I'm Back and attempting to make my own bator!

[kelseygirl707]

Hey ya'll!

So a lot has happened in the past 6 months, that's why I have not been here. First my husband and I went home to visit family for the weekend, we came back to find out a tree had fallen on our house (Onsite Apartment at our job), started an electrical fire, and firemen had kicked in all our doors. We hated where we lived/worked, so although it was really scary losing everything in one day, we were happy to get out. So we moved in with my in-laws (Ugh, that was the nightmare), and luckily found a new job withing 3 weeks, and now love where we are living and love the people we work for.

But.... at some point I sold all my bators as we really needed money, and now I am regretting that, as my hatching addiction has been festering for the last month or so. But we are finally on top of finances, so I didn't want to go spend $100+ on a new bator, so I made my own. I would love feedback on it, if any of you see something I could improve. This is what I have so far, I will also have a Thermostat, I am just waiting for it to be delivered, below is the link for it.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Mini-Digital-Te...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3efc6852df

Front View

Top View

Lid View

Thanks,
Kelsey

 

[spikennipper]

Very nice, I have just spent £30 on a diy one that somebody else made for me! looks very similar to yours, I have a Brinsea but planning a staggered hatch so this one should come in handy

one thing I would be slightly concerned about is the water pots are quite big and deep so you may want to get some mesh covering them just incase a chick did manage to get in one, oh and don't forget the vent holes

but otherwise an excellent effort! out of interest how much did it cost in total for the parts?

 

[kelseygirl707]

Thanks Spike,
I do have some vent holes, but they are behind the fan, so I had to close them as I couldn't regulate heat and Humidity when they are open, I guess I could put a couple in the lid.

 

[txmel]

that looks great. i like the window on the side like that would be great if i had done that on mine that way the kids could see easier.

always afraid one is going to fall on it while trying to look in the top. i just changed my thermostat, useing a household one from home depot now (with a little modification thanks to hubby ), so far has been great at holding the temp between 99.4 and 100.0. good luck with your new incubator

 

[kelseygirl707]

I looked at household thermostats, but I couldn't find one locally that had a external sensor, and I didn't want the whole thing in the bator, Plus I knew I wanted a digital thermostat.

 

[Serrin]

First, let me say.....Welcome home Kelsey!

Everything look very nice so far. Though I have to agree with Spikennipper about some sort of mesh screen over the water trays. I think I'd even consider going to one long, low/shallow dish over two deeper pans. It might improve your humidity. And we all know how rambunctious little ones can get at times. Even with your tray for the eggs to keep them somewhat confined after hatching and fluffing, it might pay to put something over your water tray. Better safe than sorry, I always say.

Can't wait to see your first hatch out of this bator. Please, keep us posted on your progress. And again, WELCOME HOME!!!!

 

[ccrawf]

Looks great, and I am considering building one of my own on a very similar design.
Question for Kelsey, do you know what the limits are on the thermostat? I am having a difficult time finding one that reaches 100 degrees and doesn’t cost an arm and leg.
Question for txmel, same thing. What type thermostat did you get and exactly what “modifications” did hubby make? This seems to be the most difficult part of the DIY.
Thanks, and good luck.
Oh, and the tray covers is a good idea. I had only one small cup, and my turkey managed to find it. Fortunately, I found him right away.

Ccrawf

 

[kelseygirl707]

Quote:
The one I bought and put the link on my first post, goes from -50 to 90 degrees Celsius, which translates to 194 degrees Fahrenheit, so it has a good range, but I paid $20 + $10 shipping for it, but I figure I can use it for incubating, and someday when Hubby gets his saltwater aquarium again, this will work for it too. Plus I like that it is digital, and can be set to a tenth of a degree.

Oh and also this thermostat can be left outside the bator, with only the sensor inside.

 

[kelseygirl707]

Quote:
Thanks!

I will definitely get some mesh today (Right now the eggs in there are just regular safeway eggs, I just needed to get a good Idea of the temps and Humidity with eggs in there lol), so I don't have to worry wet chickies anytime soon, lol.

 

[txmel]

Quote:
ok here is a picture of the thermostat, about $18 at HD.

(never put the cover back after modification) this is what he did in his words, hope it helps:
I used a Honeywell CT31A thermostat. Only the front part of the thermostat with the contacts was used. From the factory, this thermostat turned off at about 88 degrees at it's highest setting. I held the plastic lever on the back of the thermostat as close to the center as I could and turned the metal pin at the center of the coil with a pair of pliers. I turned it about 1/8 turn so that the thermostat would trip at a higher temperature range.

This thermostat has a resistance adjustment that I set at the lowest setting. It is a low voltage thermostat so I am using it to switch a relay. The relay switches the light. The parts I had were 24V DC (circulation PC style fan and 24V DC relay) and they are powered by a 22V DC wall transformer. You could use a 12V DC relay, fan, and power supply as well.