Home made bator question

[pbjmaker]

I have nearly finished my home made bator - thanks MissPrissy and Oletimegator! My only question is : What else can I use to plug the vent holes besides old wine corks? I don't have any of those (maybe I need to drink more)

I guess I have a 2nd question - how do I attach the fan to the side and does it need space behind it to draw air in? I am using a plastic rubbermaid cooler.

All I have left is to drill the vent holes, tweak the hardware cloth and get the thermostat set at the right temp - it turned off at 105 so I turned it down and now it is down to 97. I wish they had more precise marks on the dial That's a big space between 90 and 125 degrees!

 

[SterlingAcres]

I'm not sure what you could use besides corks. I'd say anything that could be used for a plug. Maybe cut a few dowels in use instead.

Attach the fan with long screws. I think there's a few different pictures on BYC of them. The fan should be a little off the side, so it can circulate the air.

Good luck!

 

[arlee453]

I just use Duct tape, or painters tape. I can cover the whole hole, or just partially as needed with the tape. Of course my bator is a rubbermaid plastic cooler...

If your bator is stryo, then painters blue tape might work best because it doesn't stick as much.

Edit - just saw your bator IS a plastic, and not stryo cooler - so duct/electrical/masking, etc tape would work well.

Yes, put a spacer behind the fan so it is away from the wall a bit. Use long screws and you can cut a drinking straw in short lengths. Run the screws through them to put a bit of space between the fan and wall - even 1/4" would be sufficient.

Be sure to do the same thing if you are using a water heater thermostat - the 'back' of the thermostat (the little hole) is where the actual heat sensing part of the thermostat is. You'll get steadier temps if you let the air circulate around both sides of the thermostat.

 

[TheKidAndDame]

Mine I just stuck to the side. At first I cursed myself for a few moments but I tried it out and it still worked. However, it probably does not do as good a job as if I caddy-cornered it. With long enoush screws you should be able to do that with no modification. I bought white plugs from Lowes for the vents. You can also get corks there in the special hardware section.

 

[mr.majestik]

I use 3/4" PVC caps from Home Depot. They are threaded and work like a charm.

 

[pbjmaker]

cool thanks for all the ideas! I did put spacers behind the thermostat and will use the same kind of screws then to attach the fan. I have had it running without the fan and it has settled at 99.7 - I was just soooo excited the firsttime the light turned off by itself. I was like OH MY GOODNESS - I actually wired it right!

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

PBJ...Even with the best tuning of the thermostat you'll probably still have temps on your thermometer vary between 96 or 97 and 102. I have a water wiggler in just to be certain that the inside temp of the eggs is ok. It has varied from 98-101 but usually stays right at 99-100. So don't worry too much about the highs and lows of the temps...they are very temporary and don't really affect the inside egg temp. Post pic when you can..

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

OH...I meant to mention that I use a couple of things to plug the holes. I have some wine corks that you buy to recork a wine bottle. They have ceramic tops and a cork bottom. I use those and also just cover the hole with duct tape...like Arlee said...sometime you just need to cover 1/2 of the hole.