Using a PC fan in a styrobator...

[Poulets De Cajun]

Anyone ever used a PC cooling fan from an old computer to transform your styrofoam still air to a force air?

I have a 2 inch by 2 inch fan that i've rewired to a 12v adapter and it runs and puts out a gentle flow of air.

Anyone have suggestions or tips on how to mount it inside? Or have pics of your own that you've done?

 

[lost]

If you go to the first page and go to the seach whatchmacalet to search and typ in home made incibators and will help alot missprissy has one like that

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

yes i've seen that thread already. and i've already got an incubator, its a still air little giant styrofoam incubator.

I am needing help trying to install a PC fan. The incubator is already built! LOL

 

[conny63malies]

a lot of the home made bators use PC fans. you just need a device charger that has 12 volt output nd what ever miliamp the fan has , you cut the two ends at both sides wire them together and tahdah you have a running fan, you have to try in which way the fan runs before youdo the final wiring. and when you use it in the bator dont mount itflush against the styrofoam .give it some room. i installed mine by simply using 2in screws threaded through the holes in the fan and the into the styrofoam of the bator.

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

I know what you're talking about Poulets...you already have a still air Hovabator/Little Giant incubator and are wanting to convert it to forced air. I don't personally have one so I don't know where you would put it, but I DO remember a photo of one that someone put in. I'll see if I can find it and post it for you.

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=60840

Try PM'ing Davaroo...it sounds like he's done it already.

 

[equus2]

I've done it. Super easy. I mounted my $1 fan to the underside of the lid, using a dremmel to drill nice neat holes with. AFter wiring it to the 12V power supply, I attach to a dimmer switch, so I can adjust the speed of the fan. Good Luck!!!

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

well I didn't have any screws and I didn't know if the screws would hold or strip out of the styrofoam.

What I did was took pieces of very stiff wire and bent the ends into a hook. I stuck them through the screw holes of the fan, and up through the styrofoam. Then I bent the pieces of wire sticking up through the styrofoam to keep them from falling back in. This gave a nice secure hold to the fan.

I threaded the fan wires through one of the small vent holes and spliced it to a 12v adapter that I cut off of another old appliance. Plugged it in, plugged the turner in, and plugged the bator in, and it took off.

It shot up to 110 degrees in half an hour though. I had to turn it down and it dropped to 84 after another 30 minutes. So i've been turning it by a millimeter to get it back up to 99.5.. I've got to check it when I get back home from work...

It ain't nothing pretty, but if it will help with my hatch rate, i'm all for ugly....

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

WOOOHOOOO!!! I just got home from work, and apparently my little contraption is working! Its at a steady 99.5 degrees and the fan is running perfectly....

I'm going to continue monitoring for another 24 hours checking it and tracking it as much as I can to see how steady it is.

Course I probably need to get a digital thermometer too. right now i'm using the little glass ones from miller that come with the bator... not sure how accurate it is...

 

[edster951]

Here is my incubator with CPU fan.

Used a cellphone charger.