The 120mm fan in the pic didn't moving enough air (low CFM), so I swapped it for a higher CFM 60mm fan. This fan did better, but the lower rack is 1F cooler than the top rack. I ordered a quiet (69CFM) 120mm fan that will move sufficient air to equalize temps.This is my homemade incubator. I have an IncuView bator from Incubator Warehouse, and had very successful hatches using it, but it's limited in the number of eggs it'll hold... 27 large chicken eggs. I scored a (dead) mini fridge, and went to work on it. The space where the 2 egg turners will go (current shelves) is 15 1/2" x 13". The closest size auto egg turner is the GQF 1611, so I went with a pair of these. The eggs will tilt forward and backwards in the bator, instead of side to side... and I'll lose spaces for 14 eggs by removing the end racks. Instead of being able to incubate 82 eggs at a time, I'll be limited to 68 per cycle. I think this will be more than sufficient for my near-future needs.
The fridge...
I cut the inner door shelves and lip off, then ground and sanded the lip smooth...
To install a dual-layer viewing window in the door, the larger flat panel inside the door needed to be on top instead of at the bottom of the door. Turning the door over puts the bigger pane directly in line with the racks so the turners will be within view. The door didn't fit right when I flipped over, so I had to modify and swap the upper and lower hinges to get a tight seal. Problem solved...
I cut an opening in the door and installed 11"x11" glass panes to the inside and outside of door using aquarium-safe silicone sealant.
The modification to the GQF 1611's is to remove one row of egg trays from each turner.
The new Willhi WH1436 thermostat is working great, once I was able to figure out how to set it up. It has .1F accuracy, but this didn't suit me because the lights kept cycling on and off, which would shorten the life expectancy dramatically. I set the range to .2F, and it works much better, although the temp drops .3F before turning the lights back on. The cycle time for the lights is 17 seconds on, and 50 seconds off. Not bad at all! Target temp of 100F, where thermostat turns off:
Thermostat turns on at 99.7F and displays "WORKING":
Egg turners and modification(s).
Turners slid into the bator. Perfect fits!
With door closed and bator running.
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