I haven't been poking around the hatching site long but I thought I would add my dilemma of building my own incubator and hope it helps some one else.....I searched and searched on here about the best thermostats and decided to use a water heater thermostat, it was cheap and easy to get. After having it plugged in a few days, having to lean it up on the light bulb to regulate only a couple degrees at a time and blowing 4 light bulbs from the constant on/off I decided I needed something different. So I went to the local discount store and bought a dimmer light switch, I figured I would just be able to set it and forget it.....for the most part that worked fine. After unplugging my 80mm PC fan I was able to regulate the temp a lot easier (within 1 degree up or down). After a couple days of this, I wasn't feeling comfortable with having just one light bulb for heat (I was using a 25w bulb), I just knew at any time while I was at work it would blow and I would have to start all over. So I talked with a guy I work with and he suggested using a rheostat. Sounded like a good idea so I went to PetCo to see if they had one, they didn't...but they had a "ZILLA Temperature Controller 1000 Watt 3 Plug" It was expensive but I was to deep into it now to care what it cost and I was NOT going to give in and buy an already build incubator. So when I got home with my zilla temp controller I put the probe on top of the eggs and adjusted the controller, to what the temp was already in the bator. (I slid the probe in through a vent hole in the side) Once adjusted, I unplugged my dimmer controlled light bulb from the wall and plugged it into the zilla. Let it do it's thing while I researched how warm I should keep my now still air bator and adjusted it a couple times to get the correct temp. Once I got it where I wanted it (took about an hour of small adjustments) I watched it control the temp within .2 degrees. I was amazed. After letting it run over night, it is still controlling within .2 degrees. I still have my light bulb on a dimmer so when it shuts on/off it doesn't jolt it with full power and runs the bulb for a longer time before shutting back off. (where I had the dimmer position before the zilla, I turned the knob just a tiny bit up so I knew it would get warm enough if needed and it was still going to shut off at the right temp) I have the option to add a second bulb to the bator now and if one goes out I'll still have a back up that's warm enough that the bator won't have any fluctuation of temp. I just wanted to share my initial challenge so it might help someone else that's just getting started, and maybe save a lot of frustration. I am very pleased with this thermostat/controller.
