Incubator Fan

Just curious what fans you guys use for your incubators. I've always been told to use computer case fans. There are two sizes I see the 80mm and 120mm.

I have a few questions.
What's the best fan in your opinion?

How do you wire it?

Do you run the power through the thermostat (it only runs when the heat is on)?

Where do you locate the fan(s)?

Do you use more than one fan?

I should add this is for a retired freezer incubator. I don't have the exact dimensions but I would guess 4 feet long by 2.5 feet wide.

The fans come in all sizes from 26mm up to 6"+. For a freezer I'd use 2 12v 80mm+ fans wired to a 12v 800mA - 12v 1700mA DC wall transformer. I had a couple posts on here with write ups. If you can't find them or you have any questions PM me.

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Originally Posted by PythonWallace

The fans come in all sizes from 26mm up to 6"+. For a freezer I'd use 2 12v 80mm+ fans wired to a 12v 800mA - 12v 1700mA DC wall transformer. I had a couple posts on here with write ups. If you can't find them or you have any questions PM me.

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Thanks Jake I knew you would answer. I remember speaking with you in Daytona about this very question I just don't remember everything that was said. I had a wee bit too much fun that night and the next.

David

Keep the fan going when the thermostat is off. It keeps the temperatures more stable.

Richard

I keep the fan going 24/7 in my bator. Radio Shack jobby hooked up to a plug thing!

Yep. fans on 24/7. And unless you have an on/off thermostat, your fans have to be on a seperate plug or hardwired before the thermostat. DC motors don't like to have their voltage messed with, so the constant adjustments made by a proportional thermostat would kill your fans in a day or so.

I use a 4" computer fan from Radio Shack($14 or something). I wired it up to the male end of a regular extension cord and plugged it in. Works great.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by PythonWallace

Yep. fans on 24/7. And unless you have an on/off thermostat, your fans have to be on a seperate plug or hardwired before the thermostat. DC motors don't like to have their voltage messed with, so the constant adjustments made by a proportional thermostat would kill your fans in a day or so.

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I am with Jake on this. here is what I use.

I use a computer fan I got at Radio Shack to circulate the air in the incubator. The one I used is a 12-volt DC fan; here is the link to it.

I use a Radio Shack variable DC Power Supply to power the fan. Here is the link to the one I used.

I didn’t want to ruin the power supply by cutting the wires to power the fan and luckily Radio Shack has an Adaptaplug with 6” Power Leads so you don’t have to. Here is the link for that.

In the past I tried using a small Radio Shack 120 volt AC fan so it could be hooked up right to regular power but if it was left on constantly it would raise the temperature over 110 degrees. The fan did that even in a large refrigerator in a room that was kept at 74 degrees. The 120 volt ones really generate a lot of heat. The 12-volt fan works great and has been on 24/7 365 days a year for the last four years.

I use a fan that is for cooling salt water canopy lights. It is 4.75" and comes ready to plug in the wall but only operates at 12v. They have a smaller size also depending how big your incubator is.

I don't have a link right now but it is coralife cooling fan kit. Comes in a blue box and the best part is it was about half the cost of a Radio Shack set up and that is for the larger fan. If anybody is interested in this I will find a link for it tomorrow or I mean later today.