I made a cooler incubator

[onecrazyblackredneck]

So I made a cooler incubator and I have been trying to dial in the temp, it floats between 97 and 108 all day but generally stays at 99.....What is the best thermostat to use? I am using a hot water heater thermostat, it just doesnt seem to be sensitive enough.....

 

[Dipsy Doodle Doo]

Hi and welcome! There is a way to tweak those thermostats to make them more sensitive, but I'd have to look for the directions.
Good luck!

Lisa

 

[Lacrystol]

I have two homemade incubators, one of mine is made out of a plastic cooler and it seems to keep the temp quite well it's also has a water heater thermostat. However my syrafoam cooler, the temp seems to bounce around like your describing same kind of thermostat...

 

[rebel yell]

Move the thermostat to about 1 to 1/2 inch away from the light bulb & it will not vary as much, but the wafer thermostat is the best to me.

 

[al6517]

I first made my Bator with a water heater thermostat it worked just Ok even after I moved it away from the heat element and used spacers to bring it off the wall 2" for better air circulation. a year ago I installed a wafer thermostat and it works so well it's great, it keeps temp's within a tenth of a degree all month long, now once it's set I havent made an adjustment in 9mo.

 

[onecrazyblackredneck]

Wow thanks for the replies everyone, that was fast. I am using a plastic cooler, I guess I will get a wafer thermostat, sounds like that is the way to go! Thanks everyone and I look forward to the future conversations, this is a pretty neat website!

 

[greenpeeps]

Seems you had the same problem I just did. Question, are you taking the temperature from the air in the incubator or are you taking the temperature from a container of sand or a water bag? The temperature you are worried about getting set is not the air it's the sand or water, which is the egg. Before I realized this I tried for days to get the air temp in the cooler steady, I was ready to pull out my hair, then I happened upon a post that said you need to keep the temp. of the water or the sand at the consistent temp, not the air in the incubator.

I do have a small container of sand, about the size of the eggs, and this is what I use to measure the temp. You be surprised how well the water heater thermostat works after you do this, lol.