Leahy Incubator Restoration Advice

[Gilmadon]

The heater from a styrofoam incubator will not be big enough. Post some photos and we'll be glad to help you with it.

Sorry for the delay, we had some baby goats this week luckily I don't need an incubator for them haha. But for Emu's and regular eggs I will.

Here are the photos of our unit. When turned on the fan can be heard but I don't think we are getting any heat. We have the unit in the garage which may also be giving us issues. The door latch it busted so the bungie holds it closed as best a bungie can. Above the light and fuse is a copper rod I think its our wafer? the wires for the heater coil are on the back and everything looks well connected. Looking at the motor it seems a little burned out in parts so not sure if there is a way to make it function. On the exteririo above the swithes is a tiny hole for a screw driver to turn which we assume adjusts the temp setting or should we have turned it to the right several times for a few days and not any noticeable changes.

Looking at this option to get us something working that is both heater and fan and temp controlled so I'm not parting something together. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B019P9ONN...olid=1TU8F7MSXPX6O&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

TYIA

 

[Tabasco Jack]

Sorry for the delay, we had some baby goats this week luckily I don't need an incubator for them haha. But for Emu's and regular eggs I will.

Here are the photos of our unit. When turned on the fan can be heard but I don't think we are getting any heat. We have the unit in the garage which may also be giving us issues. The door latch it busted so the bungie holds it closed as best a bungie can. Above the light and fuse is a copper rod I think its our wafer? the wires for the heater coil are on the back and everything looks well connected. Looking at the motor it seems a little burned out in parts so not sure if there is a way to make it function. On the exteririo above the swithes is a tiny hole for a screw driver to turn which we assume adjusts the temp setting or should we have turned it to the right several times for a few days and not any noticeable changes.

Looking at this option to get us something working that is both heater and fan and temp controlled so I'm not parting something together. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B019P9ONN...olid=1TU8F7MSXPX6O&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

TYIAView attachment 1427804 View attachment 1427805 View attachment 1427806 View attachment 1427807

Your's is a little different from the one's I've seen. The rod above the electrical box is not a wafer thermostat. I think it is the thermostat, but I'm not sure what kind it is.
With the wafer's, turn the screw clockwise decreases the temperature.
Look back the the original post photos and you'll see what the wafer looks like. One the outside of his incubator there is an actual screw that you turn to adjust the temperature. Your's doesn't have the screw. Not sure if it's missing or not.
The heater and the fan are both powered on by the same switch. The fan runs all the time but the heater only comes on when the thermostat allows it to. If the bulb between the switches is working, then it will come on when the heater is heating.
You can try turning the adjustment screw counter-clockwise and see if the heater comes on.

 

[Gilmadon]

Your's is a little different from the one's I've seen. The rod above the electrical box is not a wafer thermostat. I think it is the thermostat, but I'm not sure what kind it is.
With the wafer's, turn the screw clockwise decreases the temperature.
Look back the the original post photos and you'll see what the wafer looks like. One the outside of his incubator there is an actual screw that you turn to adjust the temperature. Your's doesn't have the screw. Not sure if it's missing or not.
The heater and the fan are both powered on by the same switch. The fan runs all the time but the heater only comes on when the thermostat allows it to. If the bulb between the switches is working, then it will come on when the heater is heating.
You can try turning the adjustment screw counter-clockwise and see if the heater comes on.

Excellent! Ill go the opposite direction and see what that does. I need to replace the bulb or both bulbs as I think they are both done. There is screw hole it has a slit for a flat head screw driver so that is what I'm turning thinking it will adjust the temp.

Thanks

 

[Gilmadon]

Excellent! Ill go the opposite direction and see what that does. I need to replace the bulb or both bulbs as I think they are both done. There is screw hole it has a slit for a flat head screw driver so that is what I'm turning thinking it will adjust the temp.

Thanks

Seems that going the other direction did the trick it was holding at 99.5 for the last week so we put eggs in last night. Thanks again hope it keeps running to get our first batch.

 

[capouch]

I know this is an old thread, but I recently purchased an old Farm Master and wound up finding an owner's manual for it, such as it is.

This incubator, despite what many have said, was not manufactured by Leahy but rather by the Reliable Incubator and Brooder Company of Quincy, Illinois. I also have a Leahy Model 416, and there are many, many design differences between the two. There's an image out there somewhere of the same unit with the Reliable brand, and I read a post on one of the groups from an experienced user who said his Farm Master came with a brochure inside that identified Reliable as the manufacturer.

The Farm Master, unlike the Leahy, does not have twin wafer thermostats, but only one. The alarm system works like this: there are two microswitches, the main one (top) and the backup/safety switch (on the bottom, inside the metal mounting bracket. If the first switch fails, you set the swivel plunger so that after just another fraction of a degree increase in temperature, it contacts the second switch. It performs the same function as the top one (i.e. killing power to the heating element) but also causes the alarm to go off IF the alarm switch (on the top of the transformer by the junction box inside the door) is turned on. This alerts the operator that the switch has failed, and so you shut the switch off to stop the alarm, continue to use the backup switch to control the heater, and then have some time to replace the failed top switch. This is inferior to the Leahy design, as it doesn't protect against a failed thermostat, which would likely fail to curtail the heater and thus cook your poor little embryos.

I'll also note that I learned the hard way that the fan motor has to turn "CCWSE" or counter-clockwise, seen from the shaft end. This will cause the air to move from the back of the unit across the water pan. I just installed a replacement motor that ran clockwise, and instead it pushes the air against the back of the cabinet, and thus is not the way the humidifier was designed to work. Rather than take a chance, I'm going to replace the motor. I wish there were more technical information out there of this sort.

 

[BigSparks]

I just sold my antique incubator. It was a Leahy Manufacturing Leland Wilson. I scanned the original manual as it covers the 416, 624, 1200 Models. I will provide the PDF Manual as a Google link in this post.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_QZ4oepIY4fsYqNpjBOSwcPCIsiCsrxB/view?usp=sharing