzerc]

Buy a little giant,they are around 45,00,i have 2.They have worked extremely well.