Custom Incubator Build..... progress thread

[CD CONSTRICTORS]

We have outgrown our fridge incubator. Good on the basis of more clutches expected this season (from 17 last season to 40+ this season). A lot of wasted un-usable space in the fridge.... door shelving, crisper drawers, compressor space on bottom, and inside profile were limiting factors on the capacity. We will be keeping the fridge in service for backup if needed- it worked very well this past season.

On to the new build!!

As many of you have seen, we have been building our own racks now for ourselves. We are fortunate enough to have one of the country's largest suppliers of plastic sheeting in our back yard... Piedmont Plastics. Buying enough sheets so far for our racks has got us corporate pricing now at $97.60 per 1/2" x 4ft x 8ft sheet of Cell-Tek black XPVC (with free cuts).

The incubator build was a tough choice, but we put out a blueprint of our design and sent it to Piedmont. Our build is 72" x 36" x 20". Calculated out with 6qt Sterilite tubs, it should hold 48 tubs. We are doing six shelves that we will double stack tubs on. 4 tubs across and 2 tubs high on each shelf= 48 tubs. This size also leaves us the option to place (3) 12qt tubs on each shelf if needed (or use the existing fridge incubator) for some of those 10- 12 egg clutches we may see from our 3000+g proven females. There is enough "drop" material (leftover) to make a nice V18 hatchling rack, so that is a bonus!!

Cut sizes were finalized last week and the raw material was picked up. Bronchitis has all but halted completion.

We have calculated the final build cost to be around ~$800 for our build. Some material we already have on hand (2"x 4" studs, hinges, screws, power cord, etc), but have included those costs into the build for someone with no materials on hand. We already have a spare HerpStat 1, so add in $125 if you need a T-Stat.

- (4) sheets XPVC= $390.40
- 1/4" Acrylic sheet for window on the door= $117 (need a full sheet- no scrap large enough available)
- Custom CNC work including cutting the door window opening and recessing the 1/4" acrylic in the door= $100
- (2)- 120mm fans= $36 (you can buy cheaper fans, but we have used these fans in the past in computers that have been running 24/7/365 for 7 years straight)
- (10ft) 12" THG heat tape= $30
- (1) Power cord with ends for THG= $4
- Aluminum tape= $7 at Lowes (don't pay $12 for a roll half this size)
- 2# 6 x 1 5/8 plated screws= $12
- (4) 2" 360 degree rotating caster wheels= $16
- (2) 2" x 4" x 8' studs for frame on bottom= $6
- (3) Stainless door hinges= $20
- (1) Door handle= $5
- (20ft) door sealant= $50

- Total is ~$795- AND you could do it $217 cheaper without the 1/4" acrylic window and associated CNC work we chose to have done. You could probably also get by with one 5ft piece of 12" THG heat tape down the center vs. the two 5ft pieces we used to cut costs even more (~$15 less). Eliminating these costs gets you down to $560 + a T-Stat.

- (1) HerpStat 1= $125 (they are on sale right now). Add this to the cost if you need a T-Stat.

The biggest part we are waiting on is CNC work be done on the door to recess the 1/4" acrylic before we can finish assembly!!

The HARDEST part is done!!





Made the base frame last night. Used the same method as the racks we have built.... just some studs cut to size and screwed together for support. Still have to add a middle frame support on the base.

Here we left 1/2" of the base frame exposed around the base piece and then screwed the base down. The 1/2" of the base frame exposed will allow the sides and back to have a solid place to rest before being screwed to the base plate.

The 2.5" lip on the front of the base is just for the door seal to have a flat surface to seal against. Obviously the side and top door seal edges will be installed once the sides, back and top are assembled.



We expect complete assembly less the door and acrylic window which is out for CNC work to be done Saturday 11/22/2014.

[CD CONSTRICTORS]

Finally finished today. Placed in service and is warming up for the upcoming season.

Let the eggs roll in!!

[CD CONSTRICTORS]

Final testing done weeks ago. We have been up and running for over a month rock solid. HerpStat set to 89.5F.

Tub temps on all 6 shelves range from ~87.0- 88.0F. We found that once eggs are placed in the tubs our temps rise about 1F, so we are sitting pretty right now.



As you can see by all the info marked on the pieces of tape, we have done extensive testing. I'll take a 0.9F variance from top to bottom on a 36" x 72" x 20" incubator any day



Shelf #1:


Shelf #2:


Shelf #3:


Shelf #4:


Shelf #5:


Shelf #6:

[JMBall's]

Looks good. You guys could probably produce and sell incubators like that if you ever plan to expand into other snake ventures.

[JMBall's]

The fridge I'm looking at supposedly holds a variance of a 1/2 degree top to bottom

[CD CONSTRICTORS]

As expected based on past experience, the first clutch of 8 eggs has been in the incubator for ~5 days now and temps in that tub are 0.6F higher than any other tub

[Tsanford]

Excellent build! I was at a breeders facility who had one of these xpvc incubators and I've been interested in building one since.

Now that I've seen what you have done, the testing, and your success, I will be building one soon.

Thank you!!