A new journey into homesteading "pic heavy"

[Chic Rustler]

And this

http://www.gqfmfg.com/cabinet-model-parts/3122-wafer-thermostat/

 

[Chic Rustler]

And this
http://www.gqfmfg.com/cabinet-model-parts/3012-motor-fan-mtg.-bracket/

 

[CrealCritter]

Lots of ways to skin a cat but here is a actual heating element (80 watts) / (46 to 58 eggs) designed for a incubator. Your guess of 100 watts was spot on!

 

[CrealCritter]

Ok now we got temp and air flow. Talk to me about humidity. I know very little if next to nothing about how to maintain humidity.

 

[Chic Rustler]

That's for more of a single layer design I think. If you want to build a circulated air cabnet I'd go with the gqf stuff. It's good stuff

 

[Chic Rustler]

humidity is critical. I think you want 45% for incubation and about 65% on lockdown day 18-21. U want a GOOD hygrometer for consistent readings.

 

[CrealCritter]

humidity is critical. I think you want 45% for incubation and about 65% on lockdown day 18-21. U want a GOOD hygrometer for consistent readings.

Ok but what / how do you control the humidity? I assume there has to be something that holds water and heats it up to increase the humidity and a fan to exhaust if it's high. But I know next to nothing about this...

 

[Chic Rustler]

Ok but what / how do you control the humidity? I assume there has to be something that holds water and heats it up to increase the humidity. But I know next to nothing about this...

I just used one of my wife's bread pans and put it on the top shelf/divider before the fan. Add sponges for more surface area as needed and you can also give the cabinet a good spray with a spray bottle in one of the vent holes to get a quick boost too.

 

[CrealCritter]

I just used one of my wife's bread pans and put it on the top shelf/divider before the fan. Add sponges for more surface area as needed and you can also give the cabinet a good spray with a spray bottle in one of the vent holes to get a quick boost too.

Ok... Now you done went and sparked my curiosity. I'm just gonna have to take my wife's humidifier apart and see how it works. I'll have to make up some lame excuse about how its not working right or something because she does like it when I take something apart that's not broken. I suspect all I'm going to find is a water proof heating element though.

I did find this mini humidifier that looks kind of interesting and might work for a incubator. It runs off USB so 5V DC should power it up.

Now just need a controller board, a power supply, thermostat, hydrometer and I think I might be in business. Getting all this stuff in a neat little electronics case is going to be the challenging part.

 

[Chic Rustler]

Check Amazon for a hygrostat.