Fan in Incubator...really necessary?

I bought a 5 dollar computer fan and it's rated at 12v. The power source i was going to use turns out to only be 5v. It's severely underpowered and when i tested it, the fan barely puts out any air movement...so I'm wondering, is it absolutely necessary to have a fan in the incubator?

Yes, And you got the wrong fan..

Suggestions?

I think fans are pretty important in preventing the development of hot spots, and keeping the temperatures as uniform as possible within the incubator.

At Radio Shack they sell 12v AC to DC converters. You have to make sure you get one with enough milli-amps. The chargers are a universal wall charger and you buy the tip you need. But you don't need the tip so cut it off and wire it to the fan.
I found them on the website. Something like this
http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...entPage=search

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Originally Posted by JASBALLS

Yes, And you got the wrong fan..

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Yep - go to Radio Shack and buy the one rated the same as a wall jack (you will have to wire it yourself). Mine was $20.

My incubator is set up using a marine cooler and I have .5 a degree variance. I have the fan on a rheostat and the faster it goes the more stable the temps are.

Seems to be working. I only have one clutch so far, but the eggs look exactly like they did the day I put them in 3 weeks ago. I even saw a few wiggles when I candled them tonight… :D

I think it is very important to incubation success.

Justin

There's nothing wrong with using computer fans in your incubator. I have some that have been running 24/7 for almost two years and they continue to meet my requirements.

Make sure your power source has an output of 12 vdc or as you have already noted, the fan(s) will not perform well. Also, make sure your output amperage is at least equal to the input amperage requirement of your fan(s). I prefer to use one that has an output amperage at least 25% greater than my fans input requirement.

Depending on the size of your incubator, I would recommend at least 2 fans. One blowing down in one of your top corners and one blowing up in the opposite side bottom corner. For larger incubators, you might need to increase the number of fans. We are using a total of 4 in our incubator.

I know that others have already provided some links, but here is another. This ac/dc adapter has an adjustable voltage output. I recommend that you use only the 12 volt setting. It has an output amperage of 1000 mA (1A), so you could run enough fans for several incubators with it.

http://www.radioshack.com/sm-3-12v-r...i-2552560.html

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

I've never used a fan in any of my incuabtors...I'm using a "mid-sized" chest freezer turned on it's side - Been using it for last 4 or 5 years and haven't had any problems yet...2 foot of 11 in heat tape keeps my temps between 88 and 90...It'll only hold 12 shoeboxes though...I would imagine though if you have a full size frig as an incubator you might want one...
BT

Go to Wal -mart and by a really small house fan. Mine cost about $5 and plugs directly into the wall. Sorry no picture but I saw them yesterday...they are white, small (the box is about 4" x 4" x 6"). Looks like a small blower and tilts up and down for directional airflow. (sorry best description...I will try and get a picture). It also has high/med/low settings.

Mine has been running for 2 seasons without issue...For $5 why bother with 12v fans and having to convert the voltage and such.

Hope this helps.

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Originally Posted by lord jackel

Mine has been running for 2 seasons without issue...For $5 why bother with 12v fans and having to convert the voltage and such.

Hope this helps.

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good point:)

Depends on the size of the incubator. I've hatched hundreds of eggs in small hovabator style incubators without fans. In some cases a fan can be a detriment in that it can more quickly dry out the environment. In large incubators that hold more then a clutch or two of eggs, a fan is important to help equalize the temps throughout the whole enclosure so you don't have any hot spots or cold spots. Small incubators with one or two clutches of eggs don't really need a fan.

Mark

The incubator i'm using is converted from a Wine cooler. So, about 2ft x 2ft x 3.5ft

I appreciate all the links and helpful info :)

I used one that size last year. I went to Radio Shack and got their 3" fan, because the 4" fan put out too much heat. It worked fine on my 3 clutches.

I am using a 4" Radio Shack fan in my Pepsi fridge and it keeps the temps nice and stable

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Originally Posted by lord jackel

Go to Wal -mart and by a really small house fan. Mine cost about $5 and plugs directly into the wall. Sorry no picture but I saw them yesterday...they are white, small (the box is about 4" x 4" x 6"). Looks like a small blower and tilts up and down for directional airflow. (sorry best description...I will try and get a picture). It also has high/med/low settings.

Mine has been running for 2 seasons without issue...For $5 why bother with 12v fans and having to convert the voltage and such.

Hope this helps.

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I tried this and the fan itself kicked out so much heat the incubator was up over 100 degrees. (There weren't any eggs inside, it was just an experiment).

JonV

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Originally Posted by nevohraalnavnoj

I tried this and the fan itself kicked out so much heat the incubator was up over 100 degrees. (There weren't any eggs inside, it was just an experiment).

JonV

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This my experience as well, but mine only creeped up to 93.4F with a small 120v fan, and was only an issue when the room temp got up to 85F, so it had passed my pre-use testing.

My temp gun indicated the single clutch of eggs was just at 90F when the alarm woke me up, so I'm probably OK, but that remains to be proven.

Be very careful to not introduce uncontrolled heat sources to your incubator. 12v fans generally run a lot cooler than 120v fans.
It wouldn't hurt to have the transformer outside of the incubator to avoid that heat too.

I know these sources seem like free heat, but it only takes one temperature spike to kill all your eggs.

