Tube/Rope lights as heat source in incubator?

[fried green eggs]

Has anybody had success or used it in homemade incubator?

 

[HEChicken]

If they put off enough heat to maintain incubating temperature, why not?

 

[fried green eggs]

Thanks for input. I put my new hatcher together last night heating element from a very small crockpot and 18' of rope/tube lighting. Temp is very stable his morning. 99.4-99.8

 

[HEChicken]

Wow, I'm impressed. Pics?

 

[quintinp]

Wow, I'm impressed. Pics?

X2 I would like to see some pictures!

 

[quintinp]

I just looked up rope tube lighting, and it is LED lights in a clear rubber hose. Does it really give off heat? If it does, I am guessing that you leave it on and the little heat it gives off acts as a stabilizer in the incubator.

 

[MuranoFarms]

I was thinking about this.....we had some as floor lighting on steps and they didn't give off any heat at all. I would expect it to depend on brand. Might have to try a few to get a high enough heat. Remember though, temp needs to be higher if it's still air.

 

[quintinp]

I was thinking about this.....we had some as floor lighting on steps and they didn't give off any heat at all. I would expect it to depend on brand. Might have to try a few to get a high enough heat. Remember though, temp needs to be higher if it's still air.

I think I remember their incubator, it does have a fan. It also has a crock pot heating element. I am wanting to tinker with that one of these days.

 

[fried green eggs]

Here are some pics of my latest homemade hatcher and more info. This was a crate shipping box I've used for years as a storage chest for horse blankets. Painted brown years ago. The crockpot heating element worked well (3 good - great hatches) in small igloo cooler but it was too small, so I dissembled it to make this one. This is a 20"x 30" box so, I thought I'd need more heat and I wanted some kind of safe lighting for high humidity in hatcher. The tube lights Do put off heat and actually get pretty hot/pretty fast if left in a coil. I've had the tube lights for a couple years and still in package so, I figured I'd try it. I don't know if they are LED, the package just says "indoor/outdoor light set. Multi tube lights." Instructions says "uncoil flexible lights prior to pluging in. I have a small desk top fan (top right corner pic 1) that blows across crockpot element towards thermostat. The silver foil insulation and taped seams should make it easy for cleaning. I covered the 1"x2"s with the foil tape so hardware cloth basket will be easy to clean. I think the multi colored light set and foil lining make it look cool and now I won't need a flash light to see eggs and thermometer inside

I put dark blue corregated plastic I had, stapled onto the side walls in chick area so, they can't peck at foil. I have shipped eggs to put in it on monday.

I was thinking about this.....we had some as floor lighting on steps and they didn't give off any heat at all. I would expect it to depend on brand. Might have to try a few to get a high enough heat. Remember though, temp needs to be higher if it's still air.

You could plug them in at Lowes/Home Depot (still in package) and see if they get hot - you will know in a couple minutes if, they will work.

I just looked up rope tube lighting, and it is LED lights in a clear rubber hose. Does it really give off heat? If it does, I am guessing that you leave it on and the little heat it gives off acts as a stabilizer in the incubator.

If left in a coil this set gets hot pretty fast. I have them kind of stacked around the top of this box. I opened my front access door all the way to test how fast temp will drop (thermostat had just turned off heat) and it went from 99.5 to 98.2 deg. in 90 seconds and back up to 99.5 within 5 min. Not bad, should be lots of time to add eggs. I still need to add foam insulation weather stripping around the lid. Crockpot heating element alone in igloo hatcher I used before took half a hour to get temps back up - if I opened the access door.
Cost for this bator Foil Insulation $14.59 + 3 rolls Foil Tape @$2.39 each, small fan $7.99, $1.00 sponges and crate box -free. I had 1x2s, hardware cloth,stapes, insulators, bolts, plexiglass, corregated plastic, 9x13 cake pan and the $22.50 GQF themostat and $20.00 digital thermometer/hygrometer from prev. hatcher. Extra computer fan is going to be hooked up in my big red igloo incubator so, it will have two.