Redwood incubator help

[ladyhawk7]

I just got hold of an old redwood incubator, but it is getting too hot at the bottom and cold at the top. I would so like to see the inside of one that someone might have. Mine appears to be homemade and very old. It has the heat source, 2 ceramic wire wrapped coils on the bottom, 2 waffers and thermostat at top, places to slide 5 racks in, but the bottom on is only about 1/12" above heaters. Is it supposed to have some sort of rack in the bottom to catch the chicks and deflect the heat so it will be evenly distributed? I cant find anyone with one or knows anything about them, help , it have baked my eggs!

 

[Marion]

I have a friend who recently acquired an antique redwood incubator that was made by a company in Missouri back in the 1950's (Favorite Incubator by Leahy Manufacturing Co). In the one she has there is a little compartment at the top that has a fan in it... perhaps if you could find a way to install a fan in yours it would help heat more evenly. My friend has not tried hers out as of yet so I can't tell you if it heats evenly or not but I do know it has the fan. Hers looks just like this one.. There are some photos on the page that might help?

http://cgi.ebay.com/Favorite-Incuba...ryZ66905QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

 

[spencereb]

Ladyhawk7,
I don't know what your incubator looks like, but I had good luck with a small fan to circulate the air. It really equalized the temps inside the incubator!
I put together a home made incubator by wiring a wafer thermostat to a dual socket lamp fixture. I screwed in a 100 watt reptile radiator & a 40 w. bulb to the thermostat's sockets, but I wired a 120v fan before the thermostat connectors so that it runs non-stop, independent of the thermostat. Now the light (and radiator) come on & off with the slightest variation of inside temps. Very stable. Before the little fan, I had pretty big temperature swings. I got the fan at a local farm supply here where they sell the hova-bator incubator and all the separate parts individually. Hope this helps.
Good luck!
-Spence

 

[ladyhawk7]

Thanks so much for the info, and mine is almost exactly like the one on ebay. I do have a fan in the top, just like the one shown, but it is in the bottom where I think the problem may be. I have nothing above the coils except the egg trays, and I think maybe I need a tray there to disperse the heat and put the water? Could you get pictures of the bottom of your friends? or find out about the bottom. I really like this one, even though I have to turn the eggs, but I think it would be great for hold constant heat and humidity, once I get it set up correctly. Thanks

 

[Marion]

Ladyhawk7,
I will ask her to take a photo of the bottom and email it to me. The photos on ebay show the bottom with a tray there for water or something? It may take a day or so to get the information from her. I had another thought as well... the trays seem to be wire and not solid... could the eggs be so closely together that it blocks the air flow? I am sure she will be as interested in finding out the workings of the incubator as you are before she sets any eggs!

 

[Marion]

Ladyhawk7,
Here are photos of the bottom of my friends redwood incubator... hope it helps!