Urgent DIY incubator fan question

[Lins_BE]

So, I’m making an incubator and I got to the point where I need to install the fan. But should I install it so the air blows away from the lamps onto the eggs or should I install it so it blows upwards towards the lamps?

I was thinking that it wouldn’t be good for the hot air to blow onto the eggs, it would create hotspots?

on the picture there will be an extra compartment on top with the lamps for heat inside it.

 

[Lins_BE]

By the way, I still need to make holes in the top so i create good air flow.

 

[Fairview01]

The best incubators ever made even to this day were the Leahy redwoods. The heat source was on the bottom fan on top. Fan pushed the air to the back of the cabinet past the t-stat , directed to the bottom with sheet metal, through the heater and repeat.

The fan never pushed the air dotectly onto the eggs. The eggs were inside the active circle of circulation

 

[Lins_BE]

The best incubators ever made even to this day were the Leahy redwoods. The heat source was on the bottom fan on top. Fan pushed the air to the back of the cabinet past the t-stat , directed to the bottom with sheet metal, through the heater and repeat.

The fan never pushed the air dotectly onto the eggs. The eggs were inside the active circle of circulation

Taking your advice into consideration, I made 2 air cavities at the sides (not enough room in the back for me) where the warmed up air gets pushed trough a hole to the underside underneath the mats the eggs will be lying on. I put the ventilator so it sucks air from the aquarium/incubator space to the upper case with the lights for heating in.

I put the power on last night and I am using a PID thermostat. It is holding the temperature EXACTLY at 37.7°C... Jippie! Now I am going to put more thermometers in there so I can check if it is stable all over the hatcher.

I also still have to put some water bowls in there to raise humidity for hatching.

The only thing I am concerned with is the fresh air flow. I have tiny holes on the upper corners of the construction where the air gets pushed into the aquarium and I have a few holes in the upper case where I can feel the hot air coming out. I am wondering if this is going to give enough fresh air for the chicks. I put up a question if any of my friends have a CO2 meter so I can check how the air quality inside there is.

 

[Fairview01]

Taking your advice into consideration, I made 2 air cavities at the sides (not enough room in the back for me) where the warmed up air gets pushed trough a hole to the underside underneath the mats the eggs will be lying on. I put the ventilator so it sucks air from the aquarium/incubator space to the upper case with the lights for heating in.

I put the power on last night and I am using a PID thermostat. It is holding the temperature EXACTLY at 37.7°C... Jippie! Now I am going to put more thermometers in there so I can check if it is stable all over the hatcher.

I also still have to put some water bowls in there to raise humidity for hatching.

The only thing I am concerned with is the fresh air flow. I have tiny holes on the upper corners of the construction where the air gets pushed into the aquarium and I have a few holes in the upper case where I can feel the hot air coming out. I am wondering if this is going to give enough fresh air for the chicks. I put up a question if any of my friends have a CO2 meter so I can check how the air quality inside there is.

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If you look at the front of the Leahy there are 2 ventilation holes and 4 on the top.

All of them have shutters on them. The directions for the Leahy were to keep them closed during incubation but to open them during hatching. How many were opened depended on ambient temp.

The reason to open them on hatch day was to prevent the chicks from overheating. A bunch of hatching chicks genetate a lot of heat and with how well those redwoods were insulated it would be easy for the temps to become fatal.

 

[Lins_BE]

So for mine that won’t be an issue due to the full glass front that cools off pretty fast? I’ll probably have to see what it gives during hatching.

 

[Shamo Hybrid]

Girlfriend, I tell you this.... when I concocted my own DIY incubator, I strategically placed the fan to where it would create some kind of turbulent pattern that will flow throughout all the eggs so they all get evenly baked. It's best to use 2 fans, I think. You can turn your fan/s on, get your smoke vapor and blow some clouds in there to see how the smoke reacts and adjust accordingly. OK, I never done any of that but thinking back now I should have. But anyway, I ditched the DIY after a week or so (though it seemed to work well) and forked up the money for a cheap incubator which did it's job and I managed to hatch all of my eggs bar 1 who made it to pipped, zipped, but couldn't dipped outta it's shell.

 

[Lins_BE]

Girlfriend, I tell you this.... when I concocted my own DIY incubator, I strategically placed the fan to where it would create some kind of turbulent pattern that will flow throughout all the eggs so they all get evenly baked. It's best to use 2 fans, I think. You can turn your fan/s on, get your smoke vapor and blow some clouds in there to see how the smoke reacts and adjust accordingly. OK, I never done any of that but thinking back now I should have. But anyway, I ditched the DIY after a week or so (though it seemed to work well) and forked up the money for a cheap incubator which did it's job and I managed to hatch all of my eggs bar 1 who made it to pipped, zipped, but couldn't dipped outta it's shell.

I’ll go get some inscence sticks then.