I'm bored, can't stand it, new "bator"update with pictures.

[redneck]

Vamp-a-Billy Princess, Miss Prissy has a pretty god explanation of the wiring. And I have posted a wiring diagram.

 

[equus2]

I'm starting a new bator project this weekend, using a plastic cooler a friend gave me.

I've gathered up all the materials....time to cut into this plastic. How did you cut the hole for the light socket and lid?

thanks!

 

[arlee453]

A couple of tips...from someone who has built two bators out of the same type of cooler that you have there.

Did you cut some ventiliation holes? In my cooler bator, I have vent holes - about 5-6 of them, 1/4" around the bottom of the bator and a couple of large (3/4=1") holes at the top for humidity control. I just cover them with duct tape and open and cover as needed

Lastly, I found that when you up the humidity, water will condense on the glass at the top and then run down into the open spaces left in the lid where i cut my hole out. Then you get a lot of water collecting inside the lid, which makes it hard to keep the humidity steady, AND probably is a breeding ground for the nasties when you have it stored between uses. I covered the gaps with duct tape too and that solved that problem.

One final thought.... With the thermostat inside the outlet box, how are you going to be able to adjust it as needed? Getting those thermostats regulated is a tedious process of nudging and bumping it this way and that and then waiting a few hours before you check again... I also found that if the air flow is not good around the thermostat, the temps fluctuate even more wider range than if there is good air flow around it.

EDIT: I went back and see that you have a hole drilled to adjust the temp.

Just my thoughts from building my cooler bators...

 

[Davaroo]

TO cut large round holes in soft material like wood or plastic and foam, get a spade, auger or Forstner bit of the correct size.
In this case youre not drilling, which is a more precise operation, but rather boring a hole.
The cheapest of the lot is the spade bit, but it's also the most prone to wallowing. You can buy them im in sets of varying sizes.
The auger is next and the Forstner is the deluxe boring bit.
A hole saw would also work well and like the spade bit, you can buy these in kits of multiple sizes.

Good boring.

 

[redneck]

In this incubator I used my cordless drill with a regular high speed drill bit. Just tool my time. In the styrofoam incubators I use my Dremil tool.

 

[equus2]

Ah, an excuse to get my hubby a dremil! Thanks!

 

[lemurchaser]

Just curious, why did you put the thermostat right under the light bulb? Wouldn't that give you falsely warm readings from the thermostat? Or does the fan do a good enough job that the temps are even?

 

[redneck]

I did put the thermostat under the light. But I was hoping that the electrical box would shield it from direct heat. All that is exposed is the wafer in the thermostat. I can't really explain the reasoning except for that is the only place I really had to mount everything. It seems to work pretty well though.The fan helps a lot.