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Originally Posted by nevohraalnavnoj

I tried this and the fan itself kicked out so much heat the incubator was up over 100 degrees. (There weren't any eggs inside, it was just an experiment).

JonV

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Strange...My incubator is 2' x 2' x 4' tall. I have the fan in the bottom corner set on low and my temps for the past 2 seasons are rock steady at 87.5. It is probably dependent on the fan model (quality) and the size of the incubator as to how much added heat is being introduced.

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Originally Posted by lord jackel

Strange...My incubator is 2' x 2' x 4' tall. I have the fan in the bottom corner set on low and my temps for the past 2 seasons are rock steady at 87.5. It is probably dependent on the fan model (quality) and the size of the incubator as to how much added heat is being introduced.

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Hmm, I am building an incubator from a pretty large wine cooler, about the size of the incubator you have, but I was thinking about putting the cpu fan in the top corner kinda pointing down to force the hot air that rises back to the bottom, but after seeing this, Im not sure. Any suggestions from anyone? I appreciate any info I can get before starting the conversion.

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Originally Posted by PrototypePythons

Hmm, I am building an incubator from a pretty large wine cooler, about the size of the incubator you have, but I was thinking about putting the cpu fan in the top corner kinda pointing down to force the hot air that rises back to the bottom, but after seeing this, Im not sure. Any suggestions from anyone? I appreciate any info I can get before starting the conversion.

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Go for it. With a small 12v fan and the DC transformer OUTSIDE of the incubator, you should be good. I have 3 completely different incubators that all have 12v fan(s) and the only problem I ever had with possible over heating was in my 120 qt. when I ran 2 fans off a transformer that was mounted inside the incubator. I pulled it out and ran the cord through a small hole in the back and it took care of the problem. The wall transformers can throw off a lot of heat, but the fans themselves not so much. Especially since you are using a decent size cooler.

So, can you use an old cell phone charger to run the cpu fan? And just run the cord through a hole in the back?

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Originally Posted by PrototypePythons

So, can you use an old cell phone charger to run the cpu fan? And just run the cord through a hole in the back?

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Well that's what I did, originally. but it was severely underpowered.

If you can buy online here buy from this site. Its where I got my pc fans and stuff from. Alot cheaper than Radio Shack.
http://www.allelectronics.com/index.html

Not sure but I think this is the plug your looking for. If not they will have what you need alot cheaper you just might have to look for it.

http://www.allelectronics.com/cgi-bi...NSFORMER_.html

What do I need to know about milliamps? what if the fan doesn't say anything about amps? is knowing the voltage enough or is amperage really an important part of all this?

Amps=watts/volts

I use a 120 volt fan from an old aquarium hood, 80CFM, running on 4 years now.

-Evan

So, I guess some people use fans and some don't....?

I haven't used a fan. Last year I had a styro cooler setup; this year, a wine cooler fridge. I have the FWatt going completely from the floor to top of the inside of the incubator (about 2.5 feet high) and I took different readings of the temps and things are evened-out. I use closed pop bottles of water to store heat in areas where there are no tubs. I like to keep with what works and would be leary of changing things now. This is definately something that has to be thought out before eggs arrive! :)

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Originally Posted by PrototypePythons

So, can you use an old cell phone charger to run the cpu fan? And just run the cord through a hole in the back?

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If you want to use a lower voltage adapter you can order a matching fan from the links I pm'ed to you last week. I have 2 5v fans running off a 4 volt phone charger for one of my frog hoods.

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Originally Posted by nathanledet

What do I need to know about milliamps? what if the fan doesn't say anything about amps? is knowing the voltage enough or is amperage really an important part of all this?

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All of the 12v computer fans I've looked at use brushless motors rated at 12v @ 1500-1700 mA. If it doesnt say I would go by that and get an adapter that's between 800-1600 mA. For smaller incubators I like to go lower so there's less vibration and "wind" when it's not needed. Even for my bigger incubator I added more fans instead of running a single fan at max power so there's less noise and vibration.

Nate, it's not difficult. 4" computer fan from Radio Shack and a plain extension cord with the female end cut off. Wire it up, tape it, and plug it in. You're done. You can use zip ties to mount it to the wire shelves in the incubator.

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Originally Posted by SatanicIntention

Nate, it's not difficult. 4" computer fan from Radio Shack and a plain extension cord with the female end cut off. Wire it up, tape it, and plug it in. You're done. You can use zip ties to mount it to the wire shelves in the incubator.

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As long as it's a 120v fan and not a 12v fan, like mentioned earlier. But I would think that a 120v fan would come pre-wired. There could also be an issue with a 120v fan producing too much heat, but I can't say whether or not that's a real issue since I never use them.

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Originally Posted by nevohraalnavnoj

I tried this and the fan itself kicked out so much heat the incubator was up over 100 degrees. (There weren't any eggs inside, it was just an experiment).

JonV

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Would it be possible to run the fan through the same proportional thermostat as the heat tape? By doing so would it potentially turn down both heat sources in the incubator?

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Originally Posted by frogvet

Would it be possible to run the fan through the same proportional thermostat as the heat tape? By doing so would it potentially turn down both heat sources in the incubator?

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You are asking a question to someone that posted this 8 years ago and whom has not been on the forum in 3 1/2 years.

You would get much better result creating you own threads.