Thermostat in homemade bator?

[jettgirl24]

I just got my ReptiTemp thermostat in the mail yesterday... YAY!

Question on placement for those who have used them though. Here's my fridgibator (not totally set up yet... New egg racks, fans, and turning apparatus weren't in place yet but you get the idea):

As you can see there are four levels on which you can place the racks. I've got my heating element (lightbulb) up at the top with fans blowing downward. I am going to move one of the shelves to the 2nd level just under the bulb and place the pan of water there for humidity (wasn't getting levels up to proper place when placed in the bottom). The eggs will be on a shelf placed on the fourth level from the top and also on the floor. Should I place the remote sensor up near the bulb or down between the two levels of eggs? My inclination is to say down by the eggs but I've seen some threads saying the water heater thermostats should be up by the bulb. Wasn't sure if this would be the same for the reptitemp or not.

 

[muddstopper]

I cant see by the pic, the placement of the fans, but my opinion is the fans should be blowing upwards toward the top the incubator. This way the warm air is pushed along the top and down the sides to be pulled back up into the fans, I think you will find the heat distribution will be better this way.

Placement of the thermostat is going to depend on the sensitivity of the thermostat and how fast it will react to the temperature changes inside the incubator. I dont know if the thermostat you mentioned has a digital display or a sensor on a wire, but the temperature at the eggs is what you need to monitor. I would start with thermostat sensor placement close to where the eggs are supposed to be positioned and verifiy actual temps with a seperate thermometer. If you find the temp swings to be to big, you can then adjust the placement of the thermo sensor until it is closer to the heat source. Also, if your new thermostat has a digital display, expect to find the thermostat temp reading to vary from what your actual "at egg tray" temp reads on the seperate thermometer. It could vary as much as 4 or 5 degrees. The thermostat monitors the off and on cycles of the heat source to maintain a even temperature. The actuall temps will be somewhere between where the thermostat kicks on and where it kicks off. Moving the thermostat around can narrow the difference in temp reading so dont be alarmed if your thermometer says the temps are one thing and the thermostat says another. With home made incubators, its often a method of trial and error to determine the best placement of the thermostat. In other words, do all your fine tuning before you try to hatch any eggs. Also expect to do a little more fine tuning once the eggs are actually inside the bator.

Placement of the humidity pan of water should be close to the heat source.

One other thing you migh need to consider is, the insides of the cooler are made of plastic and the light bulb can get very hot, I would suggest maybe attaching a piece of aluminum flashing to the inside top of the cabinet directly above the light bulb to prevent a possible melting of the plastic. You dont need to cover the entire top surface, maybe just a 6x6 inch square directly above the bulb.

 

[pascopol]

I actually use 2 ReptiTemps, one in my homemade bator, and second one to improve temp control in my Brower TopHatch which I use mainly as a hatcher.

Very good, reliable thermostat.

I place mine (probe) just under the egg turner in mine homemade bator, I use 2 strings of Christmas lights for heat, one above the eggs, second on the bator floor (C7 light bulbs)

With your setup you may want to do some tinkering and find out the best spot for the probe by trial and error.

But I strongly suggest using more than one bulb for a heat source. More even heat, also if one bulb fails you got backup.

My repti temp controls temp with good acuuracy.My temp is fluctuating about .3 to .5 degree F. But it will always cut the temp off at the set maximum regardless of outside temperature.

For the price it is the best therm money can buy, much better than thermostats used in styrobators in general.

My first one is about 5 years old, last year I bought my second Repti 500R and now I am looking for wine cooler if I find one I'll make my 4th bator out of it, it will be also controlled by Repti 500R therm!