how about transforming a baking oven into an incubator?

[Pythonfriend]

i just had this idea, and the more i think about it, the more i wonder why i have not seen it before.

an electrical baking oven of good quality has some properties that make it interesting:

- good thermal insulation
- lighting (since you rig it to run at low temps, you could replace the heat resistant light bulb with more efficient LED lighting)
- a ventilator for even distribution of heat
- a window
- heating coils at the bottom and at the top (would need to be rigged and get an overhaul)
- built to resist humidity (even hot steam)
- if you un-rig it again and make sure its empty, self cleaning and sterilizing function.


basically all that would need to be done is to reduce the wattage of the heat coils and to maybe add the right resistors to bring them into the operating range of a thermostat. maybe build in fuses that cut at a certain wattage and prevent the coils from ever reaching their maximum power output. and a good proportional thermostat that can run these coils at the desired temperature.


am i missing an obvious problem, or could this work? what do you think? basically all you need is a good thermostat, and some cheaply obtainable electronic parts (resistors, fuses, a bit of cable). and you need to know how to weld and how to insulate cables.

[satomi325]

You can certainly use the body as an insulated box for incubating. Bob Clark uses a dish washer as an incubator. But I wouldn't use the actual heating element. Seems too uncontrollable and hard to be accurate.

High humidity is good for eggs too.

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[Pythonfriend]

i think to use the coils you just need the appropriate knowledge of electronics. yes you need to change some characteristics and add a security feature. then you can do test runs and verify that it works. the maximum power output of the coils is wildly over the top, but if you manage to safely run them with a low amount of energy and at low temperature, i really see how it could work nicely. that it has a maximum energy output level at 1000 watts doesnt mean that you cannot throttle it down to 50 watts max, and add a thermal-magnetic 800mA (correct value depends on voltage) push-to-reset circuit breaker for additional safety.

not using the coils and installing a different heating method you are already familiar with is also an option.

a dish washer is also a nice idea.

[CD CONSTRICTORS]

Most ovens have a vent to one burner. That would have to be sealed.

The door seals on an oven are just not as good as a refrigerator or dishwasher.

[Pythonfriend]

Most ovens have a vent to one burner. That would have to be sealed.

The door seals on an oven are just not as good as a refrigerator or dishwasher.

if the oven is poorly sealed, that would be quite a deal breaker. but im talking about an electrical oven, so there would be no exhaust for combustion products and no oxygen intake. so its electrical coils, desiged to directly heat the air and to emit infrared radiation. quality ones are designed to quickly get to the target temperature, and to then switch off and hold the temperature via thermostat control. then, efficiency is a function of the quality of thermal insulation.

one time i severely burned a pizza to the point that it gave off smoke, and the smoke stayed inside, close to nothing went out, until i opened the door and got hit by quite a wall of smell and smoke.

one problem i see: price. cost. a nice fridge may be cheaper than a nice oven, that may be a deal breaker. but, as is the case with the fridge, you wont need the electronics or the settings of the oven since you drive the coils with your own electronic setup and reconnect them. so a partially broken one is fine.

[manicmorphs]

Sounds like a fun project. Take lots of pictures. And you could literally say that your eggs are cooking.

[Pythonfriend]

Sounds like a fun project. Take lots of pictures. And you could literally say that your eggs are cooking.

the problem is, i have a nice oven with the right characteristics, but its working and expensive and in use. and im not breeding so far. so its more hypothetical. basically the result so far is: when it breaks down, or when a friend is moving or something and one with the right characteristics (pure electric, high energy efficiency rating) gets discarded, i may pick it up and store it away.

[shadowsnakes]

I have a midrange electrical oven and it vents to the back right burner. It also gives off a lot of heat around the seal and door. Seem like for the cost of cleaning, upgrading, testing, and rigging you may as well buy a manufactured incubator. Personally I would salvage a fridge shell and convert that.

[manicmorphs]

I use a big wine fridge, its a lot more manageable to move around than an oven. But not as impressive...

[CD CONSTRICTORS]

The problem I see with an oven is the seal. They are not made to hold temperature like refrigerator seals.

Here is my life experience and you can test it out if you wish....

I live in FL and we lose power frequently here for various reasons. My freezer portion of my refrigerator will keep food frozen for 3-4 days without power and the refrigerator section will keep food cool enough to prevent it from spoiling for longer than that. My little wine cooler incubator will lose less than 1F starting from 90F over 4 hours without power.

My oven however will not hold temperature and is nearly down to ambient in an hour without power..... heat your oven to 325F and throw a roast in it. Now shut your main breaker off. Tell me if that roast cooks at all? Your food will still be frozen tomorrow......

My little wine cooler construction is on my website and I am currently building a full size fridge incubator. The room will be needed this year with the amount of clutches expected. Only the heat tape is installed and wired. Fan installation is next and then all that is needed is a rheostat for the fans and a thermostat. It still works and has not been stripped. I can still move it without any help. It will hold more clutches than an oven, and best of all it was FREE!

I am not using the glass shelves. I want more airflow and the glass will block that.

Progress so far (not very exciting):