Incubator heating question.

[xcalibor67]

Thanks wynn, i got this one
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009VY1BZY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1
dunno if its the exact brand, but looks identical to the temp stat. Honestly i think most of items like these, be it Ebay or Amazon, are all made by 1 foreign maker and labeled with 23 different names..lol. My humidifier i made....havent tried it yet, but the idea seems solid. Matter of fact i think i found the idea/plans for it on BYC. lots of great stuff here, and friendly knowledgeable people like yourself m8..

 

[wynn4578]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00T...263&sr=8-45&keywords=temp+humidity+controller

I know your not looking but I've used these in several builds. I like these because they're cheap and they last. You have to add an ssr to the circuit if you use them with more than about 5 amps and they only read celcius is a couple of drawbacks. There is another version that will control both temp and humidity that I'm using on a current build. They cost about 8 to 10 bucks so it like 2 controllers in one. The drawbacks is the readings on it tend to swing a bit and it's annoying and you have to use an ssr like the other one. Plus neither are as polished looking as the stc1000

 

[wynn4578]

Yep that's the controller is was talking about. Usually they're both branded as Inkbird which is who actually makes than but they could be branded as anything. Lol

 

[wynn4578]

I am curious about the humidity set up your going to use. I may change the way I do mine if it's simpler.

 

[xcalibor67]

I used a basic set up i found here, or somewhere...I stole one of my daughters plastic, tupper ware containers. Basic principal of air drawn over a piece of wick material.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01J664VSA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
The reason i liked this plastic container is because it has separate snap/hinged lids. The fan lid flips up if need be, or the whole top snaps off to change wick. I used a couple pieces of plastic angle molding attached with silicone for the wick track. The filler tube is a clear nebulizer tube. it has a thick reinforced end. I found a 24oz ketchup squeeze bottle would snugly fit into the end for easy filling..A bit primitive, but i think its a solid "KISS" system.

 

[xcalibor67]

Have you used any type of heaters like this?
https://www.amazon.com/Watt-Heater-...d=1495560669&sr=8-6&keywords=incubator+heater

Im still having mental issues about using bulbs....they work great, but i can just picture my lil chicks hatching, and watching these strange bright orbs flashing off and on like some torture chamber, lmao...

 

[xcalibor67]

Changed my heating set up today, and not sure if im still satisfied..... One of the pics shows how i mounted the heating element inside a small plenum. The other shows how i ran 2 return ducts, one on each side. The airflow seems to be working great, good CFM's coming from fan, and i can feel the draw on both open ends of the return. The problem(which may not even be one), is keeping the actual air temps with a tight tolerance. Im getting up to 100* on the high side, and its falling down to 88.4* on the low side. I understand that the 99.5* is the desired "Average", but i dont want to get to hot on the high side. It seems the light bulb set up i had before was keeping a tighter tolerance than the heating element. I assume its from the heat up time variances between the bulbs and the element>? The light bulbs worked great, but somewhere in the back of my mind, i didnt like the idea of the flashing bulbs on my chicks. Heres the element i used..http://www.ebay.com/itm/33204710903...49&var=541080265566&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
I wished, and still may change it to a "Open wire" coil spring type element with ceramic insulators, as it should not give the heat up/cool down affect as bad as the Copper tubed enclosed type like i used..