DIY Incubator Questions

Howdy, guys! I recently acquired a broken mini fridge from a kind person on Craigslist...

However, within the past 24 hours, I noticed an issue: My brother's husky chewed the cord! :rage:

Anyways, my questions are...

1.) Does the cord matter at all? It's attached to the fridge.
2.) What is a good website for a fan? Where do I attach it and how?
3.) What size flexwatt would I need?
4.) Do I leave the black thing attached? Is this the pollutant stuff that needs to be professionally removed if so?
5.) What's a good thermostat for incubators? I have a Herpstat 2, but I plan to use the other output for another rack.

I tried to read up on fridge incubators on here but I noticed a lot of these posts have unavailable photos, so it kind of makes it hard for someone who isn't handy with making things to begin with.

I'm not in any rush to use this incubator, I won't be breeding for another year or two, but I'd like to be as ready as possible for that moment.

Photos:
http://imgur.com/a/lqFiq

Rewiring cords is easy if you want/need to use the fan that's in the unit. If you aren't using that fan, it won't matter much. Most builds I see use wider heat tape, either the 12 or 24 inch. And for t-stats I would def get something with proportional dimming, either a VE or a Herpstat. I've actually been wondering about the freon removal. Seems to be some videos on how to remove the tubing without cutting into it and potentially releasing the freon gas, but i don't know how reliable that is to do yourself.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lizardlicks

Rewiring cords is easy if you want/need to use the fan that's in the unit. If you aren't using that fan, it won't matter much. Most builds I see use wider heat tape, either the 12 or 24 inch. And for t-stats I would def get something with proportional dimming, either a VE or a Herpstat. I've actually been wondering about the freon removal. Seems to be some videos on how to remove the tubing without cutting into it and potentially releasing the freon gas, but i don't know how reliable that is to do yourself.

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Would I need to fix the cord connected to the fridge? Would it be cheaper for that route or for a new fan that you put somewhere in the unit itself? I wouldn't know where or how to place it and make it work. D:

I have a Herpstat 2 currently, but I'll probably use a basic Herpstat for the incubator... I finally learned how to use the one I do have completely and now I feel comfortable. The given quality is definitely worth every penny. I never used VE though, I almost got one instead but I was highly recommended a Herpstat by a handful of pals/online strangers. :)

Removing the freon sounds complicated, I'll probably need to look into having someone remove it. I definitely don't want to try and really harm the environment, myself, etc., that would be the worst.

I will probably look at more pictures of DIY incubators (hopefully will show) and probably get more of an idea of what to do. I'm not in a rush though (thankfully), but I do want to be as careful as possible. :)

I went through the mini-fridge thing when I first started breeding. It became cost intensive time wise to get it set up correctly. Finally just got a big igloo cooler that took a whole ten minutes to get operational. It also doubles as a seat in the snake room.

I'll try to find the thread from when I built my wine cooler incubator. Its really simple. You shouldnt have any need for the fridge cord. just fridge, 12" flex wat, Herpstat, and I use a $15 cpu fan that has LEDs in it so it provides a little light to see into the glass door.