Wattage for Bulb

[KNAndrs]

Alright I am thinking now, getting ready to put together a homemade incubator. I have seen people recommend a 40 watt bulb, but what if we lowered the wattage to say 25 watts... Would that lower the chance of temp spikes in the bator? Just thinking out loud hear, any experiments with bulbs and temp spikes?

 

[Arielle]

I like your thinking, but no that won't work. I actually needed a higher wattage for the size incubator I had; to reach the correct temp and cycle effectively.


Use heat sinks to decrease spikes and dips in temp. The more or biger the heat sink the slower the change. You will want to get the temp control BEFORE you put in heat sinks. In my cooler 'bator I have 10 quart jars of water. ANy amount or number helps; water or bricks work , though water is better than bricks.


Lods of info here to read on construction. I read everything before building. GL

 

[mama24]

I agree with pp. Try out different bulbs to see what works best. Lower is better, so if you can reach temps fast enough with a 25 watt bulb, use it, but I doubt you'll be able to, unless you're using a very small vessel. I need a 40W for my 10gal aquarium incubator. 60W gives me too much fluctuation. Putting in a heat sink will help with fluctuations, but check to make sure you're getting decent temps before you add them.

 

[rebel yell]

My bator is big enough to hold 2 doz. eggs & I use a 40wt. appliance bulb & it does great, it depends on the size & what its made of, mine is made of wood & holds heat very good.