homemade incubator temp consistancy

[eman]

How steady of a temp has everyone been getting with a homemade incubator?

My first attempt with a homemade bater would be fairly consistent throughout the day but at night (after everyone went to bed) the temp would spike 4 or 5 deg. Has anyone experienced that? My first thought was since almost everything is turned off at night maybe the voltage raises enough to cause the temp to go up?

Eric

 

[Poison Ivy]

I found that mine would raise several degree in the afternoon. The room has no a/c and heats up so I found that leaving the ceiling fan on helped keep in around the 100* mark. Mine would swing between 98* to 102*. Mine just hatched monday night and they are just fine. So maybe a small fan to keep the air flow would help at night.

 

[McSpin]

How are you trying to control temperature?

 

[eman]

I have a light bulb and a dimmer switch in a plastic tote with fold in lids with a computer fan on the lid. I put it in the basement thinking it would be a more consistent temp but can't quite figure out why it would spike at night. I would have thought it would be the opposite hotter in the day colder at night.

 

[jimnjay]

With the light bulb I always use a surge protector. Once the power went out and it blew the bulb so I have not taken that chance again. I have not noticed a spike in mine. I sometimes find it lower in the morning as the room cools some during the night.

 

[eman]

I am going to borrow a battery backup from work to see if that will help.

Eric

 

[McSpin]

I've heard that some places have power with inconsistent voltage. They sell voltage regulators for computers, but they are very expensive. If you can't get consistent power, then you may have to have a thermostat connected to your heat source to control it.

 

[SkeeredChicken]

I had hardly any trouble with temperatire consistency. I bought a ether wafer thermostat online as it's what I wanted to begin with. The only time it changed even slightly was when the weather changed from cool to warm, then back to cool. Even then it was only a degree or two.

 

[eman]

Quote:
Are you talking about a water heater thermostat? Can you show/tell me how you made your bator?

Thanks,

Eric

 

[Mac in Wisco]

Slight typo there, he was going for ether wafer. A wafer thermostat is a brass bellows filled with ether that expands or contracts with temperature. The bellows is mounted next a microswitch to shut off a circuit as the bellows expands with heating and turn it on again as the bellows contracts with cooling. They are very sensitive and will hold a pretty tight temperature difference.

I got this one at the local feed store for about $12 if I recall correctly.