AMP Energy Mini-Fridge Incubator

I found a sweet AMP energy mini-fridge on Craig's List. Living in Maine, that's like finding a needle in a haystack.
Here it is before I gutted it. My cat Wilbur is checking it out.
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Next I gutted the inside and the compressor area to remove junk I didn't need.
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I left most of the electrical system intact and replaced the lights because they were broken... let there be light! The lights are off when the cord is unplugged, but I'll add a switch to the system tomorrow so I can turn them on and off with just a click. :)
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This was followed by installing a DC computer fan. It has a blue case and chrome fins. :D
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I then added the flexwatt and wired it through the drain and inserted probes through the already existing holes at the top. After I did that I sealed up the holes.
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Finally I connected everything, turned it all on, threw a 6 quart box in there for modeling purposes, and took a picture. :)
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After a few hours of operation, all probes are reading at 89 degrees, which is what I set the incubator to be running at for the time being.


Thanks for looking! :D

This is an awesome how-to. What a fun find!

Looks good. Great job! Expecting any eggs soon?

Great Build looks a lot like my True Minifridge I built last year :)

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Originally Posted by Archimedes

This is an awesome how-to. What a fun find!

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Thank you! I was so excited to find it that I called the guy a few hours after it was listed, drove two hours south to pick it right after work got out at 5, and drove two hours back home. I wasn't going to miss out on it. :D

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Originally Posted by Exotic Ectotherms

Looks good. Great job! Expecting any eggs soon?

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Thank you! It's looking like I should have a clutch from a Hypo Enchi x Pastel het Hypo in a few months with any luck. :banana:

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Originally Posted by RestlessRobie

Great Build looks a lot like my True Minifridge I built last year :)

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Thank you! I've been looking for something like a True cooler for awhile, but it's hard finding fun stuff like this in Maine. I lucked out!

How many 6 quarts does that hold? Great job, it looks awesome

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Originally Posted by scooter11

How many 6 quarts does that hold? Great job, it looks awesome

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Thank you! I believe it'll hold four 6 quarts, which'll be perfect for this year and probably next year as well.

This is a great conversion. How does having bottles of water help maintain humidity? Wouldn't a bowl of water do better? Just a curiosity from a future hobby breeder.

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Originally Posted by TheSnakeGuy

This is a great conversion. How does having bottles of water help maintain humidity? Wouldn't a bowl of water do better? Just a curiosity from a future hobby breeder.

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The water bottles actually heat up and hold the temperature.

so when you open the incubator door and all the warm air rushes out the bottles are still warm and will warm the air up when you close the door.

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Originally Posted by TheSnakeGuy

This is a great conversion. How does having bottles of water help maintain humidity? Wouldn't a bowl of water do better? Just a curiosity from a future hobby breeder.

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Thank you. I have the bottles in the bottom to help maintain the temperature if I open up the incubator door. Another reason I have them in there is that in the event of a power outage the bottles will help a little bit with holding temps (for a short period of time, but better than nothing).

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Originally Posted by reptiliachnids

The water bottles actually heat up and hold the temperature.

so when you open the incubator door and all the warm air rushes out the bottles are still warm and will warm the air up when you close the door.

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And you beat me to it... darn you!!! :P

I made a few changes to my incubator setup that I wanted to share. I substituted bottled water for the Coke bottles to increase the amount of water in the incubator from 160 oz to approximately 304 oz and did so without losing any space for tubs. The bottle size allowed me to fit in 18 bottles at 16.9 oz apiece, compared to 8- 20 oz bottles.

I also wanted to customize my incubator a little bit so I designed and added a custom sign. I think it looks cool. :)

Lights off
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Lights on
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[QUOTE=lyfoti05;1999489]Thank you! I was so excited to find it that I called the guy a few hours after it was listed, drove two hours south to pick it right after work got out at 5, and drove two hours back home. I wasn't going to miss out on it. :D


LOL This sounds just like me! I just recently packed all of my kids in the car and my husband and I drove over two hours after he got off of work to pick up a 'broken' wine chiller I found on Craigslist for $30! Didn't get home until almost midnight, but I GOT MY INCUBATOR! :D Thanks for posting what you did - great job! Maybe I should post mine too... I took step-by-step pics too... however, mine's just still missing heat tape (which is ordered)...

Kim

P.S. What is the significance of the water bottles?

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Originally Posted by nimblykimbly

P.S. What is the significance of the water bottles?

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Water stores heat much better than air. If you fill any excess space in an incubator with water bottles they get warm and when the door is opened you will get less of a temperature drop.

[QUOTE=nimblykimbly;2001599]

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Originally Posted by lyfoti05

Thank you! I was so excited to find it that I called the guy a few hours after it was listed, drove two hours south to pick it right after work got out at 5, and drove two hours back home. I wasn't going to miss out on it. :D


LOL This sounds just like me! I just recently packed all of my kids in the car and my husband and I drove over two hours after he got off of work to pick up a 'broken' wine chiller I found on Craigslist for $30! Didn't get home until almost midnight, but I GOT MY INCUBATOR! :D Thanks for posting what you did - great job! Maybe I should post mine too... I took step-by-step pics too... however, mine's just still missing heat tape (which is ordered)...

Kim

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Thank you! Definitely post your incubator... pics are always nice! :gj: